My Faster Way to Fat Loss Journey

To be perfectly honest, I debated whether or not to even write this post. I believe that weight & body image are such a personal and sensitive issue and happy, healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes. However, I have gotten quite a few questions about my eating habits and exercise routine, so I thought I would share it with you guys.

*Full disclosure, if you decide to sign up through my link, I will get paid a commission, but I am not here to push this program. I just wanted to share my personal experience with it.

My Faster Way to Fat Loss Journey

To begin, I want to say that I was always naturally thin. I chalk it up to good genes (thanks mom and dad). For most of my life, I never to diet or watch my weight. I was always able to eat whatever I wanted without repercussions. That being said, I am not a big junk food eater and I don’t drink soda, ever. I just don’t like it. But, I do love to eat. I enjoy good food, pasta, bread, cheese, good wine, tacos, margaritas, ….you get the idea. I love carbs and could eat a bread & cheese platter for dinner every night.

Well, after turning 40 things started to change. I slowly gained a few pounds every year. No matter what I tried int he past, those extra pounds stayed put and I chalked it up to getting older. This past holiday season, I definitely enjoyed all of the holiday treats, hot chocolate with marshmallows. wine and cheese as a snack before bed, numerous parties….I had hit my limit. and was at my highest weight ever this past January. None of my pants fit and I was living in leggings. (I will not discuss numbers on here, as I don’t think they are relevant. Like I said before, as long as you are happy and healthy, the numbers don’t matter. )I felt gross, tired all the time, had no energy, and my body was actually craving a change. I took these pictures to document the change in my body. I knew I needed to make a change.

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I had read about the FASTER WAY TO FAT LOSS program from other bloggers and did some research on it. I liked what I saw. You do get paid a commission for signing people up, so a lot of bloggers use this as another source of income. however, I am not planning on ramming this down your throats for the foreseeable future. This will be my only post about this and if you do decide to sign up using my link, I really appreciate it.

I had been thinking about for a few months, but the price tag kept me away. ($199.00 for the 6 week program) However, I kept going back to the website. I loved that there were woman of all ages, shapes and sizes that had successfully completed it and they all loved it. I signed up for the quick start guide and tried that just to see if I would like it. I knew I would not be able to stick to a program where I had to cut out what I love to eat. And with this, you don’t have to. I loved that it is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. You eat healthy and filling foods and you get to eat a LOT. I was never hungry and could still have my wine and a treats every night. You can really make it work for you.

My Faster Way to Fat Loss Journey

I finally decided that I was worth it, damn it, and signed up for January 1st. I reached my goal of fitting into my pants again during week 4 and I haven’t looked back since. It works well for me and my lifestyle. I have bounds of energy and feel great. I can eat all the things I love and it has taught me so much about food in general. I knew the basics of what was healthy, but I had no idea fruit was so high in carbs! Who knew?? Also, a 6 oz glass of wine has 150 calories. Since I was always thin naturally, I never had to pay attention to this stuff before. Well, let me tell you, the whole experience was eye opening.

To be perfectly honest, it takes a bit of time to learn the program. There is a lot of tracking involved and you literally record everything you eat. You download a free app that helps you with this. I was committed and gave myself a lot of grace during the first week ( prep week), where you learn all about the program. It is A LOT of information to take in, but I think that week really helps to get it down and ease into it. It does get a lot easier after that and eventually becomes second nature. Amanda’s mantra is “Progress over Perfection” and I really stuck to that and kept telling myself that over and over in my head.

I really stuck to the program for the first 4 weeks and saw great results. Then I had a girls trip to the Bahamas and I wanted to enjoy it, so I took a break. I got right back into it after my trip. I am now at my goal weight and I am not as strict about the program anymore, but I do still follow the principles of the program. Mainly because I feel great and I don’t want to put the weight back on. For me, it is all about balance. I don’t go out to dinner with my friends and watch my carbs. I eat whatever the heck I want. But then the next day, I go back to my routine. Here are my results after 6 weeks:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FWTFL

Ok, now I want to share a few basic principles of the FASTER WAY TO FAT LOSS program.

Intermittent Fasting// I am sure you have heard those words buzzing around lately. Everyone is talking about it. You basically eat for 8 hours and fast for 16 hours. My eating window is from 12-8 every day. I stop eating at 8 p.m. and don’t eat anything else until noon the next day. You can drink coffee, tea, water, kombucha…. Anything over 40 calories is considered breaking your fast. I think it is a great way to eat and Amanda explains the whole philosophy behind it in the program in a way that really makes sense. Basically, you are allowing your body to rest during the fasting period and it resets it and makes it more efficient at burning fat. I won’t lie, it was hard at first and there are still days where it is harder than others, but your body does adjust and gets used to it. It is a huge step in kickstarting your fat loss.

