Fat Loss Cheetah
Fat Loss and Health Tips for the Modern Woman

It’s been a while since I’ve written, and I have no excuse. I can tell you I got busy, but I would be lying. Although I WAS busy, I could have found time in the day to share my thoughts with you. Did you miss me??

This got me thinking about motivation. Training and staying in shape is just a small piece of the puzzle of what keeps us motivated in life, and without a motivating environment chances are you will get nowhere. You will be fat, broke, and miserable.

I recently read somewhere that Koi fish are even MORE motivated by their surroundings than humans. Apparently a Koi fish’s growth is completely proportional to it’s environment – if you stick a koi fish in a tank it will only grow 2 inches, but if you let it go wild it will grow up to 2 feet!

Think about how motivating environments apply to humans and training… do you hang out with a group of friends who are constantly going to dinners and drinking? Do they keep ordering and ordering? Do these people work out?? If your friends are constantly going out to dinner it is going to be extremely difficult for you to exercise portion control when you get back home. If these people are constantly drinking it is not only going to influence you to take in extra worthless calories, but will also make you lethargic and lazy the next day.

Conversely, are your friends constantly doing something active? Working out, hiking, biking? Are they big on hitting the farmer’s market once a week? Is Whole Foods their favorite place on earth??

After I learned about these Koi fish I took a look at my own environment and realized that even a seasoned workout junkie like me changes with environment. For the past month or so I have had a small rotation in friends that have caused me to drink beer and eat burritos more often than I would like. Some of these burritos happened to be the size of a small child. Therefore, although I kept my training on point I have still put on a couple of pounds. In the grand scheme of things, no biggy – I know exactly how to get back on track. However, it opened my eyes to the severity of influence from my environment.

This lesson of motivation should be applied not only to training, but to all aspects of your life. Do you hang out with people that are supporting you in furthering your career? Do they help your relationship with your boyfriend? Are you dressing like you belong on an episode of Jersey Shore because your friends are?? The Jersey Shore thing is obviously an exaggeration, but still no matter how strong you are the level of influence from your environment is staggering.

So do yourself a favor and start hanging out with a couple of girls who are constantly at the gym, don’t drink much, and have cute clothes.

Do you think you lack discipline? Is that why you can’t accomplish your fitness goals? Well guess what… we are all 100% disciplined to the habits we currently have.

For instance, let’s take Heffer Hilary’s morning routine – she wakes up, takes a shower, and proceeds to make breakfast for her 3 screaming children and her corporate husband. The husband and the kids are spoiled, and the breakfast is not simple. On a certain Monday, breakfast consists of  eggs florentine, french toast, and orange juice. Coffee for the husband. Hilary happens to not have a dishwasher, so she washes all the dishes by hand and then goes on with her day. Her corporate husband makes lots of cash, so Hilary doesn’t have to work. Heffer Hilary is also clearly fat.  “Hmmm, I REALLY should hit the gym today”, Hilary thinks to herself. “But it’s sooo hard!”

Holy friggin shit! I would rather do 5 sets of squats, 3 sets of deadlifts, chest presses, shoulder presses, and run up a hill for an hour than feed 3 screaming children and a husband! Why? Because it seems a LOT less daunting to me. I am CONDITIONED to work out, and NOT feed screaming children and husbands. Thank god.

Do you see the point I am trying to make? You can make a habit out of any task and make it seem easy for yourself by doing it over and over again on a regular basis.  If you think something that the gym rat is doing is not feasible for you, you’re wrong. If you never squatted before, you CAN squat 100lbs. You just have to do it gradually.

