Between January and July 2026 I gained 11 pounds of muscle and lost 12 pounds of fat, a net scale change of about 1 pound, measured on my Hume scale and band. Over those 7 months I made 6 changes: lifting 2 days a week, walking 3 days a week, supporting methylation, increasing choline, increasing meal frequency, and timing protein and carbohydrate before and after workouts. My genetic report explains why I needed methylation support, why I had to reduce training, and why walking was good for me.
How I use a genetic report
Genetic variants can influence nutrient requirements and metabolic pathways. I use genetic information alongside symptoms, history and laboratory data to help identify appropriate nutritional support. A genetic report describes a trend with words such as “likely”; it is not a diagnosis, and I keep its wording here.
The 7 lines on my report
Methylation impact: very high. I carry the MTHFR TT variant, and the report rates my methylation as likely inadequate and names B vitamins, choline and folate as the priorities.
Choline requirement: very high. I carry PEMT CC, which the report describes as a significant requirement for dietary choline. That makes 2 of the 7 lines, methylation and choline, that put choline on the priority list.
Recovery: high. The report’s wording is that I likely need daily support to recover from exercise, and that I should prioritize active recovery sessions or rest days.
Training response: low. The report rates my response to training as low to normal and names increasing VO2 max as the priority.
Endurance: medium. The report’s line is that numerous health benefits can be achieved at lower intensities.
Inflammation: high. Injury: medium. These 2 ratings complete the 7 lines of the report.
Change 1: less training volume, 2 lifting days
I lift 2 days a week and reduced my overall training. The recovery line (high) and the training-response line (low) are the reason for reducing it. The result over the 7 months: I felt less worn down from overtraining, with lifting to failure kept moderate.
My book Spinal Fitness states a related dosing principle for corrective work: frequency is the most powerful lever, because adaptation responds to cumulative stimulus, and the body adapts to the most consistent stimulus, not the most intense one. Its formula for preserving fast-twitch muscle fibers also pairs explosive training with adequate rest, in place of continuous endurance-style loading.
Change 2: walking 3 days a week
Walking 3 days a week matches 2 lines of the report at once: active recovery sessions from the recovery line (high), and benefits at lower intensities from the endurance line (medium). My training week therefore holds 2 lifting days and 3 walking days.
Change 3: choline and methylation support
With 2 report lines naming choline, I increased it. The choline supplement I added is Empirical Labs Phospholipid Complex; that names what I took, and results are individual. The methylation line lists 3 priorities, B vitamins, choline and folate, and supporting methylation was one of my 6 changes.
Change 4: meal frequency and protein and carbohydrate timing
I increased my meal frequency over the 7 months. On the 2 lifting days a week I time protein and carbohydrate before and after the workout.
What the numbers cover
The figures in this article are mine: 11 pounds of muscle gained, 12 pounds of fat lost, about 1 pound of net change on the scale, January through July 2026, from my Hume readings. They describe one person’s body composition over 7 months, read against one genetic report. This period is separate from 2017 to 2020, when I went from a size 14 to a size 6 and was 30 or more pounds lighter.
Genetic testing is one of the lab tests listed at Spinal Fitness Health and Wellness Center in Kennewick, alongside hair tissue mineral analysis and hormone testing, and I offer personal training there for the strength side of this work.
Keep Exploring
This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Individual results vary. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
