For those of you just jumping into this blog let me catch you up.

This is week two of a three week challenge that Stef (my trainer and co-blogger) just made up out of her head to keep me motivated.

This particular challenge will culminate in me, oh boy, revealing my mid-section in some kind of photo shoot. I’m so scared that I’ve been eating really well and working out religiously (as I pretty much do anyway…well the working out part at least). But I’ve noticed something very weird.

I am not hungry.

Usually I am hungry (like an actual grumbling of the stomach, not just greedy) every two  hours or so. I know…I’m a monster.

But I just attribute that to my relentless fitness regime.

So what could possibly be the explanation for me being able to go a good three to four hours without food all of a sudden?

It’s got to be this meal plan Stef has put me on.

If you’ve read any fitness magazines you’ll hear again and again that a flat tummy is made in the kitchen…meaning it is ALL about diet. You can work out 7 days a week and eat badly on five of those days and never see a change in your tummy. It will always remain sort of saggy and undefined unless you eat really well.

So before I took on this challenge I was very worried about what a flat-ab diet might entail.

Then I got my sample meal plan for the week.

Still scared, I started cooking.

And then Monday came around and it was…good.

I discovered ground turkey is delicious with a bit of chipotle seasoning and mixed with pretty much any vegetable under the sun.

And I am also eating lots of fat. No, not the saturated, kill you by age 40 kind…the good kind.

I’ve happily adopted lots of little meal combos that I will be using in years to come.

Want to know why I am leaning out and not clawing my way through the cookie aisle at the grocery store?

Stef has the explanation coming right up in her part of this blog!

Tracy

contacttracy@cityline.ca

So we had another moment.

Here is the exact text I got last week from Tracy "Hey this is a weird question but why AREN'T I hungry or craving sweets/carbs? I know it’s only been 4 days but last time I went hardcore I was falling apart in like 2 days."
This is music to my ears!
When she says hardcore it’s because we are stepping it up again for the Toronto International Film Festival. The food management program has totally cleaned up and training has stepped up again. Wow, I've really created a monster...and I say this in the most amazing way possible!

So to answer Tracy’s question:

I say it all the time. There is a reason why our bodies are craving certain foods just as there is a reason why we store fat. Perhaps you have heard me use this analogy before;  think of your body like an orchestra. It consists of many different instruments working in complete harmony together. Now, if one instrument plays of key the entire performance gets thrown off. The body is no different, it’s a complicated group of systems that need to work together to play to your life's beat. Consuming bad food, fake foods with additives and fake sugars, skipping meals, overeating will all cause your body’s instruments to play off beat!

Tracy’s body is now a perfectly oiled machine or a fail-proof orchestra. She can enjoy her life with FITNESS AS A LIFESTYLE for the rest of her life. When the time comes and she wants to step it up she can. She is carrying the right amount of lean muscle mass so that she is a fat-burning machine and her body can tighten up quickly. I see Tracy two to three times per week and (next to her hubby!) I know her body better than anyone. I can see the change in her body from last week to this week just by tweaking a few things in her meal plan again. We are now able to do this with her body without doing damage to her metabolism or using un-healthy methods.

Now the important take home message this week - EAT FAT TO LOSE FAT!!!

These can be taken from cold water fish sources or plant. Tracy and I like Udo's oil. It’s a blend of 3-6-9 and has DHA as well. I like it because its vegan and certified organic. There are many great brands out there...just get one!

Getting your HEALTHY fats is so important, so make sure you get your EFA’s (essential fatty acids) in there. They are called essential because our bodies can not make them so you MUST get them from diet and supplements. Pretty much every cell in your body needs these fats to function properly. There are a ton of benefits to taking in these fats both internal and external. If you are craving all the bad stuff...this may just be your body’s way of telling you it needs some EFA’s!


Get on this right away. I promise you (and so will Tracy) that I will never live without my GOOD fats! Oh and PLEASE don't worry about the calories from these fat sources....just take them!

Till next week...

As always I’d love to hear from you. Follow us on our journey as we tighten up for TIFF!

Love,

Stephanie Joanne