If it comes from the earth, or has a mother, you can eat it// This program is based on whole, fresh foods and minimizes processed foods. Lots of fruits and veggies, grains, and small amounts of good quality grass fed meats and wild caught fish. The program also initially calls for no dairy and no gluten to maximize results, but I didn’t do that, although my gluten and dairy intake was minimal.

Counting your Macros// This one is huge and it really, really works. It does take some time to learn and it is all explained in the program, but basically, instead of counting calories, you are counting your macros daily. The goal is 50% carbs, 30% fat and 20% protein most days. This method allows your body to maximize its efficiency to burn fat and calories. The app does calculate your daily calorie intake and your macros for you, depending on your goals. I will say, you eat way more than you think and I was truly never hungry. Sometimes, I had to eat an extra snack at night to get all of my carbs and calories. I would also make sure my 1 glass of wine would fit into my macros and 1 had 1/4 cup of chocolate covered almonds every night, right before 8 p.m., so I felt satisfied.

Carb Cycling// This gets explained more in the program and you get a detailed outline of how it works, but you basically alternate regular macro days with lower Macro days and lower calorie days. This is combined with an exercise schedule to maximize efficiency. Certain workouts are combined with certain days to work together.

Exercise// This is a food and nutrition based program and you will see results without the exercise component. Obviously, if you want to firm and tone, you will need to exercise as well, but I promise you will see results without it. Honestly, I HATE exercising and it is still my biggest struggle. This was honestly my least favorite part of the program and I didn’t’ follow it at all. I didn’t t enjoy Amandas exercises and they were nothing new, or eye opening. I much preferred doing my own program, which was Sweat at the time, but I have since quit that as well. Like is said, I am still searching for something that I love and will stick to . For now, I go on walks with my friend Kellie, and I do some squats and push ups daily. I try to do a HIIT once a week, but that has fallen by the wayside since my surgery as well. I will say that HIIT workouts are THE KEY to burning fat and I wold highly encourage you to do those 1-2 times a week. It is all explained in the program as well.

THINGS THAT HELPED ME STICK TO THE PROGRAM

Now that you have a basic rundown of the program, I wanted to share a few things that helped me stick to it and worked for me.

Drinking the water// I was so bad at this. I have really made it a point to drink the allotted amount of water and it as made such a big difference. But, I still struggle with this daily. You are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day. I slice lemon into mine and strawberries and I really try to stick to it, because of how much better I feel. My skin looks way better as well. During my fasting, if I feel hungry, I will just drink some water, or kombucha, and I feel better. It helps flush out your system and with your energy levels as well.

Stay busy during fasting hours// I always like to schedule appointments, or phone calls during this time. I stay upstairs in my office, do the laundry, clean,…. anything that keeps me away from the kitchen. Ideally, you should try to do your exercises during your fasting period as well but that can be hard for me sometimes. I don’t beat myself up over it.

Progress not Perfection// I had this mantra in the back of my head the entire time and I still do. There are days, where I am STARVING at 9 a.m. and it SUCKS. Sometimes I get through it and sometimes I break down and that is okay. Tomorrow is another day.

The Facebook Group// When you enroll in the program, you become part of a small, private facebook group. The group is led by a certified trainer and offers a ton of support and guidance. You can submit your daily macro chart and ask any program related questions. it is a judgement free zone that offers tons of support in every way.

Food prep// I usually break my fast with a smoothie or this delicious Chia Seed pudding. Sometimes I am not home at noon when it is time to break my fast. So, I like making these egg bites for a quick, on-the-go breakfast. Prepping food is key for me. I am starving by noon, so I need things that are ready to go. It also helps you stick to the plan on the road.

RESULTS// I began seeing results very quickly and that really helped me stay motivated and stick to the program. No better reward than achieving your goals, am I right?!

There you have it. A very long post about Faster Way to Fatloss. I haven’t signed up again since the initial 6 week program and I feel that I know enough now to do it on my own. Did I think it was worth it? Absolutely YES. I learned so much and I have that knowledge now for the rest of my life. For me, it was worth every penny. This program really works for me and my lifestyle and I am so glad I finally committed to it. My body and mind are the better for it.

If you are interested in trying it, the next round starts on May 6th, you can sign up here. There is still plenty of time to see some great results for summer and rock one of my favorite affordable and mom friendly bathing suits.

XO,

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