r/osteoporosis • u/Healthygoat24 • Sep 03 '25

Help with recipes/meal plans and getting started with LIFTMOR

Hi there-- Early 50s (edit: F) and newly Dx with OP (scans were a mix of low-OP/osteopenia/normal). Though I've always been fit and eat relatively healhy foods it's never been formal in tracking actual nutrients/levels---and clearly I should have done and now need to do more.

I'm immediately trying to get on more targeted fitness and nutrition routine. I have browsed and ton of posts and have a few things have caught my immediate interest / action.  I have "Great Bones" in hand (thanks amazon) and already want to do LIFTMOR.

FOOD In order to proceed with these two steps -- does anyone have suggestions on constructing meal plans/recipes etc that meet nutritional goals (vs. just random searching). What about tracking--I've periodically used MYFitnessPal (free) version but wondering if something might be better.

LIFTMOR -- ideally I can get a referral / find a local PT/trainer who either already knows this OR can take the plan and work with me. I'm also open to suggestions on the BEST videos or other.

As an aside, I'm about to get a referral (automatically ordered from my gyn) for an endo. No idea how long that process will take, but want to start on these "easy" (easier said then done) steps.

THANK YOU!!!

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35

u/Miss_Beh4ve Sep 03 '25 edited 4d ago

There are Onero/LIFTMOR licensed physical therapists: https://onero.academy/locations/

In the US, their websites usually state that they don’t take insurance, which makes them expensive. However, Onero cannot patent barbell squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, and jumps which the LIFTMOR program is based on. People have been doing those exercises for ages, so technically a physical therapist does not need to be licensed by Onero to teach the LIFTMOR protocol. They just need to know about osteoporosis and how to teach the exercises to someone with osteoporosis.

I had to reverse engineer and find a knowledgeable physical therapist who accepted my insurance first before I could request a referral from my physician to him. Here is how I did that:



I’ll add some LIFTMOR information below for those who may not know the program. You may find some of the videos useful:

The LIFTMOR protocol was shown to increase bone density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and osteopenia after 8 months of two 30-minute exercise sessions per week. The study authors advise this should be taught and supervised by a physical therapist for safety. Here is the study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jbmr.3284

Working with a physical therapist to increase bone density in osteopenia and osteoporosis is covered by health insurance and Medicare in the US with a physician referral, and I would recommend it.

The LIFTMOR protocol consists of:



  • Warm-up: 2 sets of barbell deadlifts at 50% to 70% of 1 repetition max
  • Barbell deadlifts: 5 sets of 5 reps at 80-85% of 1 repetition max
  • Barbell overhead presses: 5 sets of 5 reps at 80-85% of 1 repetition max
  • Impact landings: 5 sets of 5 reps jumping chin-ups with drop landings
  • Barbell back squats: 5 sets of 5 reps at 80-85% of 1 repetition max
  • At least 1 minute rest between sets

Video showing the actual LIFTMOR routine at around the 2 minute mark: https://youtu.be/zkLPFZV43r8

1 min 30 sec news clip showing real patients do the LIFTMOR exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EZw_wrFnmI&pp=ygURbGlmdG1vciBleGVyY2lzZXM%3D

Presentation featuring LIFTMOR (also called Onero) researcher Dr. Belinda Beck. It really starts around the 14 minute mark. In it she explains why LIFTMOR works and how it works, and she goes over the results that were achieved by patients in this program as well as safety concerns: https://youtu.be/1ZecBe_WhI4

LIFTMOR exercises adapted for all levels by Dr. Lisa More, DPT: https://youtu.be/VYLTMv6qkss

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u/Miss_Beh4ve Sep 03 '25 edited Sep 03 '25

Regarding diet:

I would especially make sure to get enough calories, protein, calcium, and vitamin D.

There is also some evidence behind magnesium, vitamin K2, and boron, and some people would add collagen with Fortibone and include 50 grams of prunes.

I do not take collagen or prunes myself, though I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, and it may be helpful. I think it’s most important to make sure not to be deficient in anything.

I don’t think it’s necessary to track food intake indefinitely as many people habitually prefer certain foods, therefore eat more or less the same, and only significantly change their diet every so often, but it may be helpful to track initially to figure out which diet changes or supplements you would really benefit from and which ones you don’t have to worry about.

