Sarah’s Blog

That’s 36 pounds gone at the average rate of 3.6 lbs per month. The reason for this “low” average, hitting a plateau a few times.

The weight I discarded, was all excess bodyfat. A little water retention too, but for the most part, it was all fat.

If you want to know how I did it; if you want to do the same thing yourself this coming year; read on.

It all started in February 2008 when Jon Benson released his Every Other Day Diet e-book and sent me a copy to review http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/aff/FitnessFor  This link now takes you to the second edition of this amazing nutrition book. It may have the word “diet” in it, but unlike the traditional diet you eventually have to give up, this is a total lifestyle plan for the reader to use forever.

Simultaneously, almost, I was all but goaded into joining a training program challenge. Well, why not? I needed a training program to go along with the Every Other Day Diet plan (EODD for short) so I joined. Incidentally, I didn’t win, never mind, because 12 weeks later, I’d dropped over 24 pounds of fat. Between this meal plan and a decent training program, I was in fairly decent bikini-shape. I could at least wear one without looking too bad!

I “maintained” over the summer vacation, staying with the EODD plan because it was easy to do, a real no-brainer. No counting calories, no weighing the food, no measuring, no calculating macro-nutrient ratios (you know, percentages of protein, carbs and fats); it’s just all worked into the plan so you don’t have to wonder or worry, you just know you’re doing this right.

We had friends over for grill-parties, went to their place for grill-parties, there were desserts, there were restaurant visits, family gatherings, even two trips out of town for 4-day weekends staying with friends. Yet my weight stayed stable, because I knew how to manage the foods tanks to EODD.  How many people bring their kitchen scales to the table to weigh the food – be it at friends’ or at a restaurant? With EODD http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/aff/FitnessFor  you don’t have to, and you still know you’re eating the right amount. It’s a great plan, a fantastic system!

Skip on ahead to about mid-summer. Jon Benson now comes out with a short-and-sweet training program. 7 Minute Muscle 7minutemuscle.com/aff/FitnessFor is literally 7 minutes of muscle training daily, 5 days a week. Followed by 9 minutes of cardio, you’re in and out of the gym before most people have left the locker room going in! Yes, you get strange looks, you see a few snickers, you know they all think you’re an idiot who has no clue what you’re doing. But a few months down the line, those smirks and head-shakes turn to wonder as these same people see the changes in your body – while theirs stay the same, because they’re doing the same thing they’ve always done.

7minutemuscle.com/aff/FitnessFor is great. Frankly, this is one routine I will cycle throughout the year – I’m tempted to say forever.  If you have a minimal set-up in your home (selectable dumbbells and a bench or exercise ball, and a cardio machine) you can get your workout done before you start your day! True, everyone says not to train on an empty stomach, but there are exceptions to every rule, and this is also explained in this e-book. What could be better than this scenario:

You get up, grab a coffee and some amino acid capsules, then hit the gym (even if that’s in your bedroom or living room or garage, it’s still the gym). 7 minutes of concentrated muscle training followed by 9 minutes of cardio while drinking a liter of cold water and you’re done. You now head for the shower, get ready as usual, grab your shake on the way out the door, and have breakfast on your way to work. When you get there, you’re alert, awake, ready to tackle whatever the boss throws your way. And your co-workers are sitting there, bleary-eyed, drinking their third cup of coffee to try to come alive, hating you for being so chirpy and energetic; wondering how they’ll have the energy to go the gym after work – if they even have a gym to go to.  All because of 7minutemuscle.com/aff/FitnessFor

Now, this of course just got me onto a new training program; which was good because the previous one had become “old” by then. You should always switch programs, to keep your mind interested and your muscles wondering what’s going on. Depending on how long you’ve been training, you can switch programs every 8 to 12 weeks, taking a week off (meaning out of the gym, but not moving in at McD’s) between programs.