So, here are the steps to change your habits and make working out easy (although you can apply the generic steps to any habit, including your diet):

1. Decide to make a change
   • Make up your mind that you are going to start working out. It seems dumb, but it’s important. Plan the days and times that you will go to the gym or the track, or whatever it may be.
2. Commit to going through the motions without necessarily doing the action
   • MAKE SURE that unless you are extremely sick, or your dog died, or something else traumatic, you GO to the gym. Even if you are extremely tired or not in the mood that day, just go and tell yourself you will do 10 mins on the elliptical (which is not a Cheetah-approved workout BTW). If you are going to the track, you will just do 2 laps walking. This will not make you a star athlete, but it will get you into the HABIT of working out. Be ready for this change to take roughly 3 weeks.  In other words, be prepared for the first 3 weeks to be rough. This is the hardest part of the process
3. Commit to action
   • Each time you work out build a little at a time, but progressively. For instance, if your goal is to squat 100 lbs and you have never squatted before, start with no weight. Next time, squat 5 lbs. Then 10 lbs, etc.
4. Be prepared for obstacles
   • You WILL get sick. And your dog may die. Things like this will cause you to miss a week at the gym. This is NO reason to give up on your new habits. Just deal with the obstacle, don’t feel guilty, and get back in there.
5. Maintain
   • Keep doing this and don’t stop! This step should be the easiest part since now that you are at least a month in it feels weird to not go to the gym.

Simple steps make the impossible very possible. Even if you are not a total beginner and you want to take your training to the next level, use these same steps. If you currently lift pink weights and do the elliptical for 20 mins, you CAN get to the point of squatting 100 lbs and running up hills without flinching. Just change your habits.

It’s the middle of summer and I don’t know about you, but I’ve been having a great time. I try to keep my diet and exercise in check, although there have been the occasional trips to Vegas and/or pool parties that have hindered my progress.

What about you? Are you balancing your fun times with your diet and exercise? Or have you been having a little too much fun with the Mojitos and the not-so-healthy dinners out??

Our bodies will always treat us the way that we treat them, and if you’ve been going partying hard lately perhaps you’re not feeling so hot. Even if you’re treating your body relatively well lately, perhaps you still experience low energy or get colds a bit too often?

Either way, it has been proven time and time again that everyone should ALWAYS do a cleanse periodically in order to restore themselves to optimal health by flushing out the system. Numerous sources state that colon health is VITALLY important.

Cleansing your body and flushing your colon seriously makes you feel amazing and supercharges your progress. I do this every single time I so much as start to feel a cold coming on or if I just feel under the weather, and it works like a charm. (I also “accidentally” get skinnier)

The best one on the market by far is the Master Cleanse.

Losing A TON of weight is a small byproduct of doing the Master Cleanse

People have been known to lose 5-10 lbs in 10 days! I normally lose 3-5 lbs in a few days. Keep in mind that this “weight” loss is not necessarily going to be fat, but instead other “stuff”. Not to be gross, but your large intestine is  dirty and when you do a cleanse you will likely rid yourself of at least a couple of pounds of shit. I know Dr. Oz likes to call it fecal matter, but let’s just be real about it. It’s shit.

The good news is that once your pipes are clean, you will be able to metabolize and digest food much more efficiently and therefore keep losing weight after the cleanse. This weight WILL be fat.  Not bad, huh?

Here are some other benefts:

• You will have WAY more energy
• If your hormone levels are out of whack they will get restored. Be prepared to feel frisky!
• Less internal inflammation, so if you have any aches they will go away
• It will become A LOT easier to lose weight
• … and much more

The one thing to remember while doing a cleanse is that while your body is ridding itself of all the grossness you will not necessarily be feeling so hot. If you are not prepared for what you’ll experience when you do the Master Cleanse there’s a good chance you’ll fail. Typically lasting just 10 days, it’s easy to see why people just “jump right in” to the Master Cleanse thinking it will be easy. It’s not.

During your time on the Master Cleanse you are likely to experience hunger, aches, and irritability. Most people give up because of hunger. Putting solid food aside for a couple days and only drinking liquids is harder then most people think. But it’s only for 2 days! Just do it!

So rule number 1 for finishing the Master Cleanse is getting past the third day. Instead of focusing on completing the entire 10 days from the onset of the cleanse just focus on getting past day 3. Breaking the Master Cleanse down into smaller milestones will be a big help.

Rule number 2 for finishing the Master Cleanse is dealing with aches and soreness. Headaches are one of the most common Master Cleanse side effects, but some people also get body aches.

To reduce aches you should drink a lot of water. It’s also good to relax and not push your self too hard when you do the Master Cleanse. Exercising should be kept to light walking and stretching. Your body will be going through a rigorous cleansing process during the Master Cleanse, and won’t be able to adequately recover from intense exercise during this time.

