Lose weight. Feel fabulous.

 

Have you struggled with weight loss?

Have 10, 20, 30 pounds or more to lose, but are frustrated with the weight loss process?

Are you tired of dieting & failing?

Have you gained a lot of weight due to pregnancy & haven’t been able to lose it?

Believe me, I know where you are coming from.

I’ve had five babies in the last decade & I know what it’s like to gain a tremendous amount of weight (60 lbs. with my last pregnancy!).

To feel overwhelmed.

I know what it’s like to be discouraged at the prospect of having to lose weight.

But, I’ve discovered that the gain can be tackled, & weight loss doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult.

In fact, it can be quite effortless.

Say what?!

Yup. When you have the right tools, the right knowledge, & put them into practice, weight loss becomes much more objective, less emotional.

Once you take out the emotions & guilt associated with weight gain, & focus on the facts, the tried & true principles, weight loss becomes not only an attainable goal, but a reality.

Despite all my gains during my last three pregnancies, I’ve known with a surety, that post-partum, the weight would come off.

Quickly, safely & healthfully, in a manner that wouldn’t require me to compromise my health, or, as a nursing mama, the quality of my milk supply.

And you know what? It did. I was able to return to my pre-pregnancy weight, every time.

I want you to have that same surety & confidence. To know that you can & will lose weight, & that it’s going to be a fabulous process.

I created this book to show you how

you can lose weight & feel great, too.

If you are looking for a quick fix, this book is not for you.

But, if you’re looking for a long term solution to losing & maintaining weight like a pro, without the frustration, without the white knuckling, this approach is for you.

Fit, Strong, Lean is for people who are ready to make changes.

Changes that may be big or small for you, but changes that will help you feel & be your best, most vibrant self.

This book is your ultimate guide to sustainable, healthy weight loss.

I will hold your hand & show you how weight loss works.

Nothing gimmicky, nothing quick-fix.

This is about making lifestyle changes, even small ones, that will make a huge difference.

It’s about making the choice to honor your body, to feed it well, & allow it to gravitate towards a fit, strong, lean state of being.

 

 

Need to know more?

No problem!

 

 

 

 

Pregnancy & weight gain

It’s normal & necessary to gain weight when pregnant. But when I’m pregnant I gain, & I gain a lot.

(And for the record, my kids are so darn cute & perfect, I’m more than happy to gain the weight.)

With my fourth, I had about 30 pounds to lose after I had the baby, to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. It took me about 5 months to get there. 

After my fifth child (who was born January 2014), I had about 50+ pounds to lose.

{As of the end of April 2014, after following the FSL diet for 3 months, I’ve lost a little over 30 of those pounds.}

Before, I have to be honest, I was mostly motivated to lose the weight so I could fit back into my old clothes.

This time around though, since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during the pregnancy, it has become even more important for me to return to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Because of the G.D. diagnosis, I’m at higher risk of developing diabetes later in life, which means–I need to take extra preventive measures.

The across the board recommendations from my physicians?

Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight & exercise. These are the two easiest, most obvious ways of helping to prevent a diabetes diagnosis later in life.

So, are you vain if you want to lose weight after having a baby? Shallow?

Not at all.

It’s about striving to make healthy choices that will help you to be strong & fit.

And doing the best you can to take care of the only body you’ll ever have. 

{If you have 5 pounds or 50 pounds to lose, I can help you.}

 

I’ve put together all of my hands-on experience as a busy mom, as someone who spent six years in the fitness industry as a fitness professional, as a person interested in health & eating whole, plant foods, and, as a person who has lost a cumulative (nearly) 200 pounds in the last decade.

I hope in sharing my knowledge, I can cut the learning curve for you, & help make the weight loss process a simple, straightforward one. 

What I share with you in this ebook is not just information you’ll use for the next three months.

{This is knowledge that will help you for the rest of your life.}

 

Very few of us are going to lose weight & then never have to lose a few pounds again.

Knowing why & how you gain weight, & conversely, how you can lose it, is incredibly empowering.

And in Fit, Strong, Lean, I break it all down for you.

 

WAIT. THERE’S MORE.

 

Get your recipes!

Still have questions?

Perfect, I’ve got answers.

Do I have to become vegan if I do the FSL diet?

Nope. The idea behind FSL is that it’s based on principles, not a list of does & don’ts.

#1 thing to keep in mind is, you should strive to make the majority of your food choices be whole, unrefined plant foods. I’ve realized over the years an all or nothing approach doesn’t work for most people. Focus on eating wholesome plant foods. Whether you’re entirely vegan or vegetarian is your prerogative. Personally, I love being vegan for a variety of reasons, so I don’t find the choice a difficult one. 