Jon launches a new version of EODD. The EODD 2.0 SNAPP!  which is, well it’s a snap to follow.  It’s meant to be simpler to use than the original EODD http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/aff/FitnessFor  At the same time, he decides to do a challenge, using EODD SNAPP! as the base. Not only are the participants going to use the SNAPP! program to shed their fat, but they are invited to change whatever they feel they need to in order for the plan to fit in with their lifestyle, and then write about their changes in the final entry.

This was my entry-photo, at 149.8 lbs and about 21.5% bodyfat. Because yes, I entered the challenge, along with others.  Frankly, I think I was a little “nice” to myself with regards to that bodyfat test, so it was probably a higher percentage, closer to 25 or 26%; but my official entry number was 21.5%

There are trics to use to get to the point you want to reach, to your goal. One of these trics, is to find a photo of a person whose body looks close to what you want yours to look like. You then cut this person’s head off and paste your own in its’ place. Your mind sees you, as a whole. It doesn’t see the little line where the scissors cut, the slight difference in skin-tone; it sees a slim, lean, tight, muscular body with your face on top and deduces that this is in fact you.

It will then do whatever it has to do in order to get your mirror image to look like the photo. Of course, you still won’t be able to eat any junk you find lying around, but your subconscious mind won’t want you to, it sees the doctored photo of you and knows you won’t get to that if you eat the junk; the temptation is reduced. You resist. The next day your weight is down a little more. You know the fact that you resisted is the cause of this, and next time it’s even easier to resist, until these junk things are no longer tempting – or at least, fewer are and not to the same degree.

I Googled a round for “fitness models” and found one who is the same height as me, started at the same weight I initially started from, and has reached the goal I’ve set for myself. Tracey Hartley’s body soon decorated my bathroom mirrir and my desk, with my head pasted on top! If you comparethe two photos (me above and the next doctored photo below) then the final photo of me today, you’ll be able to judge for yourself if this is a tactic that works or not. 

I still found that even with the EODD SNAPP! http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/aff/FitnessFor   and knowing what to eat and leave out, even with this photo, I still had some issues at family dinners once a week. I devised another ruse!

My cell-phone would send me a message shortly before meal time, reminding me of my goal – 136lbs/15% fat and the date, 01.30.09. I would decide what to eat that supper, what to leave well enough alone, and this, combined with the message from my phone (i.e. me) and the knowledge from the e-book, kept me on track many a week. There were slip-ups, of course. I have a hard time resisting a homemade lemon meringue pie, so if that’s on the menu …

Overall, there were no hassles, no problems, no hunger, no frustration, just a plateau before this challenge and one during. The first one I got help (from Jon) breaking, the second I smashed through on my own.

I know this is a very long post, but bear with me. I don’t just want to share the journey with you, in a short, summarized way, but maybe even more the feeling I have now it’s over.

First of all, three days before the deadline, Jon informed me that the challenge was a fiasco because of “issues” promising details later. In other words, there was no more challenge, I’d done it all for naught.  Well, as far as being the potential winner and getting some money to buy a new wardrobe anyway – a necessity, as almost nothing fits anymore, my old clothes all but fall off me!

I did feel a little “deflated” at first, like a sailboat with the wind died down to nothing, stranded in the middle of nowhere. But then I thought “hey, I won!” And I did. I have no idea how many entered this challenge, nor how they fared on their journey, but I know that I won.  I won a victory I’d have won regardless of whether the challenge had gone to the end and someone else took first place.

I won, because I defeated the odds. I’m female (we lose more slowly than the guys), I’m 50 in a week (age is a favourite excuse used by too many), I’ve had two kids (another excuse), I was obese (205 lbs 46% fat at the worst!), yet here I was, a winner:

I won, because I can literally feel my organs being lighter (in weight) from not having a casing of fat around them, my bowels are lighter because there’s no build-up from junk food that can’t get out because soft-drink don’t hydrate the way water does; my clothes are literally falling off me, and that includes underwear, and I’ve dropped a shoe-size! I know, that made Jon laugh when I said it, but it’s true. The better circulation in my body, including my legs, has taken away the swollen feet that I had to get one, or even two, sizes shoes larger than before to be able to wear. Summers were spent in flip-flops because I couldn’t squeeze my feet  - mainly the left – into even a light sandal!  I can now even fit into zip-up knee-high winter boots that aren’t too large at the foot just to get the calf in!

