I simply mix ONE part chia seeds with THREE parts almond milk or coconut milk, oat milk, etc works great. I usually whip up a batch once a week to have on hand for days where I eat low carb with the FWTFL plan. You will want to make sure you mix up the ingredients the night BEFORE and then stir it again a few times before you plan on eating it. It takes a full 8 hours or so to come together. For a usual batch I use the 1:3 ratio and mix 1/4 cup of chia seeds (I find mine at Trader Joes but you can buy them online too!) and 3/4 cup of almond milk. Then my husband and I will eat off of it for a few days. Chia pudding makes a great meal or snack. It's high in protein and REALLY high in fiber making it carb neutral. (the fiber cancels out the carbs)
As you can see above I usually mix a variety of toppings in to give it some more personality... think of it like making a yogurt parfait and add toppings like berries which are also high in fiber making them a great low-carb choice, nuts or my favorite Cacoa Nibs (also carb neutral since they have so much fiber!) these taste like unsweetened chocolate. So they are a delicious and healthy alternative to regular chocolate. I also find them at Trader Joes but you can easily stock up online too!
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It's so hard to believe that it has been ONE YEAR since my husband and I started living the Faster Way to Fat Loss lifestyle. I can hardly believe it's gone so fast and that we are still 100% loving this program. I mean, a year ago I was the BIGGEST SKEPTIC.
Long story short: At the beginning of 2018 I was staring down my 40th birthday. I was also gaining about 5-7 pounds a year and tracking calories, working out more and even severely limiting calories was having ZERO effects on my waistline. I figured it was just my age and metabolism, so I surrendered and bought bigger pants and bras and swimsuits, etc. all the while feeling pretty crappy about it. I just KNEW this couldn't be my best life but I had NO IDEA how to fix it. Nothing was working.
I had witnessed a few bloggers have amazing success with their weight loss through the Faster Way but still dragged my feet. I felt like I had already "tried everything" and asked "how would this program be different?" My husband was feeling similar... so when I mentioned it to him he immediately said we should do it. I was MUCH more hesitant. Even after signing up I immediately regretted it. I told him the week before we started that it was NEVER going to work and that I already knew I was going to quit. I laugh at it now, but at the time the feeling of defeat was just so overwhelming.
Fast forward a year and we both have NEVER felt better... we feel strong, healthy, energetic and YOUTHFUL. In fact we always say it, but in our 40s we feel better than we did in our 30s.
So WHY IS THIS PROGRAM DIFFERENT? WHY DOES IT WORK? First off this program is like nothing you've ever tried. It's a combination of macro tracking, carb cycling, intermittent fasting and if you choose: targeted workouts, as well. If all that sounds like another language to you - don't worry! You will learn all you need to know and along the way I promise you will CHANGE the way you look at food and how you fuel your body. And ultimately CHANGE how your body burns fat - thus, losing the weight. This isn't about getting "skinny" - this is about getting STRONG and feeling your best.
I will be the first to say that yes the program is a little pricey... but it rounds out at about $4 a day, which let's be honest is less than our daily Starbucks run costs. And in the end you will learn a complete road map to losing the weight and keeping it off - FOR LIFE.
So what is life like one year after beginning this program? I had AMAZING success when I started the program last year at this time. I will show my before and afters below! I did two rounds (the second was to keep up with the accountability from the first round, but wasn't mandatory. I just found it to be super helpful) then later this year I joined the VIP program (a monthly program that takes the system to the next level for those that have completed two or more rounds). I have had bad days... of course I have! I have even had bad months - like when we were moving and we all lived on pizza for two weeks. But whether I have a good day or a bad day... a good week or a bad week the BEST PART OF THIS PROGRAM is always, always having that road map to get back on track. I've learned that a bad day or week won't derail me, the program is always waiting for me on the other side and GONE are the days of feeling helpless when it comes to taking off the extra pounds. I KNOW how to do it. Even if I don't follow the program 100% I still KNOW IT WORKS so that when I'm ready to hop back on, I do it effortlessly.
I can't stress enough the positive impact this program has had in my life and I can't not encourage you enough to JOIN ME! I wouldn't talk about this program so much if I didn't absolutely believe in it. If you felt like I did: bloated, defeated, bewildered on how to live healthy - then THIS PROGRAM IS FOR YOU. Seriously! Join me for the next round! You won't regret it!
And to prove it works... here are my before and afters:
The left photo is my "before" on January 1, 2018. The middle photo is after one round where I lost 9 inches and 10 pounds. The right photo is after TWO rounds - I lost no weight in my second round but did lose 5 more inches and as you can see, a lot more tone.