I only have 5 pounds to lose.
Do you think FSL would be helpful for me?

Absolutely! The last few pounds are always the most challenging anyway, & gaining a greater understanding of why that is & what you can do about it is something that will help alleviate a lot of undue frustration. 

How is FSL different from any other diet/weight loss program?

Fit, Strong, Lean is a compilation of the knowledge & experience I’ve gleaned over the past decade with weight loss & diet. I created this book because I felt like the vegan diet/weight loss market was missing a female (particularly that of a postpartum, breastfeeding woman) voice & perspective.

In FSL, I draw from inspiration & knowledge gained from many people within the low fat plant based movement, but to be clear, my approach is not entirely in line with what they advocate. I hope to strike a healthy, balanced perspective on how to successfully lose & maintain weight with a vegan diet that is neither de-void of any particular food or so narrow that it becomes unsustainable in the long term.

This is not a diet that is based on “do’s” & “don’ts.” Rather, FSL is about eating wholesome, filling, nutrient rich foods & allowing room for some occasional indulgences if you so choose.

Is FSL only for breastfeeding/postpartum women?

Absolutely not! Though I have a special section on breastfeeding & weight loss, the principles of the FSL approach are effective for any individual (female or male), who want to understand & know how to lose weight in a sustainable, health promoting fashion.

I can’t lose weight while breastfeeding &/or I’m scared to diet while breastfeeding.

This is not some crazy crash & burn diet.

On the FSL diet you will eat pretty much the same way you’ll eat once your weight loss goals are accomplished. Because the foods that you are eating are nutrient dense, there should be no worries as to getting sufficient nutrients to support yourself & your baby for the duration of breastfeeding.

Many women note an increase in appetite while nursing. I have experienced this, which is why it’s important to eat a lot (but a lot of the right foods). Breastfeeding burns up to an additional 300-500 (or more) calories each day, which, can be used to your advantage if you are intentional about your food choices.

I devote an entire section of the ebook to addressing issues related to weight loss & breastfeeding. 

Am I going to have to buy a lot of exotic/expensive weird foods?

I guess in order to fully answer this question, I need to know your definition of exotic 🙂 . Some of the recipes I share use things like chia seeds, kale, & almond milk. Are these things “exotic”? Maybe 20 years ago, but not anymore.

Vegan diets can be as expensive or as frugal as you want. Part of the goal of this book is to give you a good foundation of recipes that are not only easy to throw together, but don’t cost a lot either.

As for weird…I try to keep my food combinations rather normal, but I have been known to create dishes that my husband gawks at. (He doesn’t like mushrooms or cabbage, so I don’t trust him anyway.)

How much weight can I expect to lose if I do FSL?

It’s really up to you!

I give you some ways to figure out the pace at which you’d like to lose. I find it usually takes a few weeks to establish a comfortable rhythm of losing & you tweak as you go. I find an average of 1.5 pounds is comfortable for me. After the first 2 weeks (when you lose the most amount of weight typically, due to depleting glycogen stores), I’ve lost as much as 2.8 pounds. But more typical is somewhere in the 1-2 pound range. If you have less weight to lose &/or are smaller, your loses will be closer to .5-1 pound per week.

Does FSL require the use of supplements or shakes?

Nope. Just basic, good old-fashioned food. I do recommend a few of my favorite vegan protein powders, but these are a completely optional part of the program. 

What format is the ebook?

The ebook is available in PDF format.

As soon as your payment (via Paypal) goes through, you will be sent a link for direct download. Since the ebook is in PDF format (much nicer formatting & ease of reading than epub files, in my opinion), you’ll want to read the ebook using Adobe Acrobat reader–a free reader that can be downloaded to most devices.

I believe Kindle Fire readers do not use Adobe Acrobat. I recommend double checking to see if your device enables Adobe before downloading to your particular device.

You’ve stuck around!

Time to get your hands on your copy of Fit, Strong, Lean.

Yippee!

 

 

 

Disclaimer: This ebook is intended for informational purposes, and is in no way a replacement for the advice or counsel of a certified health professional.

I am not a dietitian, or doctor, and therefore am not qualified to give individual or specific dietary recommendations. I offer my experiences with weight loss & fitness for informational purposes only. You should consult your health care provider before making any changes to your diet or exercise program, especially while breastfeeding.

The audience for this ebook are healthy individuals. If you have a chronic health condition, disease, disorder, and/or are on medication for any reason, please consult with your health care provider before making any changes to lifestyle, diet, and exercise.