I lost however, in the sense that I now have some expenses ahead of me to renew all my clothes! But hey, that’s price I’m happy to pay! Especially since it’s almost the end-of-season sales, and jeans are jeans regardless of seasons, T-shirts and cute tops are short-sleeved even in winter, underwear has no season, and shoes? Well, I never threw out the smaller sizes I grew out of, so I’m good there too!

The combination of EODD   http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/aff/FitnessFor and 7 MM 7minutemuscle.com/aff/FitnessFor is one I will keep as I said at the start, probably forever. The only variation will be one or maybe two other workout programs to interject, making my year alternate between 12 weeks of 7minutemuscle.com/aff/FitnessFor one week rest, 12 weeks of something else, one week off, 12 new weeks of 7 Minute Muscle, one week off, and the last 12 weeks either the same as the second, or different thing altogether. But always with EODD.

I will use 7 Minute Muscle in the dead of winter when the dark evenings don’t inspire me to go to my gym after work, and in summer to coincide with my vacation. I’ll also make darned sure to have a 12-week program span the Holiday Season. It’s a great way to stay on track. A week off at this time of the year can throw you off course seriously, making it hard to come back afterwards, mentally more so than physically.

Check these two programs out for yourself, they are super simple to use, it does take a personal effort to stick to it and you have to focus, not neglect to write down your goals and read them daily, but with these two tools, you are set up for success.

My 50^th birthday is in a short week, and I will be at 15% bodyfat that day. That’s a promise!

Here are those pictures again, just to remind you that it CAN be done …

… with “just” EODD 2.0 SNAPP!  http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com/aff/FitnessFor , 7 Minute Muscle 7minutemuscle.com/aff/FitnessFor and in less than one year!

Sarah, CPT

www.trainwithsarah.com

Dear blog reader.

I assume most of you have started training, hopefully weights, since the beginning of the year – many of you have been doing so for longer, but you can still read on. I have some thoughts for the newbies, but this is relevant for all of us!

You do realise you are now an athlete of course. You have started on a journey to a lean, healthy body; you are training and eating clean. You have goals and are going after them with all you’ve got. Just like athletes do on TV (and in real life of course).

Unlike them, you won’t receive a gold medal, or a commemorative urn/vase, or even a diploma. That’s the sad part. However, I was e-mail brain-storming with a friend earlier today, and she was very proud of herself for ignoring and overcoming 5 temptation between Friday evening and Sunday night. Laughingly, I told her to make herself a diploma on her computer.

Yes, it started as a joke, but then I thought YES, that’s IT !!

When you set your goals, decide right now that x-amount of discarded fat deserves a bronze medal, or a lower-sized candle holder (you know, of the kind you group three together to form a nice center piece). The next x-amount gets silver medal, or size two of the candle holders; the following x-amount obviously gets the gold, or tallest candle holder. You can write on them with a permanent marker with the amount of fat burned and the date you achieved that. If you’re smart, you’ll write that on before you reach the goal – it’ll put the pressure on!

For the ultimate goal, you plan on making a nice diploma with your name in bold lettering in the centre of it; and buy a closed vase or an urn as well. This you will now use to put “spare” cash into. By spare, I mean the larger change and smaller bills. Rather than thinking “heck, I have just enough for a candy bar or magazine with fad diets” and spend it stupidly, you will have it safely tucked away in your non-see-through urn or lidded vase. Now you set a new goal, because you always need to have a goal in order to keep the momentum and move forward, onward!

When you reach this new goal, take the urn/vase down, empty it and count the money. You may have enough for a fabulous new outfit, or a dinner at a really fancy restaurant, or maybe even both! Unless you prefer some jewellery or shoes, or save more and take a vacation. It’s up to you what you do with this money, but it is for YOU, not to spoil a child or spouse or partner or parent or … YOURS and yours alone!