YAY! You get to skip the gym!

So do yourself a favor, take just 10 measly days out of your life away from your regular diet and do a cleanse while taking a break from the gym. I guarantee you it’s worth it!

All the resources you need to get started are here –> Master Cleanse

You woke up late today and didn’t make it to the gym. Perhaps it was because you went out last night, or perhaps you’re just not feeling it today. It’s nice to have a little more time in the morning to get ready for your day, but you feel guilty. You sit at your job all day and you plan on coming home after work and sitting some more.

Guilt sucks. Don’t do it. Check this out for ways to not feel guilty.

If you’re not completely exhausted, but you want to stay home tonight and be a blob here are some options for you:

1. Try Flirty Girl Fitness. It’s the perfect “off” day workout. You can do it at home, it’s only $10 bucks, it’s fun, and you might learn a thing or two about the art of seduction. It’s basically erotic dancing class at home. It’s fun.
2. Make dinner from Bethanny’s book, but make enough to take for lunch for the next couple of days. Remember, 80% of your shape is made in the kitchen so instead of beating yourself up about your workout today focus on diet.  Bethanny’s book has some excellent recipes.  After all, bitch stays super skinny after baby and husband.
3. Shop for workout clothes online that will make you look skinny. As most of us know, Lululemon is by far superior. However, those of us who don’t have unlimited bank accounts can always find deals on Amazon. It’s the secret place to find workout gear on sale.
4. Bored and really don’t feel like doing shit?? Take this Real Age test and find out how you’re doing with your health. This has been done on Good Morning America and the Today show and it’s pretty interesting.

The point here is that just because you didn’t get your rockstar workout on this morning, don’t sit around and feel guilty and tired and shitty all night. You still have time to do something. You will be back at it in no time.

I work out every day, 365 days a year, always eat the right foods, and never put poisonous substances in my body. I also never gain weight involuntarily. I’m fantastic. YEAH RIGHT!!

It is vitally important for you to realize that your diet/training routine is NOT LINEAR. You are not going to work out every day, you will have days that you have unplanned “cheats”, and even if you have lost weight lately you might temporarily gain some of it back. This is life. And you need to have a healthy outlook on life.

The most important thing to remember when you are off your game is that you can get RIGHT BACK ON no matter how long it has been. Whenever you are ready for the excuses to stop taking over, the gym is waiting for you. So are the egg whites.  They will never go away. So, let’s address some of the most common obstacles and discuss how to overcome them.

1. You get sick.
   1. REST! Too many people take a couple of days off while they really feel like shit, and then run back to the gym as soon as they start feeling a little better. Don’t do this. Your body needs to recover completely when you are sick and by working out before you are completely better you are risking prolonging your sickness. The longer you are sick the longer you can’t work out.
2. You have partied your balls off this summer and you can barely do 1 sprint.
   • Exercise load is relative. It’s about how hard the exercise if FOR YOU NOW, not for you when you were on your A-game. Perhaps 6 months ago you easily sprinted 10 times and lifted 4 days a week. Now that you are starting again, you will see that you actually get results with much lighter intensity . The lighter intensity will affect you faster in your out of shape state. Perhaps you are not ready for sprints yet, so just do intervals of running and walking.
3. You are not seeing results with your exercise program any longer and you want to give up.
   • DON’T give up. The highest form of insanity is doing the same action over and over again, when the action has already proven itself to not have delivered the desired goal. Switch up your workout. You have most likely hit a plateau. Or perhaps you are eating more than you are burning. The key is that somewhere in there is a problem that can be corrected.
4. You have a new job and you don’t have time to go to the gym. You’re sooo busy.
   • Yes you do. Go on your lunch. Wake up an hour earlier. Do something to get better at time management. All it takes is a 45 min workout 3x/week to start seeing results. If you can’t find that kind of time it does not mean you are too busy, it just means you have poor time management skills.

So there you have it. Have I missed any excuses? Let me know if I have and I will let you know how to overcome them.

