fattofitbook.com

I have been on your fat loss program for a week now and have lost 3 lbs and an inch off my waist. I have been eating 5 small meals a day (as per the diet plan provided on the site) and doing the 3 x 30 workout every other day and I am really enjoying it. On the off days I have been doing cardio at a female boxing studio that I joined in my neighborhood. Since I am new to weight training I started with 5 lb dumbbells. However, I am no longer feeling the burn that I felt in my first workout. I tried to increase to 8 lbs but it was too difficult. Should i keep using the 5 lb dumbbells or increase my weight? Also, I have a mac and am unable to download the “79 Fat fit Questions book”, is it possible to send this to me in .pdf form?

Thanks
Melissa Continue Reading »

So I have read fat to fit, up to the end of the first routine. I have decided to workout on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday AM to start. Is it ok, to start out doing the squats, bench press, using dumbbells? I will admit I am a bit intimidated by the barbells, especially with no workout partner, (not that the weights are going to be mega heavy). Also, for the cardio, I seem to have a low tolerance for boredom so I want to switch it up between, treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike and eventually the rower?
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I was on the website and contemplating ordering the fat to fit program. I am 35 year old female, and have lost about 45-50 pounds in the last 1 ½ years with healthy diet and exercise. However, I’m finding that I’m putting too much muscle weight on and am not happy. I started some new exercise classes that involve weight training. I also take kickboxing which I find to be wonderful for my body. I want to slim down maybe about 10 more pounds and not gain too much muscle mass, so I thought your program would help me out.
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Hi Ray,

I am on the verge of taking up your offer on the fat to fit program but I have a few burning questions that I want to ask before plunging in.

Firstly, I come from an Asian country and from what I have seen from other programs, often the meal plans are more difficult to implement and it is difficult to find good Asian food substitutes. Would this be the case for fat to fit? Continue Reading »

Hey, I finally got the Paypal thing figured out as you can see. It was just sort of weird last night. It would say “Page cannot be found” and it would just take me to my Paypal homepage and show me my balance and transactions and what not. Then when I received your email, I tried it again and it was fine. Oh well, the important thing is it finally worked and I am currently reading through your book.

I just had a few questions as of right now. The thing I am wanting to get started most is my notebook. I just don’t know how to go about organizing it and maybe making charts for days or weeks or something, to write down workout information so I am not using page after page for two to three things. I was thinking something along the lines of having what I was working on such as triceps/biceps etc etc down the side with maybe the days and reps up on top or something. I’m just not too sure how to go about it and have it written out in the best most effective way, in your opinion. I just want to make sure I can log every single movement/event/change possible. Continue Reading »

Hi Ray.

I started on the fat to fit program this week. First, I have the some observations. Then, I have some questions.

Weights lowered, yet form and effect on muscle much improved

I have reduced the weights for the exercises to focus on executing perfect form and gaining a mind-muscle connection. Surprisingly, this has required a significant level of energy and concentration to control the muscle movement throughout the exercise. This is a first for me as previously I did not pay as much attention to the execution of the exercise.
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While writing down my plans for following my new fat loss lifestyle, I came up with the following issues. I have written the ideas below, but I am checking with you to see whether I am on the right track.

Length of the fat to fit Program routine 1:

While I have had some training experience, doing primarily whole body workouts, only the last six months has been regular but not necessarily consistent (I would workout for two weeks, feel worn down, take five day break, and then continue. (I plan to improve this, by the way.)) So I am planning to do routine 1 for four weeks. Have I made the right conclusion?

Meals around fat loss workouts:

Right now, I envision a regular meal before a workout, drinking water during the workout, and having the post-workout shake as described in the book. Does this sound like a good plan to you?

Weekends:

I am going to copy the nutrition plan from one of the other days for the weekend. I must admit that outside the structure of the workday, my focus on meals can become unstructured. Again, having your plan will assist me to fix this issue.

As always, thanks for your advice.

Andre

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Answer From Ray Burton Author Of:
The fat to fit Program
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Hey Andre, thanks for the email and the chance to make sure that you are all set to go as you start out on the fat loss program.

I find that often all people need is for someone that knows the subject to tell them that in fact..they are correct with their intuition. You Are!

You getting colds and feeling worn down is a sign that what you were trying to do as far as fat loss workouts was too much for your system to handle at that time. This is why I always ask people to start with the first workout in the program. Its kind of a “re-set” to make sure that as they start out, their bodies are in the right state to make progress. So you are right!