Well, my diploma is ready to print on February 6^th when I will have reached my 15% bodyfat, my reward is already in my closet as I’d promised myself a nice new suit for that level of bodyfat – and I’m buying an urn/vase to start putting cash into next week. Just thought I’d share my moment of enlightened idea with you

Sarah, CPT

www.trainwithsarah.com

PS. Next week I’ll be taking a rest, training wise, but starting the following week … keep your eyes glued on this blog, there will be news! A new training program will enter my life, complete with the meal plans all worked out and everything. You can check it out already if you like, 1repfitness.com/aff/FitnessFor   maybe you’ll want to join me starting February 9th?

This is short and sweet but its still F.REE

Life is all about balance.

So does hormone expert Dr. Holly Lucille.

Holly’s idea of balance goes beyond day-planners and schedules. She talks about "internal" balance: Balance between your  natural hormones to help create energy,  lower bodyfat, and jacking up your sex.drive.

Good stuff.

I wanted to give you this today. It’s an  excerpt from Dr. Lucille’s fantastic book,  "Creating and Maintaing Balance."

 http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/naturapause.html <— 26 pages of Holly’s book

Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarahh
Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

How Fast Can You Lose Fat ?
By Alwyn Cosgrove
http://tinyurl.com/65hwje

About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit http://tinyurl.com/65hwje . Alwyn Cosgrove, M.S., C.S.C.S. is a nationally renown fat loss expert whose work has appeared in magazines such as Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Men’s Journal, Self, Oxygen, and Muscle & Fitness HERS. His Warp Speed Fat Loss system (http://tinyurl.com/65hwje)is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat and exactly what to do for exercise to lose weight in record time.

Free e-book download :

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

What is that? What am I talking about? Painting maybe? Nah …

Frankly, that was my initial reaction too. I was part of an 8-hour interview marathon that Jon Benson did a few months back, and out of the blue he asked me what I thought of skin brushing. Sorry, I’d never even heard of it until he asked me that, so I obviously had no opinion at all.

Once the call was over, I started looking for some information though, being inquisitive; and I found a site or two explaining that you needed a brush with natural bristles, that you should brush in counter-clock-wise circular movements with the dry brush, starting at the ankles and up to the shoulders, that the exception was the stomach area where you use clock-wise movements. Of course, you follow this brushing by a shower; because the dead skin-cells are loosened by the brushing and you look pretty white and flaky as a result.

My problem was that I couldn’t locate a brush with natural bristles! I had never thought this would be a problem, figuring a pharmacy or a beauty-store would surely carry a few each, right? Wrong. The only thing I found with natural bristles was – get this – a nail-brush! Nice, but a tad small to use on the entire body, I got nothing out of that at all.

As I mentioned this on a forum two weeks ago, another member said to look at “The Body Shop” because they have natural bristles brushes. Internet search for store locations found me one 20 minutes away (by car) which wasn’t too bad but I had to wait for a weekend to have a car available to go there. The Body Shop had long-handled back-scrubber brushes with natural bristles – cactus fibre actually – but that long handle would be in the way, so I kept looking and found a round brush called … “Round Body Brush” (duh J).

The instructions on the label that was hanging from this brush said, among other things: “A daily once-over will help get your circulation pumping, your skin glowing and your toxins looking for the nearest exit.” because, toxins are also eliminated through the skin, not just the lungs, kidneys and liver (etc). The skin is our largest organ after all, and many people totally neglect it – other than maybe the face, neck and hands, and some sunscreen all over in summer.

One reason this practice was even mentioned in the interview, was in connection with how much and how fast the skin tightens when you drop larger amounts of bodyfat. This is a concern for many fat or obese people who successfully change their lifestyles and burn and discard excess fat. “Will/ when will my skin look tight again?” is a question I get regularly. It’s a question that has been on my mind a few times as well to be honest with you (and I am, right!?)

