Hands down the number one question that is flooding my email and dm's right now is about my journey with FWTFL... back on January 1st I signed on for my first round and have not looked back or regretted one minute of it! You can see my first post with lots of FAQs here.
Today I thought I would show you updated before & after photos now that I've been doing the program for 5 full months (that is 2 rounds of the FWTFL program and about a month and a half of doing it on my own) and answer a few more questions that I get a lot that weren't in the first post. (if you haven't read the first post, do that - it has tons of great info!)
Question: I'm busy/have toddlers/work a lot/have health issues/travel for work... etc etc etc... will this program work for me?
Answer: If you have serious health concerns then you really should talk to your doctor first. But if you are just worried that you are too busy and/or drowning in the busy-ness of life with kids and work - then what I have to say to you is that this program is more for you than for anyone! Women lead SUCH busy lives and shouldn't we be prepared to do that by FIRST living our healthiest life? We are the foundation of our families, whether we work or stay home with kids or something in between. It's really difficult to lead our families and be our best possible selves without feeling healthy. Did I want to do this program to lose weight so I looked great? Absolutely. But MORE importantly I did this program so that I would FEEL great. And that my friend will absolutely happen.
Question: Is there a meal plan that I need to follow with this program?
Answer: No! It's up to you to follow the program with whatever meals you enjoy most. The point of this program is to be a lifestyle, not a "diet." So you will enjoy the freedom of choosing your own meals and LEARNING how to make great food decisions. Is that a little daunting and scary at first? YES! But lean on your FB group in the program or check out my healthy living archives here for TONS of recipes and meal ideas... I have more recipe posts in the works as well so stay tuned. Once you LEARN the food part... you will be able to follow this program for life and really, what is more empowering than that!?!?
Question: You mentioned you did two rounds? If you can 'learn' the program in one session why pay for another?
Answer: I get this question all the time... so there are a few reasons. The most important is that towards the end of the first round I felt myself plateauing (which is totally normal) so I wanted the accountability and coaching to help me push through the plateau and find out how to tweak my macros as needed to really get the best results possible. HOWEVER, it's totally up to you, there is NO pressure to do two rounds and I have friends that have done one round and then done it on their own after that with a lot of success. There is a discount for your second round so that is helpful as well. After you've completed two rounds you also have the choice to join the VIP program which is a monthly subscription with super personalized coaching and some other added benefits. I'm thinking of joining VIP at some point, probably this fall so I wanted 2 rounds under my belt.
Question: Are treats, ice cream, sugar, wine and beer out forever? What about dairy and gluten?
Answer: For your first round the program suggests to go dairy and gluten free. This is 100% your choice but I mostly (99%) complied with this only because I really wanted to get my money's worth from the program. Treats like wine, donuts, ice cream, etc are totally allowed in the program and you will get coaching on how and when to integrate these into your diet. Now that I have two rounds under my belt and have more or less reached my weight loss goals I am a little more lenient with this... I just make sure it works with my macros. So no, you don't have to say goodbye to wine forever! Promise!
Question: Isn't this program expensive?
Answer: It's an investment in your long term health and wellness. How much is that worth to you? I personally feel like it's a super FAIR price. You get personalized coaching, TONS of info on carb cycling and intermittent fasting (that you can't get by just googling it) and workouts for 7 full weeks (one week of "prepping" or learning the program and 6 weeks of the actual program). That amounts to just $4 a day... same as your daily latte or picking up a magazine in the grocery checkout. I think your long term health is worth MUCH more than that! Don't you? You could pay for 3 sessions of personal training at your gym for the same price... with much less return on your money.
Question: How do I successfully eat out or travel while doing the program?
Answer: I have some ideas for eating at places like Panera, Starbucks or Chik Fil A while traveling or if your schedule is just super busy for a week or so in this post here. When in doubt, I go for a salad with protein and usually most restaurants wherever you go will have that at the minimum! Even McDonald's. But you know, that would be worst case scenario. In a pinch, I will make sure I travel with RX bars, beef jerky and some fruit if I know no healthy dining options will be available. Lastly, with this program we are always striving for PROGRESS over PERFECTION. One bad meal will not throw you into a tailspin or "ruin" your progress. Be kind to yourself and do your best!
Question: After 5 months on the program are you still tracking your macros on a daily basis?
Answer: Yes and no, but mostly yes. I still follow the carb cycling weekly and track all my macros during the week... sometimes I take the weekend off, but not always. If I feel like I am at a plateau I will definitely keep tracking. But you know what's crazy?!?! Most days I will track and be spot on with my macros without even trying. After 5 months of the program I am super confident with my food choices and it shows. This program will TEACH you so much! It's not just a "diet" - it's a total healthy lifestyle roadmap.
Question: What's up with the juice fast in week 4?
Answer: So you may have heard that there is a juice fast in week 4 where you only drink cold-pressed juices all day (ideally they will be organic, think green juice - not apple juice). It's tough but not impossible. You can also choose water, but I just tried a water fast recently and it didn't NOT go well for me (I may try again, because I have friends that have done it very successfully). The juice fast is doable for me and I've done well with choosing Suja juices from Target or the cold-pressed refrigerated juices from Trader Joes or find a local juice bar to support. Or you can buy juices from The Weekly Juicery. Those days you will NOT track macros. The program will outline more details about the juice fast - or the coaches will answer your questions!
Question: What are the workouts like?
Answer: There is home, beginner and advanced levels of workouts and all of them can be done with or without a gym membership. This program is 80% nutrition though. Do your best with the workouts, but truth be told... I HATE working out and have seen great results by getting to Pure Barre 2-3x a week and following the nutrition plan super strictly. One friend I have did the first round with no workouts at all and saw tremendous results and added in the workouts the second round with even more success. So even just go for a walk or jump on the tramp with your kids or have jumping jack or plank competitions at home. Don't sweat the workouts... they will bring you your results quicker, but you can have results without them as well.
Sign up here for the next round! Or feel free to ask any more questions you may have that I haven't already answered in the comments!
(left 1/1/18, middle 2/11/18, right 5/31/18)
