The Fat Girl Formula

This is my formula on how I went from everyday fatty to being a hottie.  Ha, ha I just called myself a hottie. 

So everyone asks me how I did it.  What was the one thing that made it all happen?  Well it wasn’t one thing.  It was several things and when put together became a formula of sorts, a formula for my success and hopefully yours too.

First you have to, and I mean have to get your diet under control.  Again, one of the first things I hear out of any clients mouth is their “diet isn’t the problem”. WRONG!  For most of us, diet is the number one problem.  80% of your problem is diet.  You are taking in more calories than you are using each day and what you are putting in may not even be considered food.  What is your goal weight?  Got the number?  Ok, times it by 100 and that is how many calories you should be eating.  In other words ladies, unless you are super fit already you should not be eating a 2000 calorie diet.  I workout 1-2 hours a day and I don’t eat that many calories.  BTW I workout that much because I love it not because I have to or I will get fat.  I love the runners high (see other blog posts to learn why.)

But wait!  I don’t want you to starve either.  This formula does require you to fuel the body because with this schedule you will become a fat burning machine.  I have said it once before and I will say it again, track every calorie the first 30 to 60 days.  Every bite you eat needs a number.  Drink lots of water and cut out all fake sugars and fake fats out of your diet.  Go organic as quickly as possible and reduce all animal fat. 

Now once you have the diet coming along it will be time to add the exercise to this recipe.  Oh it will be tough in the beginning.  The second and third day are the worse!  And the first week, well we hope you make it to the second week.  If you do, oh my gosh, it gets better and you will get better.  Everyday you will be like let’s do that again.  And you will say things like “remember when I hated push-ups”, or “remember how I could barely do a lunge?”

A ton of people ask me what I do for exercise.  And many people see that I am a runner and I do love running but running has not given me the body I have now.  Running will not tone your body and it is very easy for runners to plateau.  For me, running burns calories and makes it so I can eat.  That’s why I go on long runs the day before major holidays, so the day of the holiday I can eat whatever I want.  And by long run I do not mean 3-5 miles, I mean more like 14 -20 miles.   

For aerobics, I prefer and I suggest you do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).  HIIT training stokes the fire to get your metabolism going.  If you have been too fat for too long you need HIIT training.  By now your metabolism is on its last leg and you need something to kick it into gear. HIIT training will do that.

The next part of this formula is resistance or weight training.  This will be how you tone and tighten your muscles.  And guess what, muscle burns fat!  I say that like it is news to me because a year ago it was news to me.  You have to push the muscles with resistance or weight training.  Never weight trained before; well you are never too old to learn.  And here is another secret about muscle, it looks good on everyone and it makes you look younger!  I am not kidding here.  This is why celebrities and professional athletes often look so good, it is because they are fit and fit looks young and hot!

Another huge surprise to me through the finding of this formula; I needed to lift heavier weights.  Much heavier!  I was always taught because I am a girl to do high reps low weight.  I think that’s what we all have been taught in high school and college, because you don’t want to get bulky right?  WRONG!!  Now I lift heavy weights for 10-12 reps.  I lift slow and steady and I concentrate on the muscle I am using.  And I assure you I have not bulked up, I am my thinnest and the strongest I have ever been.  My muscles are long and lean.  I wish I had looked this good when I was 20 years old.

Read my kitchen makeover blog for help with the diet portion and get some Shakeology!  This drink will help fuel the fire and assist in getting your calorie intake under control.  It has everything your body needs to fuel your workouts and it will decrease your appetite because your body will be properly nourished.

Below are the exercise videos and time frames I suggest for each series and for you to reach you final goal.  All the videos can be purchased as well as the Shakeology through my coaching site www.beachbodycoach.com/amycobine  Make sure I am your coach and make sure you send me a Facebook friend request.  I will add you to my fit page were other members are posting their successes.  Community and accountability are part of the formula for success too, and linking together on social networks is a part of that.

Remember this is a fat girl formula this is not for those who just need to tone and this is not the formula I would give to male clients.

Slim in 6 (4-6) weeks this workout is a good overall workout and will gradually build your endurance.  You must workout 30-60 mins a day, 5 days a week while on this program.  You want to get to the point where you can do 60 min of exercise, 5 days a week.

After 4 -6 weeks transition into

Turbo Fire (4-8) weeks.  This is HIIT training at its best.  Fun music with high energy. Follow the class schedule and workout 6 days a week with one rest day.

After 4 to 8 weeks add

Chalene Extreme Circuit Training.  Get ready to burn fat and tone up with this at home weight training program.  You will want to lift heavy three times a week and do one weight interval training session a week on top of keeping a class schedule with Turbo Fire.  These workout sessions are normally 30 to 40 mins long and you will now be working 1 ½ hours some days.  That’s ok because you are going to be looking good! 

After 8 -12 weeks you may add or replace Turbo Fire with Insanity.  Insanity is crazy and it is intense but you will love it because at this point you are going to think of yourself as an athlete, or a fatlete.  Same as above, you want to work both programs, Chalene Extreme and Insanity.

After 90 -120 days if you still feel like there is a certain body part that needs major help i.e. your belly or your butt then add either Brazilian Butt Lift workouts or RevAbs. I enjoy both and I know both work.

Having this complete workout series in this order will keep you motivated and keep things interesting.   You can not skip a day or take a break.  If you are going on vacation you better be going to a place with a DVD player. Be ready to do what you thought was impossible.

Final notes; go at your pace and modify exercises as needed.  You are strong and it is time to let that show.