I mentioned this to a couple of fitness ladies, who both said that no, skin brushing won’t magically tighten the skin; but yes it can help. Help, because it gets the circulation and toxin elimination going! Here is what Leigh Peele told me:

As you lose fat it is the worse time for your skin. Fat cells are stored right underneath. They are always there, they will always be there.

However they were filled and now, they are not.

What is left is a void. Over time this void "closes" if you will but not before it gets saggy or filled with water. You can store 5 pound of water easy in your fat cells and never see a change in scale or the way you look. There is where, to some degree, the hinky shit can come in.

For example, brushing. Brushing stimulates cell regrowth on the extra cellular part of the skin and is helpful for drawing water out and can be taken in through osmosis. Will it cause you to lose fat or rid yourself of "cellulite" no. Will it help your skin feel a little tight, yeah a little bit.

Time and lifting are skins best friend after fat loss. However, little things like that can help.

Leigh Peele

Avidity Fitness

You have seen what I said about Leigh’s program here on my blog, right? If you missed it, go to http://www.atozfitness.com/sarahsblog/fat-loss-trouble-shoot-reviewed/

OK, so here I am with this brand new, round brush with natural bristles and a wood base. Pretty, in a simple, natural-looking way. Monday, I used it first thing in the morning. It’s a little rough on the skin, but flaked off more dead skin cells than I thought I had J. From there I jumped in the shower using a shower-gel from Yves Rocher with monoi-oil which both smells nice and does a lot of good for the skin – it’s an oil from Polynesia, and we all envy the “vahinés” their glowing skin and beautiful hair, so I use and abuse of this oil whenever I can.  As I dried off, I was surprised to note how silky smooth my skin felt, more so than after a shower with no skin brushing preceding it. A really nice feeling.

Of course, two days of skin brushing won’t tell me how much this helps or not as far as tightening the skin after fat-burning, but even if it doesn’t do it directly, it probably will help in the overall “snapping” of the skin back to a size that fits the lean(er) body, and it’s certainly good for helping the skin clear away toxins. Is it my imagination, or does my stomach seem a tad … if not tighter, shall I say less “un-tight”? Believing is seeing, which will also help the process of course.

Back-brushing? Well, it’s a lot easier if you have someone do that part of your anatomy, but if you’re alone just twist and stretch to get as much of your back covered as you can.

I, for one, am convinced after just 2 days, that this is something that’s very much worth the few extra minutes added to my morning routine, and I urge you all to at least give it a go for a week. I’m sure you’ll stick with it after that J The price of my brush, in Canadian $, was around 15,- with the taxes.

Sarah, CPT

www.trainwithsarah.com

(PS, my prices for on-line training will go up shortly, you can still get my help at the old price if you act fast!

Just got this message from Jason Ferruggia from Muscle Gaining Secrets and wanted to share it with my subscribers as I have never before seen him discount his product so for those of you that were on the wire check this out.

Sarah,

If you have been following me for any amount of time you know that I rarely ever hold sales. However, once a year, I do have a sale in honor of one of my all time heroes and role models, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King has been a huge influence in my life and has affected me in a great number of ways. I still remember when I was going to school in Arizona, marching in protest of the state refusing to acknowledge Martin Luther King day as a holiday; all the while cranking “By the Time I Get to Arizona” by Public Enemy.

For as long as I can remember, injustice of any kind has caused my blood to boil and I have always looked up to Dr. King and admired what he did for this country.

In his honor, from now until Midnight tomorrow (Tuesday 1/20/09) Muscle Gaining Secrets

This will be the only time you will ever be able to get this incredible muscle building, life changing system at such an incredibly low rate.

Don’t miss this opportunity. Once the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, the price goes back to normal and won’t be coming down any time soon.

