So, I’ve been keeping something from you guys! I’ve been trying out a new eating plan for 5 weeks now and it’s felt so strange to keep it from you all—since I essentially share almost everything about my day to day life. I’ve waited until the very end of the program to share about it because I wanted to make sure, sure TRIPLE sure that it was something I really wanted to put my name next to. I wanted to make sure that it was an attainable program, that it was something that I could share and help you complete and (most importantly!) I wanted to make sure that the program WORKED! Thankfully, The FASTer Way to Fat Loss passed all of these with flying colors! Let me tell you the back story, because it will all make more sense that way….

*Let me start by saying, if other people talking about body image, weight, and/or what they eat makes you uncomfortable or causes you to look at your own body in a negative way- please skip over this post. This is meant to be encouraging and informative, period. 

When I was pregnant with Lawson (almost 2 years ago to the date), I felt a strong need to clean up my diet and in January of 2017 I completed my first Whole30. It changed my life and my relationship with food for sure. I learned new ways to cook, realized more than ever what an emotional eater I was and it really opened my eyes to the amount of processed foods in my everyday diet, which was disgusting. You can read all about it HERE. Over the years, I’ve been able to take a lot of that Whole30 information with me, but over the past year I’ve been feeling like there was something missing—primarily around not only WHAT I’m putting into my body but also WHEN I’m feeding. Turning 34, I’m definitely feeling my metabolism pump the brakes a little bit, couple that with two small kids and a round the clock job and it was imperative that I found something that worked for me as more of a long term health plan.

Rewind to September of this year. I was busting my behind going to Orange Theory 4-5x a week and not single ONE SINGLE RESULT to talk about. Remember how I was getting in shape for the Nordstrom photo shoot? Remember how I told you guys that I would update you about it? Remember when I didn’t?! Well that’s because it didn’t work. Not only that but I GAINED weight. Talk about defeated. I felt truly defeated and very confused. My 20 year old self could have seen amazing results from extra time in the gym, but nope not my 30 year old self. Sound familiar? At the same time that I was beating myself up in Orange Theory my best friend since college, Tess, told me that she was going to give a program called The FASTer Way to Fat Loss a try. I’d heard about it quite a bit from other bloggers and knew the just of the program, but I wasn’t intrigued or interested at all at that point. About 3 weeks in Tess chimed in on our group text and said that we really should re-think trying this program and that it was really working for her. Of course we all perked up right away. She said that she’d gotten used to Intermittent Fasting, was really learning how to track macros, was only working out 20-30 minutes a day and was already seeing results. I saw her in person 1 week later and she looked AMAZING—healthy, strong and so lean. Sign me up!

(Just for kicks, here we are in college circa Spring Break 2005 (??) 

This was in October after Tess had been doing the program for a month or so, looking amazing! 

Tess was so impressed with the program that she even went so far as to train to become a certified coach and said that if I decided to join in on the November round that she would coach me through it according to what she’d learned. Here’s what we all love about Tess–she’s so nurturing and helpful—we all lovingly call her “Mama T” because essentially she just takes care of us all (and has since college). Aside from that, she’s also an accountant by day, so the macro tracking (which stresses me out) actually excites her. She’s helped me so much through the past 5 weeks and has given me powerful suggestions to tweak my diet and my macro nutrients according to the FASTer Way to Fat Loss plan and I’ve seen incredible results. This was what I have been missing all along, friends. I knew WHAT to eat, but I didn’t know WHEN to eat it and basically I was fueling my body with the wrong things at the wrong times and was never giving my body what it needed to burn fat and build lean muscle. Trust me when I tell you that this program is a complete game changer, especially for women around my age.

How The FASTer Way to Fat Loss works is a combination of 3 cutting edge strategies that work for women! Here they are:

-Intermittent Fasting | Meaning you only feed within an 8 hour window. For me personally, that’s between 11:30am – 7:30pm. From 7:30pm – 11:30am I am fasting (or not eating). This has been life changing for me. Was it hard at first? Yep. Can you have coffee? Yep. Does it absolutely, positively work? 110%! For me, it’s given my body an extended period to recover from digestion, allowed my body to go through and use some of my stored fat as an energy source, it’s reduced my bloat and belly fat to almost non-existent and it’s really cut down my sugar cravings. Think about what breakfast typically looks like for you—for me it was usually something on the sweet side—oatmeal, yogurt, etc—and that fueled my sweet tooth throughout the day. Now cutting out breakfast all together, I’ve noticed that my sugar cravings are minimal—a HUGE WIN for me. Yes, the first few days will be hard, but I am here to tell you that it’s achievable and also here to help coach you through it!

-Carb Cycling | Meaning that you control the amount of carbs that you take in per day and according to a schedule to continue to see long term fat loss. I’ve said it before but this is where I was going wrong and the knowledge that carb cycling provides into how your body is fueled is invaluable. You have low carb macro days, regular macro days, low macro days and even a high macro (cheat day) in there. You are able to set fourth macro goals each day in My Fitness Pal and track each macro-nutrient (fat, carb, protein) that you put into your body. To hit those goals, you’ll need to preplan a few meals per day, which has actually made my life easier. I’m eating more than I ever have and am literally NEVER hungry. It’s crazy how much I was under eating, over working and generally mis-fueling my body. This is the secret sauce, you guys, and with Tess as your coach she will guide you through custom macros for your weight loss goals and guide you through the set up process in My Fitness Pal. You will be SHOCKED at how many calories you can consume in a day and still lose weight. Shocked, I tell you.