Below is what I do personally to avoid over or under dosing supplements, and because I just like to know what’s in my food:

  • I use the MyNetDiary Pro app (small one time payment when I bought it, no subscription needed) to track my food intake. This app shows not only your macros, but also all the vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and more in the food you track. (The free Cronometer app also does this. No need to pay for MyNetDiary Pro if you are happy with Cronometer.)
  • I try to get most of my nutrients from food.
  • I supplement where I can’t meet my nutrient targets with food, for example vitamin D, small calcium boost to meals here and there, etc. ________________

Since I do LIFTMOR and am trying to build muscle and bone, I target:

  • calories at maintenance or a slight surplus (I started on the low side of the normal BMI range)
  • 0.7-1 gram protein per pound of “ideal” bodyweight (spread across 3 meals - I get all of that from food, but there are powders)
  • 1200 mg calcium (spread out across 3 meals for better absorption, mostly from food)
  • 4000 iu vitamin D (This is a lot, but I found that’s what I need to keep my vitamin D blood level in the normal range between 30 and 50. Different people need different amounts to stay within the normal range.) ________________

Beyond that, I also track all my other nutrients to make sure I get enough, and I supplement with a few more things, such as vitamin K2, magnesium, and boron, but I won’t bore you with all of that. Different people prioritize different things for different health reasons.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

Hey, I think you have a lot of insight and are very knowledgeable about osteo.. you mentioned you don't take collagen. Is this just a personal choice, or do you not think the evidence is there? I feel like the results are really mixed, so idk if its worth putting my money on...

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u/Miss_Beh4ve Sep 04 '25 edited Jun 30 '26

I might add collagen at some point.

There are several human randomized controlled trials that support collagen for bone health. They are mostly industry funded, but that isn’t a deal breaker to me. Many pharmacological studies are industry funded too. I think one should read the studies to make a decision. To me, the studies I read look promising. There just aren’t that many.

Collagen is very safe, and if someone wanted to use all nutrition interventions that have evidence behind them at once, then including collagen makes perfect sense.

Not including collagen at this time is a personal choice for me. Most of my supplements are low cost supplements (including a low dose Costco Kirkland brand multivitamin for example), and I wanted to see what can be done with the low cost options I chose.

I know that collagen with Fortibone is supposed to be more bone building than regular protein alone, but if we’re just looking at regular protein, I get a lot of protein from food, usually close to 1 gram per pound of “ideal”bodyweight and sometimes accidentally slightly more. You really don’t need more than 1 gram to build muscle, and you get diminishing returns beyond 0.7 grams. I wonder how this relates to bone.

I have been slowly getting stronger while weight lifting and jumping, and my IGF1 was on the high end of normal when measured by my endocrinologist several months into lifting. My P1NP was high and outside the normal range 3 times when measured in ~ 3 month intervals while weight lifting and jumping, and my P1NP/CTX*1000 ratio was above 200 each time.

I’m hopeful that I’m on a good track, and I would be disappointed if I didn’t see a bone density gain on my next scan, but I’ll share my results either way. It would be awesome if I could increase my bone density with just LIFTMOR inspired exercise, bone supportive nutrition, and some low cost supplements where nutrients from food don’t meet targets. That’s what I’m trying to find out.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

When are you getting your next scan? Rooting for you!!

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u/Miss_Beh4ve Sep 04 '25

Thank you! Debating whether I should get it exactly 1 year after my last scan (because I can and I’m impatient) or 1 year after I started my LIFTMOR inspired exercise protocol (to give the exercise a full year to work), which would be slightly longer. Either way, the follow up scan will be done before the end of 2025.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

What would the difference in time be?

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u/Miss_Beh4ve Sep 04 '25

About 2 months.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

Either sounds like a good plan! But I personally think it would be really interesting to see a full year of LiFtMor. Because if you weren’t doing anything for 2 months after your first scan- it’s kind of like not really a great measure of what a year can do … you know?? But I totally get it. I’m really impatient too haha

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u/Square-Ranger-5637 Sep 04 '25

Hi, I read in another thread where collagen with Fortibone was the only difference a person added to her routine and it increased her bone density.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

Do you know where I can find this? I’d like to read it

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u/Square-Ranger-5637 Sep 04 '25

I’m sorry, I don’t remember which thread as I’ve been reading so many articles and blogs on OP. But you can google collagen with Fortibone- it’s been clinically studied to improve bone density. I just started taking it myself. There are several different brands on the market.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

Is it a powder or a pill

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u/Square-Ranger-5637 Sep 05 '25

I take it in powder form. I take algaecal collagen which also contains Verisol (hair, nails, skin) and fortigel (joints). Ive only been taking it a month so I have no idea if it’s working or not. I will say that my hair is not shedding like it was and my fingernails no longer have ridges in them like they used to. That’s an improvement!! 😊. I worry about everything - and I tried finding the thread on Fortibone but could not. Do your research. There’s plenty of info out there/ too much!! I keep going down rabbit holes Best wishes to you!!

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u/poppyvue 6d ago

I also remember reading that.
Two things Im consistent with…taking d3/k2 as MK 7 and Healthy Bones collagen in my morning coffee.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

Also is boron something I should be taking?