Make 2009 the best year of your life and start changing your physique and your life today by clicking here:

http://www.MuscleGainingSecrets.com

Sincerely,
Sarah
Co-Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover – with Lewis Wolk

Ladies, have you ever wanted to start a program like Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, but thought it was mostly for men? Or looked at Jeff Anderson’s Optimum Anabolics and felt that he wasn’t even talking to you? Yet you want a better than just average or good program, a great one that you feel before you start will get you where you want to go.

Guess what … I’ve found it! And you men out there, this is as great a program for you as it is for the women! In fact, to be honest, there is no reason for men and women to train differently at all. Sill, here’s this fabulous program, this very well-put-together package of e-books, reports and work sheets you can all need and use!

Let me explain.

Leigh Peele isn’t just someone I’ve learned to admire and respect, she’s also been interviewed by Tom Venuto and her video on the importance of weighing as opposed to just measuring (spoons, cups) is on his blog and members’ forum. This led me to contacting Leigh, and she was happy to send me a copy of her program to review.

True, I did expect a “more of the same” type thing. I mean, how much new can anyone put into fitness books? Hasn’t it all been said, repeated and rehashed already? Well, apparently not quite all.

For one thing, she has a couple of quizzes I took – because I wanted to see if I was right in my own self assessments, and also because I love taking quizzes J. Haven’t you all wondered exactly how accurate your own estimate of your activity level really is? Well, Leigh has a quiz/questionnaire which tells you for sure where you should place your activity level. I was spot on, but probably wouldn’t have changed it when I start working a day-job, figuring one desk was equivalent to another (home or office) and neglecting all the walking I’ll be doing at the office between stations! That’ll take me from 1.45 to 1.55 on the activity level calculations. Calorie-wise, that means a little more food per day, and not being any hungrier than I am working from home.

You can also do a quiz to know the extent of metabolic damage you may have done to your body through past yo-yo dieting. I would probably have had a different result had I taken that quiz 4 years ago, but today I was told to go straight to an advanced level for both the nutrition and training. In other words, no more guesswork, no under-estimating or over-estimating what you do or need. This is a first in any fitness program I’ve ever seen!

Leigh also has an entire report on just water. Now, all programs mention water, how important it is to drink enough etc; but not one has a whole mini-book on the subject. Again, impressive.  There are two separate e-books on fat loss, depending on how fast you want to drop those fatty excess pounds from your body. A.S.A.P. right? Don’t we all, but read both manuals, there are differences that might or might not suit your lifestyle, and the closer you get something to fit with your life, the higher your success-rate.

Would you believe a maintenance manual? Another first! So far, books have left you at the end of the journey with a question on your lips: now what? How do I keep the weight off and not revert to old fatty levels? Well, here’s a lady who’s thought of just that; and she gives you a separate manual with the answers. That’s right, it’s not a last chapter in one of the main e-books of the program, it’s a separate, easy to locate, manual in its’ own right!

Of course, there’s a pdf with meal plans. Did you really expect anything less from this thorough woman? You can even get a free recipe book which isn’t quite finished yet, by clicking on … get free copy … on her site. Even I, who have read more cook books than many will ever own, found ideas and recipes I actually not only want to try, but will!

I said two main e-books. That’s correct, one is a Metabolic Repair Manual, which you may need if you’ve damaged your metabolism by yo-yoing or being anorexic/bulimic on the recovery path. The other main book is The Main Book – The Fat Loss Troubleshoot e-book. I read it. I mean, read it, every single word; just like I did with the first fitness e-books I bought. Admittedly, when you’ve read a few, you tend to read “vertically” certain chapters, your eye easily catching things that either new or look weird. This book … sure, there’s a lot I already knew, and some chapters I could have sped across, but it was compelling me to read it all, and I’m glad I did.

The troubleshoot checklist will help you identify the reasons why you have reached a plateau, why you’re not losing that fat, or whatever other issue you are battling. There are two training logs, one for aerobic exercises, one for lifting.  And audios and other downloads … there’s too much to even list!

A completely complete program from start to finish and beyond. Did I mention that I love it?