-Whole Eating | FWTFL really encourages all of it’s first time clients to eat a whole, clean diet for the entirety of the 6 week program. This means no dairy, gluten, alcohol, or sugar and is very similar to what Whole30 looks like from an eating perspective. I also HIGHLY recommend that if you’ve never eating wholly for an extended period of time, that you should do it for the 6 weeks. This will give your body a chance to heal from any food related inflammation, rid itself of any toxins and you will be able to identify any of these food groups that you may have sensitivities towards. For me, that’s Dairy and Gluten. I now know exactly how much I can have of each in moderation and that’s a huge help in maintaining health long term. I have tons and tons of Whole30 recipes, shopping lists and information on my blog and Instagram and it’s a great idea to use these recipes as inspiration as you go through The Faster Way to Fat Loss. Tess and I will also be sharing tons of everyday recipes and glimpses in to what we are eating to hit our macros each day.

-Quick 20-30 Minute at Home Workouts Tailored to Burning Fat and Building Muscle | The program provides daily workouts (both an at home version and a gym version) tailored to what you’re eating that day. The combination of the workout, coupled with the correct diet is an absolute no fail equation for fat loss. Workouts can be found on your phone, or computer through the client portal and are all things that can be done with minimal equipment and time. Truly, you can knock these out in your living room and see amazing results.

On top of that, The Faster Way to Fat Loss really brings with it a built in support system and amazing cheerleaders who are heavily invested in your goals and success. What I felt Whole30 was also missing for me was the accountability system. It’s easy to fall off track and you don’t really have a built in group to hold you accountable. Once you sign up with Tess and I for this next round (which we are both going to be actively doing along side you!), you will be invited into a private Facebook group with us + we will be checking in multiple times a day with tips, tricks, recipes and checking in on you guys! It’s fun, interactive and really sets you up for success.

Learn more HERE

My Faster Way to Fat Loss Results:

Let me preface my results first. I agreed to start this in November (which November and December are my busiest months of the year) and knew that I couldn’t do the program full out. I never gave myself that goal, so I never felt like I was failing. What I did say that I was going to do was, always fast, learn macros and how to track them and hop in on workouts when I could. I will say that I hit all of those goals and feel very ready to take on another round with higher goals!

Starting Weight: 144 (post Orange Theory 5x /week) | Weight Now: 138 (FWTFL, zero exercise)

I’ve religiously upheld my intermittent fasting schedule and, like I mentioned, I actually love it now. I’ve also really learned a lot about macros and feel confident tracking and hitting macro goals in My Fitness Pal. I didn’t, however, workout. At ALL. My body needed a break and I obliged. Want to know the craziest thing?? I still lost 6LBS! That’s over a pound per week and I haven’t worked out at all. 

(I will share my before and afters next week! It’s motivation to make it through Christmas on the right track!)

My goals for this next round that I will complete with you guys are to stick to the macro schedule religiously and to workout according to the schedule at least 3 days per week. I don’t necessarily want to lose any more weight, but I do like the idea of toning up the muscle that I can now see (previously hiding under the layer of fat that I’ve been able to shed). My stomach is the flattest that it’s ever been post kids, I’m at my wedding weight and I can confidently slip on any pair of 27 jeans and they almost always fit well. I cannot tell you the boost of confidence that it’s given me and I cannot wait to tone up and be confident and ready for the Summer!!!!

Tess’ Results:

Starting Weight: 154 | Ending Weight 146 (+7′ lost!) 

Let’s start by also telling you guys that Tess is a mom of FOUR young kids AND works full time, so if you were making up excuses in your head about how you’re too busy, I assure you she’s probably busier and proves this is totally do-able. These are results from her first round only. She’s done amazing on the second round and we will share her updated results as well. She looks and feels amazing, has noticed improved skin and sleep and increased energy levels during the day!

Tess and I have partnered on this because I truly believe that it could change your life as well. This blog isn’t just about clothes and shoes, yet it’s about the woman who wears them and the end goal is to have her feeling as confident as possible. If you’ve been feeling stuck, frustrated or just confused as to what the next step is for a long term health plan—I truly believe that this program could work for you. I’m going to be sharing recipes and tips in our Facebook Group and over on my Instagram Stories and Tess will be there to truly guide you through the process. You can ask her questions, seek advice and we can all chat and celebrate our victories together. This is 100% a group effort and I’d love for you to be a part of it with us. To ensure that you are in our own personal group, make sure to sign up through this link. I cannot wait to walk through this with you guys! it’s truly life changing and I think that you will see amazing results. Grab your girlfriends and give yourself the gift of health and empowerment this year! The next round starts 12/31 with a full week of prep so that you can still enjoy NYE and start to understand the strategies and get used to fasting. We kick it into gear on 1/7, which is amazing because the kids will be going back to school and you will be craving a schedule!

SIGN UP HERE

It was nearly impossible to fit everything into one post, so we will be answering any questions that you might have. Leave them here in the comments or DM me on Instagram. Stay tuned on stories for more of how it works, we hope that you’ll join us!