I have a confession to make. Even the Cheetah goes balls out sometimes and takes an eating vacation. Last week I decided to take the week off working out and eat large amounts of food at some of the finest dining establishments in the world. You have not experienced a steak until you have dined at Peter Luger in NY. If you are into red meat at all, please eat there once before you die.

After a few conversations with some good girlfriends I realized that I am not the only one that has been on a workout/diet vacation, and I realized it would only be appropriate to write a blurb about guilt.

You know that feeling with you have the morning after a HUGE meal? Some call it a food hangover. Some call it misery. Check out “What to Do If You Have Cheated” for tips on how to deal with it physically. This article is more for how to deal with it mentally.

The biggest problem many of us have the “morning after” is the guilt. You have worked SO HARD and now it’s all down the drain!! Your stomach is sticking out, your pants are tight, and you’re back to fat! Worse yet, you weigh yourself and you are 3 lbs heavier!!

Guess what? I have news for you. You are not fat, you have simply gained some water weight and chances are you are still bloated. It WILL go away. Eating a large amount of carbohydrates causes you to gain water weight, which will subside once you start eating regularly again.

How long have you been working out and seeing results? 1 month? 6 months? Think about this logically… if you have been on your program for even 1 month and you have had 1 bad week, you are still in the green. DO NOT let one bad day or week get you down. Remember, it takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound of fat. If you have eaten 3500 extra calories in one day, you should be making an income from eating contests.

If you have been consistently eating horribly for one week, chances are you have gained 1 lb. Maybe 2. Big deal!! It will take you one week to lose. The amazing food that you got to eat in order to gain that one pound was probably well worth is and should be savored!

And don’t forget, NO ONE will notice that one pound weight gain except you.

So, if you can work out the next day after a big cheat, great! But if you feel like absolute crap and you really need to rest, then rest. Take one day off, or take a light walk. Your body will thank you the following day.

If you are really neurotic and want to offset your bad week with an “emergency” diet that will make you lose a ton of fat quickly, check out www.bestemergencydiet.com

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be an article on how you should “join a club” or “get active”. Let’s get real. We all want to go out and have a few drinks sometimes.

However, many of us ARE motivated and willing to put in the work and dedication to implement a fat loss program. Perhaps you have been at it for a while now! Eating egg whites in the morning is not that hard and after some practice, and getting a good workout in becomes a habit. The problem comes in when Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night comes! Sunday day time can become difficult in the summertime as well!

You’ve worked your ass off all week and you deserve to relax and spend time with your friends, hit the club, or go out to a nice dinner. So you go out Thursday night and have a couple of drinks.  No big deal, but the next day you’re too tired to work out. You take it easy on Friday. Saturday night it’s your best friend’s birthday, and you head out to the club. You have 5 drinks, get super-hungry, eat a huge burrito at 2am, and feel like shit in the morning. You wake up on Sunday and although you are hung over the sun is shining and you are ready for the BBQ. There will be no workout preceding the festivities. You go to the BBQ, have a 2 Coronas, a Margarita, and all the chips. Then, the BBQ is ready and you eat some of that too with macaroni salad. YUM. More Coronas and maybe a shot of tequila. By Monday morning you feel like all the work you put in the previous week is wasted and you are a fat lard.

Guess what? It’s time to change your lifestyle a bit. No one says you have to stop going out an being social. In fact, if you stop being social chances are much greater that you will give up your fitness routine altogether since you will be miserable. What you need to do is just slow it down a bit.

Here are some key things to remember and implement when the weekend comes:

1. Pick one night to drink. Limit your drinks to 2 or 3 at most. Notice I said pick one night to drink and not go out.
2. DO NOT drink on an empty stomach. Eat something before you go out.
3. When you go out to dinner, exercise the protein rules. It’s ok to go out to eat as long as you make good choices.
4. Wear something tight when you go out so you feel MORE like shit if you eat too much.
5. Try going out and not drinking a couple of times. Waking up and hitting the gym hard the morning after a night out is the BEST FEELING. You may get addicted.

Life is all about balance. People are creatures of habit and if you develop healthy habits for yourself and put them in practice, eventually you will get used to them. If you can figure out a way to preserve your actively social lifestyle and still stick to a healthy routine, you’re golden.