I will not, however, be giving you personal impressions on this for a while, as I have promised another great trainer to follow his program for 12 weeks starting February 7^th (yes, I know it’s a Saturday), and after that I’ll do a more “relaxed” program for 12 weeks, but at the end of that, towards the beginning of fall 2009, don’t be surprised if I hit Leigh’s program and follow that for 12 weeks!  Yes, this is one of those programs we receive that I really want to do, to experience firsthand. It is that good.

You can get your copy of all this here ….

http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/fatlosstroubleshoot.html

I’m absolutely certain it will transform your life and set you on your path to a healthy lifestyle forever. 2009 may just be your year to shine, thanks to Leigh Peele’s program!

Sarah, CPT
www.trainwithsarah.com
Co-Publisher with Lewis Wolk - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

You should.

It’s January, right? You’ve probably made a list of new year’s "resolutions". Again. Will you be one of those who, by mid-February at the latest, is back to your pre-new-year ways? Chances are …

If you do not write specific and powerful goal statements and do this daily as well as reading them several times a day, you will be part of the 95% statistics of drop-outs.

I wanted to be in the 5% last year. I wanted to be part of the minority. The minority that makes it, that sticks to the plan, that gets to the goal. The minority of lean and healthy people.

I wrote my goals. I was (sadly) up to 173 pounds last January. I wrote a goal to be down to 150 by the year end. That didn’t mean I got started on anything specific right away, it meant I had a goal,a firm, tangible goal, a written goal. I wrote it down every morning, read it many times a day, pasted a copy onto my water-bottle that I always carry with me.

My result at Christmas this year, was not 150 lbs. I didn’t make that goal. I exceeded it by 10 lbs! That’s right, the 150-lbs goal becam a 140-lbs reality!

How many of you put weight on during the Holidays? Show of hands pleae I’m sure I could see 90% of you holding up your hands if it were possible (one day it might be, who knows!? Technology keeps advancing, anyway -  ). I did not. I was a little lower after the Holidays than I was before. Yup, lower! One pound only, but hey – I also enjoyed the foods and treats like everyone else. The difference was that I didn’t do that every single day.

With the Every Other Day Diet from Jon Benson, there is no reason not to burn fat, not to enjoy life and social events, not to drop more fat even at Holiday-time.

I have used his EODD (original version fist, then the new SNAPP! version) http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com since February 2008 and I can tell you that I am not about to change that way of "dieting"  not today, not tomorrow, not next week, probably not ever! It’s that good, it’s that flexible.

Do you want to be in my shoes this coming Christmas? How about the first week of January 2010? It’s as simple as (snap) a  year on EODD SNAPP! so please do yourself the favour of picking up a copy right this instant at http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com (ok, you have till the end of the week   but do it, you deserve this!) and make sure you write those goals down!

Happy New Year, Happy New Body!

… my fitness publisher friends offer to us. This is the latest from my friend Jon Benson so read on and see the great offer Jon is making to you …..

(Note I am sending this unedited exactly as I received it this morning from Jon.

Avoid These 5 Carbohydrates
By Jon Benson
 http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com 

———————————————————————- |

     Sarah, I have a confession:
     
          I love carbs.
     
     Hey, who doesn’t?  Good news: I get to eat
     whatever carbs I want to eat on my Every
     Other Day Diet-System.
     
     Before you visit the page you need to know
     that I use the Extreme Plan.  That’s the one
     for the truly hard-core fat-burners and folks
     who workout with weights.
     
     Why? Because I’m a bodybuilder and I like
     to stay in single-digit bodyfat for most of
     the year.
     
     Most people do not need to be this lean.
     Most do not even ‘want’ to… and the really
     good news is that you do not have to be
     "Extreme" to eat the carbs you like.
     
     You can easily get to 10-12% bodyfat (guys)     
     and 12-17% (ladies) following the Primer
     Plan (Level 1) — and that is literally an
     "every other day" nutrition plan.
     