I would really advise stepping into this slowly despite how motivated you are right now. Follow the outlines for progression in the workouts that are in the book. That way you will build up slowly and be ready for every increase in intensity. If you feel a little tired at the end of four weeks, take a couple of days off BUT MAKE SURE you get back to the gym after.

Again, you are correct with the eating pattern. Some people can eat closer to workouts than others. I can eat up to 30 minutes before and train better that way. Some people prefer to feel slightly empty. Use how you feel and your performance to determine what is best for you. As for the actual meals and days, you can play with them and mix and match. They are all almost perfect to use on any day. So here again, whatever you feel will keep you sticking to the program and within the guidelines is the best course of action for you.

I would say you are ready to go! I always enjoy getting feedback, testimonials and pictures. So let me know how you are doing as you go along!

Oh..and your welcome!

Technorati Tags: fat loss, fat loss workout, fat loss program

Hi Ray. Thanks for your emails. Your enthusiasm for my success shows through the “cold” email medium. This helps me a great deal and I really appreciate this.

Some background for you so you know where I’m coming from:
While I am excited about starting your program, I am somewhat anxious because this is uncharted territory for me (not only a change in working out but how I change my life to live a healthy lifestyle).

My gym school gym experience (competition focused not lifetime fitness oriented) was not the best. So I disliked exercise for a long time (even though I would have benefitted from lifetime fitness gym exercises (burpees, pushups, etc.), until I got some iron in my hand after college. But my weight training came from the magazines and books without any particular focus and inconsistent results.

Of course, as you mention on your site for the ebook, my training materials provided ample information overload and confusion. So I hope I don’t overwhelm you with questions.

With those preliminaries out of the way, I have a few more questions for you.

In the book you mention that there should be no carbs at the supper meal. But the 170 lb. plan has sweet potatoes at the supper meal. My presumption is to follow the plan. Is this correct?

How do you cook your sweet potatoes? I ask this because I usually but frozen veggies and heat them in the microwave.

Cottage cheese: Do you like cottage cheese? I’m questioning this meal on the menu for taste. I know this is a matter of personal opinion but since you have dieted down for bodybuilding competitions, I am interested in you opinion.

Thanks Ray.
Andre

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Answer From Ray Burton Author Of:
The fat to fit Program
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I can see where you may have gotten confused. There are two very different ways of eating in the fat to fit Program. The first is the one that is actually in the book. This is designed much like the Zone Diet. It is very flexible in how you can substitute foods in depending on how you are feeling on any given day.

This first way of dieting is the one most of my clients use for every day dieting. In other words, living the healthy lifestyle.

There is actually one point that has to be made clear though. There ARE carbohydrates at and after supper in the book plan. They just come from vegetables, are fibrous and not the regular starchy complex carbs that come in potatoes and whole wheat breads.
I almost exclusively use frozen vegetables in my daily diet. I understand though that this can drive some people nuts. So that is why there are other carbohydrate sources in the plan for the every day folks.

The second way of dieting with the program is VERY strict and almost pre-contest style. These diets programs like the 170 lb diet that you are on were designed for the program by Dr. John Berardi of www.precisionnutrition.com.

So to answer your question, the yams are defiantly o.k. and from time to time I do get off the vegetables and go on a yam kick. No problem at all with this, but its great that you asked.

So how do I cook my sweet potatoes? I’m a cave man when it comes to meal preparation. I get three or four yams, peal them, cut them up in chunks, boil them until soft, mash them up and stick them in a Tupperware container. When I want some, I scoop it out, weigh it on my postage scale and stick the rest back in the fridge.

A lot of people like to add some cinnamon and bake them so that they caramelize a bit. These are pretty yummy. As for how I prep my frozen veggies all I do is half fill a fry pan, get a couple of cups of frozen veggies and then I boil the suckers while I weigh out my chicken. I get almost all my meals ready in about 5 minutes.

I absolutely HATE cottage cheese. I can’t stand it one bit. It is a great food though for those that can hack the taste. When I see cottage cheese I immediately run for my protein shaker or a can of tuna. I think I have eaten cottage cheese ONCE, and I’ll never touch it again. There are lots of things you can sub in for the cottage cheese if you don’t like it.

You know enough now to understand what you should be doing and should trust your own judgment when it comes to making the program fit into something that you can handle day in and day out.

