Hey friends! A few days ago, I shared a bit about my Faster Way to Fat Loss experience on Instagram stories and then asked for you guys to throw out any questions you had about the program. With the help of Liz, my FWTFL coach, I have answered all of your questions below!
If you missed my stories, you can find them in the saved highlight called “FWTFL” in our Making Home Here Instagram profile.
Q&A
Liz’s Answers
I just had our 4th 4 months ago. Can I really lose weight even in the chaos of life right now?
First off, congratulations! And yes, you can definitely lose weight, even in the chaos of newborn life. I started my FWTFL journey when I was 5 month PP and it was the best thing I could do for myself. I not only shed the baby weight (plus some), but I also gained so much energy, strength and confidence, which truly benefited me in this stage of life. We try to make it as easy as possible with provided weekly meal plans and 30 min workouts (optional) that you can pull up in our app!
How do you maintain? Do you keep doing the 6 week program over and over?
Great question! So the 6 week program is all about education. You are learning how to effectively fuel your body and pair that with the right types of exercise. After the 6 weeks you just keep living this new lifestyle you have learned. It really becomes second nature.
So what happens after the 6 weeks? Do you lose access to the app and resources?
After the 6 weeks is over, you will lose access to the New Client App. If you love the resources that FWTFL provides (meal plans, daily workout videos, accountability groups) then you can choose to join their membership. I personally LOVED the workouts so much, it was an easy choice for me to keep going in membership. But you can 100% do it on your own!
Do you have to give up any foods? Because ice cream in one of my love languages!
I LOVE this question! Ice cream is also my love language! One of the biggest reasons I love FWTFL is there is NO deprivation. You can still enjoy the things you love, we just plan for it. We have a “Treat Day” every week where we add in something we really love (Pizza, ice cream, you name it!). We do encourage our clients to try to reduce or eliminate dairy and gluten because they tend to cause inflammation. It’s good to see how our body responds. This is not a “Have To” or a deal breaker, just an option.
How do you figure out your macros based on your goals? Do they have a chart?
Your coach will guide you through the process of figuring out your macronutrient goals. We use the app MyFitnessPal and it’s a fairly simple process.
Are you counting calories and macros?
We focus primarily on counting macronutrients. Each macro (Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats) has a calorie equivalent. (ie. 1g of Protein = 4 calories). So if you are eating up to your macronutrient goals, you will also be hitting your calorie goal. We just focus on the QUALITY of those calories, and eating them in a more balanced way.
I have no problem fasting, but I HAVE to have my 7:00 coffee with creamer. How can I get my coffee, but still not break my fast?
Great question! You can definitely still drink your coffee! Our rule of thumb is, it needs to be under 50 calories, little/no fiber or sugar in order to keep you in your fast. There are a lot of good options for creamer that can keep you in the fasted state. I will say, I am a recovering frappuccino drinker, so if I can do it, anyone can! Haha! I definitely emphasize “Progress over Perfection”.
What about special occasions when dinner may be later? Do you adjust your hours?
When you have a later dinner or special occasion, you can shift your fasting hours, or widen your feeding window a little bit. Your coach will work with you on any specifics to set you up for success. Definitely doable!
How many days a week are the workouts and for how long?
We do 5 days of workouts and each one is under 30 minutes. Woop woop! We strategically pair our types of workouts with our nutrition cycle to make them highly effective. You get a lot of bang for your buck! We incorporate 2 rest or active recovery days. The workout videos are amazing, and they do a great job providing modifications for all ability levels. There is a Home, Gym and Low Impact option.
How hard/annoying is it to count macros?
Haha. I love this. With any new skill, it takes practice and there is a bit of a learning curve. But after a few weeks, it becomes second nature. We use an app called MyFitnessPal which makes tracking your food very easy. I personally loved learning what macros were in the foods I was eating.
What all do you get for $199?
-Daily coaching- 6 weeks of curriculum/instruction via our FASTer Way Portal or App- Weekly Meal Plans (vegan and regular) with recipes and grocery lists- Daily Workout Videos – At Home, Gym, and Low Impact options- Private Accountability Group- Help setting up your personalized goals- Brand NEW App – streamlines the workouts, meal plans, trainings, etc.
Counting macros for yourself and feeding your kids too. How hard is that?
This is a fantastic question! So you would be surprised that it is easy to feed your family meals that they enjoy while still hitting your macro goals. When I started FWTFL, I didn’t have to drastically change what I was feeding my family, it was more of tweaking my plan. In my house, my kids eat what my husband and I eat. That being said, I plan meals that I know everyone will (hopefully) like. Now take that with a grain of salt… I have a 3yo and 1.5 yo, sometimes they don’t like anything HAHA. I will sometimes adjust their sides. For example if I make pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts and rice, they may get a steam vegetable or fruit, instead of brussel sprouts. Funny enough, a lot of times they end up eating it off my plate if I don’t serve it to them. I also think the more we can expose our kids to healthy, whole foods, the better!
Is this safe while breastfeeding?
It is 100% safe while breastfeeding. I have had many BF clients and I, myself was 5 month postpartum and breastfeeding when I started the program. I was able to nurse my son, while still losing weight. As your coach, I will help you set up your goals accordingly to protect your supply. We don’t drastically cut calories. We focus on fueling ourselves with balanced macronutrients from whole foods. Because of this shift, many women actually see an increase in their supply! Wahoo! We also will ease into the fasting, to make sure that our bodies are getting what it needs.
Would love snack ideas and to see what you’re eating in total for a day!
A typical day for Liz: Breakfast: Oatmeal with PB, fruit and nuts, eggs + egg whites and turkey sausage. Lunch: Grilled Chicken Wrap with Carrots & Hummus and an Apple. Snack: Greek yogurt with GF granola and fruit. Dinner: Burrito Bowl – Crockpot salsa chicken, rice, black beans, corn, veggies, guacamole with Multigrain Chips. We eat A LOT. No deprivation here!!!
Q&A
Heather’s Answers
Have you transitioned back to your normal eating patterns? If so, how did your body adjust?
One of the best parts about this program, in my opinion, is that you don’t want to return to your regular eating patterns. You learn that eating cleaner foods tastes and feels better! But yes, I have loosened the window on fasting and have eaten more of my “comfort foods” than I did during the 6 weeks. My body has adjusted fine but I’m definitely more aware of how those comfort foods affect my body and whether they’re even worth consuming in the first place. I actually don’t WANT gluten or dairy nearly as much as I did before the program. And if you know me, you know this is pretty huge. 😉
What type of results did you see in 6 weeks?
The biggest physical change was eliminating bloating and finding my abs again. 😉 The biggest mental change was realizing the times that I would eat out of habit rather than due to hunger, and becoming more aware of eating foods that would fuel my body and give me energy for long periods of time as opposed to just eliminating the hunger feeling.
Were you hungry in the morning not eating until 10am? Could you exercise in the am?
YES! For the first week-10 days, I was not a huge fan of the whole fasting thing. 😉 You definitely work up to the 16 hour fast and it’s much more about progress over perfection, but I found that somewhere around the 10-day to 2-week mark, I had this mental shift where I actually didn’t want food before bed or early in the morning. And I think that had everything to do with me fueling my body with plenty of good foods throughout the day that left me full without feeling bloated. And yes, you can still exercise in the morning! Same deal on the mental shift- you learn ways to stretch your fast in the program and create a full feeling until it’s time to break fast.
What are some examples of what you ate in a day on the program?
Here are some examples that I shared in stories earlier today!
How did you incorporate Peloton into training?
I was actually working on a peloton goal/streak during FWTFL so I chose to do my workouts on the bike (no part of this course is “mandatory” but you obviously achieve the best results by deciding to participate in all parts!). But honestly having looked at the workouts offered, I feel even that part alone makes the $199 cost worth it!
The biggest thing I can say about this program is that it’s an entire shift for you personally- mentally, physically and emotionally. You will likely go through some frustration in the beginning because fasting for upwards of 16 hours is not something your body (or your mind) is used to, but then you’ll notice this cross-over where you don’t even want to eat late at night or early in the morning.
You’ll start to crave (yes crave!) healthier foods and exercise. Your mind will think clearly, your body will feel stronger, leaner, and less bloated, and with that will come a confidence that you have not felt in a while or maybe ever. You learn how to make food work for you and feel energized throughout the day because of the choices you make.
Yes it takes time, and yes there is a learning curve, and no, you will not love every single second of the program, especially in the beginning when you’re learning to stretch out your fasting window and eat different foods than your typical go-to snacks and meals, but this is a 6-week commitment that has the potential to literally change your entire life. The way you view food, the way you prepare foods for yourself and for your family, the way you feel, the way you look, your energy, your mental clarity, the way you sleep… what you learn in 6 weeks can be applied to the rest of your life!
Liz (and the entire community you get to be a part of) is there any time you need a boost or encouragement, or have questions that you need answered. And you will see that as your coach, she is your biggest cheerleader and is invested in YOUR FWTFL journey.
My biggest encouragement to you would be to try it one time and make whatever sacrifices you need to make for 6-weeks to get the most out of the program, and then use what you learn to continue that pattern of eating + exercise once it is complete. You will crave the way you feel on this program and will surprise yourself by the mental shift in how you view food!
Liz’s next session begins on March 9th! You can sign up HERE. And then comment below or DM me on Instagram if you do sign up. I’d love to cheer you on!!