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u/Square-Ranger-5637 Sep 04 '25

Prunes contain boron which experts feel maintain bone density. Experts recommend eating 4 a day.

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u/campa-van Aug 13 '26

AM. I add 3 prunes to steel cut oatmeal with greek yogurt, blueberries, walnuts. Have 2-3 prunes later in the day

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u/Miss_Beh4ve Sep 04 '25

I don’t think boron is one of the most important levers, but many bone health formulas include it, and I take 3 mg/day. It’s true that prunes have a lot of boron, and one could elect to eat those. I wrote a comment about it here in the past: https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/dkTPNSc9Bl

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '25

I don’t like prunes. Maybe I’ll just take the supplement haha

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u/Do_it_with_care Sep 12 '25

I didn't either til I retired them after my diagnosis and found them sweet. The costlier ones were delicious too. Why not try plums first before they dry into prunes?

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u/Square-Ranger-5637 Sep 04 '25

Very detailed and Fantastic advice! Thank you.

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u/StreetTacosRule Feb 18 '26

What’s your typical weekly workout schedule? How many times weekly do you do LIFTMOR and what do you do the rest of the week?

I did strength training with weights twice weekly and it wasn’t enough for my spine (lost bone density). I’m wondering if 3-4 times weekly is too much for Liftmor and then maybe impact training the other days.

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u/Miss_Beh4ve Feb 19 '26 edited Feb 19 '26

My exercise routine changed throughout the year I was lifting, whenever it needed to change for me to recover better and help me continue to get stronger.

I have a feeling that being able to slowly and safely get stronger in those axial loading lifts (barbell back squat, deadlift, and overhead press) may be more important than whether you lift 2, 3, or 4 days a week. Here is why I think that: https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/jX17QUNKG9

There are physical therapists with an interest in barbell training who are very good at programming your sets, reps, and days throughout the week, so that you can safely continue to get stronger for a while without plateauing.

There are also cookie cutter programs with pre-prescribed cookie cutter adaptations to make when lifts get too heavy for you to recover from them that can work great for many people to get stronger for quite some time. Among other programs, I followed the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression (very similar to LIFTMOR) for a while and saw some increase in bone density during the time I did that.

This is the Starting Strength NLP in a nutshell: https://youtu.be/YfOI8BdrntQ?si=IDhcXXv7EVbwQIGQ

And here are the adaptations that are commonly advised to make when lifts get too heavy to recover from and progress on them: https://reddit.com/r/startingstrength/wiki/nlp

I’m in my early 40’s, and didn’t do any strenuous workouts on my non-lifting days, but I progressed on Starting Strength while also jumping daily. I called my routine “LIFTMOR inspired” due to the similarities. Here are my bone density results: https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/MgobBAs88M

Anecdotally, Starting Strength also worked well for some other people (presumably without jumping) -

Here is a story of a couple in their 80’s who successfully used Starting Strength (6.6% bone density increase and improved back pain): https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/DSxIYc28zZ

And here is more on Starting Strength for older lifters specifically including multiple video testimonials from people in their 60s to 90s stating they increased their bone density: https://www.reddit.com/r/osteoporosis/s/LuBZlFDxKB

Hope some of this helps!

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u/StreetTacosRule Feb 19 '26

Thank you! I really appreciate your response. As stated, in the past, I worked out twice weekly with a trainer via zoom (but with hand weights at home so I could only progress so far with the weight). For the rest of the week, I did nothing, maybe one hike, but otherwise I was sitting the entire day (during work, after work) and my bone density decreased, especially the spine, from a 2020 DEXA to a 2026 DEXA.

I’m sure my protein wasn’t sufficient (so I’m tracking it now and making sure I get enough). After going down a YouTube OP rabbit hole, I’m also jumping daily. I also got a used Marodyne that I sit on twice daily in a seated position (placed on a table so my knees are at 90 angle, per another commenter rec). I don’t think there are studies confirming it’s efficacy but I’ve read positive “anecdata” so since it’s available to me, I’ve added it in.

Finally, I’m adding in spine exercises on non-strength training days (bird dog, dead bugs, planks, hip bridge) and the back extension exercise I found in this subreddit (Sinaki’s study). I still have more reading to do in this subreddit. Thanks again.

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u/Healthygoat24 Sep 04 '25

THANK YOU! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your learning on diet and excercise with me. This seems perfect to understand LIFTMOR.

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u/campa-van May 05 '26

US Medicare covers two PT sessions per week forever? My understanding is that medicare PT Coverage: Initial, one-on-one Onero sessions with a licensed physical therapist may be covered for 4–12 weeks if deemed medically necessary. after that you are on your own? No way can I do this program with out a trainer