When I dieted down for my bodybuilding competition I didn’t really eat much different than I do now. The only difference is that I switch over to solid protein sources instead of shakes because solid sources keep me full longer. I use the shakes all year round though because they are so easy when you are running out the door.

I think that should have you pretty much covered! I hope that starting the fat to fit Program and talking with me has changed your opinion of exercise some what. Like all things on this earth, there are good examples and bad examples.

Fitness has been the greatest gift to my life and I couldn’t imagine living without knowing the things that I do about it and how to make my body feel the way it does.

I hope you get to that point too.

Hi Ray! My question concerns training routines. I know that I’m over-analyzing, so I just need some direction:

I’m 6′1″, 330lbs, and 40% body fat. What I’m going to do is drop down to 215 lbs and 8% body fat. Ultimately I want to have a physique as ripped as a bodybuilder but with the conditioning of an MMA athlete. I’ve purchased and read your book, so I feel I have a sense of direction but I need your feedback on something -
Given my current condition I feel that I should put most of my emphasis on maintaining the muscle I have and burning the fat. In one of your articles you gave a routine by Randy Couture which I would like to use as the first routine I start with. What do you suggest?
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Good questions and thank you for purchasing “The Body Transformation” (used to be fat to fit). If you really feel that your motivation would be through the roof with the Randy Couture workout then go ahead and do that. However I do feel that at 6′1” and 300 pounds you would make the fastest progress on the full body routine with separate cardio like in my program.

The reason for this is that in order to do the MMA program you need to have a pretty high level of fitness just to be able to make it through. Also, the MMA workout is not the best for keeping your muscle mass. Its mostly for conditioning. A nice compromise would be to do the full body workout from the book on Monday and Friday and the Randy workout on Wednesday. That way you would get the best of both worlds AND keep your body guessing.

Both are very good but I would still prefer that you do the full body workout just so that you can get stronger and more conditioned for the routines that build on it later in the program.

I hope that helps you out and great question. Remember, the best workout is the one you do!

I just purchased your fat to fit program this weekend!!! I need a fresh approach to get the last of the body fat off of my lower body. I have been training for a number of years but some of my hard work is hidden under that damn fat!!!!

I am adjusting my diet according to your plan. I pretty much eat the foods that you suggest, it’s just that my fat was still a bit high and I have to stick to 5-6 meals per day. I’m also paying attention the protein, carb and fat grams per meal. I know that this is going to make a big difference. I do have some questions about the phase 2 workout plan.

I have a gym in my apartment complex that has plenty of free weights (power block), elliptical trainer, treamill and recumbent bike and an Apollo weight system. When I work my legs I do different types of lunges and squats with dumbells. I do work my hamstrings with the weight machine but that is only one excercise. Do you have any suggestions for another excercise?

Also, can I do the standing calf raise effectively on the floor holding dumbells? I did experience a problem with both of my legs recently. Both of my knees felt the same way, it wasn’t pain but an extreme tightness on the medial and lateral aspects of my knees. I thought maybe it was from over training so I laid off the weights for a couple of weeks but I did do alot of walking with hills. I went to Italy for 2 weeks and I walked my butt off, it was very cool by the way!!!! I came back from by trip and I did a couple of light workouts last week and today my legs are feeling fine so I want to get back to it. Do you think that maybe I wasn’t stretching enough? I know that I haven’t been, so I’m going to pay more attention to that. Any suggestions would be helpful, and believe me I don’t mind your direct approach!!!!! Have a great day!!

Susan

Hi Susan, I am more than happy to see if I can come up with some suggestions for you.

First for the hamstrings there are a couple of things you can do. The first is stiff leg deadlifts. There is a description about half way down the page here: Leg exercises

You can also do step ups like I included in this leg program (as well as some other exercises that target the back of the legs): Glute exercise workout

One of my favourites is a little complicated to set up but it is a kneeling hamstring curl. The link I show you here is a little differant but you can do it from the floor if you can anchor your heels. http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/BBHamstringRaise.html

As for the calf raises, when I cant find a step to do them off, I use another dumbbell. The effort you use to stabalize yourself on the thin handle will only add to the stimulus your calves get.

And lastly for the knee tightness, you nailed it on the head. The stability factor was engaged with the large amount of hiking you did and it was just a little more work than you were used to. Stretching has to be in the program. If you dont stretch by choice now, you will stretch to get rid of pain later.

Looking forward to hearing about your progress,
Ray Burton
Author of fat to fit