     There’s all sorts of levels for all sorts
     of goals in the Every Other Day Dietplan:

•      The Primer Plann
•    The Lifestyle Phase 1 Plan
•    The Lifestyle Phase 2 Plan
•    The Extreme Plan

     And… check this:
 
     I’m about to hand out a killer bonus to
     anyone who owns my book by no later
     than January 10th.
     
     I’m writing a new book. It’s super-short.
     In fact it’s literally a "blueprint." It’s…
    
          "The Radical Fat-loss Blueprint:
          Shed Up To 21 Pounds in 21 Days!"

     Notice I did not say "weightloss"? That’s
     because you do not want to lose "weight".

     You want to lose ugly, useless bodyfat…

     and ONLY bodyfat.
 
     The average on my RFB System (which btw
     requires that you have Every Other Day
     Diet) is about 17 fat-pounds. Some lost
     over 21 pounds, some less.
     
     But this is not some "easy" thing… it
     takes some work, some very clever
     supplementation (not a lot, but some)
     and of course 21 days of consistency.
     
     Okay — when I release this book in
     February it will sell for at least $29.
     
          But I’ll give anyone who owns my
          Every Other Day Diet a freee copy.
     
     You just have to own it before the 10th of
     this month. January 10th. So act on it.

     That means current owners get it freee…
     and if you get the book before the 10th
     of January you get it freee too.
     
     Deal?
     
     Go here –
     
     Favorite Carbs Dietplan  <— enjoy carbs!
     
     The RFB will be worth double the price of
     my Every Other Day Diet book just by itself.
     
     Plus in case you did not know it — you get
     membership to a freee lifetime support group
     with The Every Other Day Diet.
     
     We have hundreds in the group and I post
     all the time. We are here to support you
     and help you achieve your goals.
     
     Okay… now back to carbohydrates.

     Which ones should you avoid?
     
     Ready?
     
     1. None.
     2. Nada.
     3. Zip.
     4. Zero.
     5. Not one.
     
     How’s that for a happy list of "avoid these
     carbs?" I know… I’m a rebel.
     
     Is there a catch? You bet there’s a catch.
     
     In fact the catch is exactly what Every
     Other Day Diet is based upon — when and
     how to eat carbohydrates so they actually
     help you gain lean muscle and lose bodyfat.
     
     Eat them at the wrong time and you are
     going to be fat. I don’t care if its brown
     rice or candy.

     Wrong time, wrong body.
     
     Got it?
     
     Right time, right body.
     
     Cool?

     Look, no one is saying brownies are really
     good for you. But come on: These dietplan
     "gurus" who say "never eat anything other
     than unprocessed carbs" are just not living
     in the real world with the rest of us.
     
     Depending on your level of EODD (Every
     Other Day Diet) you can eat more carbs that
     are "evil". Personally I like sugar more
     than I like brown rice, so on my really fun
     higher-carb days I’ll either have a nice
     dessert (yum) or go for some pasta.
     
     I have this thing for pasta these days. In
     France, it really rocks. So I get pasta
     with cream sauce and top it with seafood
     or chicken.
     
     Does this sound like a "diet" to you?
     
     Well… it kinda is. The days before this
     feast are challenging. But I actually enjoy
     them. I feel better on them. These are the
     days to avoid "most" carbs but you MUST     
     eat a few carbs… just the right ones.
     
     Some days? Very little. Other days?
     
          Whatever you want.
     
     Hey, I like brown rice too, so sometimes I
     eat a healthier carb treat — but again
     it’s all about timing.
     
     Does the diet-system work?
     
     Look at the before/afters on my page –
     
     Favorite Carbs Dietplan <—success stories
     
     There’s tons more where those came from.

     As for me… I came to France, ate the
     yummy food, and burned off about 15 lbs
     of bodyfat. How’s that for cool?
     
     So, whenever someone tells you to "avoid
     carbs" tell them NO WAY… or….
     
          "I know exactly WHEN and HOW to eat
           carbs. So get a clue pal!"
     
     That line works too.

     Favorite Carbs Dietplan <—enjoy carbs

Sincerely,
Sarah
Co-Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover