She’s competed in bodybuilding, struggled with her own weight and relationship with food, coached hundreds of clients, and built businesses helping everyday adults and young athletes better understand nutrition, body composition, and what it actually takes to create results that last.
Today, Amy is the founder of Pearls Girls Fitness and AP Performance. Her approach isn’t built around extreme diets, perfect eating, or trying to look like someone you follow on Instagram.
In Episode 100 of The Health Movement Podcast, Amy and Derek talk about one of the biggest problems in fitness today: comparing our real lives and bodies to carefully curated versions of other people.
Amy gets extremely transparent about bodybuilding, social media, cosmetic surgery, restrictive dieting, GLP-1 medications, eating disorders, and why fitness transformation photos rarely tell the whole story.
We also get practical. Amy explains body-composition scans, protein, tracking vs. intuitive eating, athlete nutrition, eating on the road, and how she enjoys pizza, brownies, restaurants and drinks while maintaining her results.
Her philosophy comes down to one powerful idea:
“I don’t get impressed by weight loss. I get impressed by maintenance.”
Losing weight for 12 weeks is one thing. Building a healthy lifestyle you can actually live for years is something entirely different.
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IN THIS EPISODE:
• Amy’s journey from Gold’s Gym to building her own fitness businesses
• Bodybuilding, weight gain, postpartum struggles and disordered eating
• Why comparison may be one of the biggest obstacles in fitness
• What social media doesn’t show you about fitness transformations
• Genetics, body types, PEDs, lighting and unrealistic expectations
• Why Amy uses body-composition data instead of focusing only on weight
• Losing weight vs. losing body fat
• Why sustainable nutrition has to fit your actual lifestyle
• AP Performance and nutrition coaching for high school and prep-school athletes
• Teaching athletes to eat for performance, recovery and body composition
• Making smarter choices at Dunkin’, Chipotle and McDonald’s
• Why you don’t have to eliminate pizza or foods you enjoy
• Amy’s perspective on GLP-1 medications and sustainable habits
• Tracking calories and macros vs. intuitive eating
• Why Amy doesn’t believe in “cheat meals”
• Why maintaining results is more impressive than rapid weight loss
• Learning to “embrace your reality”
• Why you shouldn’t wish for something more than you’re willing to work for
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CHAPTERS
00:00 – Meet Amy Kupstas
00:47 – Amy’s fitness journey begins
02:53 – Weight gain and struggling mentally
03:50 – Starting Pearls Girls Fitness
04:59 – Growing a fitness business during COVID
07:40 – The biggest struggle Amy sees in fitness
08:32 – Comparison and social media
10:27 – What fitness influencers don’t show you
13:41 – Testosterone, genetics & unrealistic comparisons
15:58 – Weight loss, muscle & body composition
18:40 – Amy’s approach to lifestyle coaching
19:35 – Why body-composition scans matter
23:48 – AP Performance & young athletes
25:06 – The nutrition gap for high school athletes
28:20 – Nutrition, performance & recovery
29:38 – Teaching athletes to eat in the real world
30:53 – What Amy orders at Dunkin’
31:35 – How to order at Chipotle
32:27 – Amy’s McDonald’s order
32:53 – Eating out without ruining your progress
34:19 – Fitness and nutrition resources Amy trusts
38:17 – Amy gets transparent about cosmetic surgery
40:44 – “I don’t get impressed by weight loss”
41:56 – GLP-1 medications & sustainable weight loss
45:40 – GLP-1s, parents & what kids see
49:00 – Can you eat Oreos and still lose fat?
49:51 – Tracking vs. intuitive eating
50:47 – Amy’s strategy before going out to eat
53:17 – Why Amy doesn’t believe in cheat meals
54:08 – “Earn the right” not to track
54:46 – Amy’s biggest piece of advice
55:54 – Embrace your reality
58:05 – How fitness can elevate your life
58:51 – How to connect with Amy
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CONNECT WITH AMY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealamy_k/
For AP Performance and Pearls Girls and Guys, contact Amy directly through Instagram.
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THE HEALTH MOVEMENT PODCAST
YouTube: The Health Movement Podcast
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WORK WITH DEREK
Interested in coaching, corporate wellness, speaking engagements, podcast appearances, or health presentations for your organization?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derek.josephs/