I’m really excited to introduce something new to you guys (well, some of you may have heard of it since it’s extremely popular right now!) – the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program. Now, I’m in no way into things like fad diets, but when I hear great things about a fitness or eating program, I have to check it because I’m super into health and nutrition. I’ve been reading about the FASTer Way to Fat Loss for over a year now and I’ve followed some coaches and participants’ blogs and social media to get some insight on the program, and finally after chatting with my coach Kristen Mills, decided I wanted to give it a try.
You may be wondering why I’d want to try this out while pregnant – well, I think it’s a great time because the purpose of the program is to optimize your nutrition and eat the correct amount of macros (protein/carbs/fat) every single day. I’ve mentioned before that I really wanted to dive into macro counting, so this is the perfect program that allows me to do that while fueling my body properly for a healthy pregnancy. I will admit that my first two pregnancies, I really didn’t eat that healthily – and no, I didn’t gain that much weight (24 + 28 pounds, respectively), but I certainly didn’t feel as good as I could have had I been eating nutritiously. This time around, I already started off on a better foot since I’ve been eating Paleo for two years. That means I haven’t been loading my diet up with cheese and gluten-filled snack food, which I had done in my first two pregnancies because those were the only things that sounded good most days. Despite the inevitable morning, er, all day, sickness that I’ve experienced, my body has just felt better eating a more balanced diet. With that said, I feel like I don’t necessarily eat enough of the right foods each day, which is where FASTer Way to Fat Loss comes in.
How I’m Doing FASTer Way to Fat Loss While Pregnant
So, first things first – it’s important to make sure you’re eating enough while pregnant – but that whole ‘eating for two’ thing simply isn’t true. Even when you’re in the third trimester, you should only be eating an additional 200-300 calories a day. So, several things to note about the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program and pregnancy:
- There are generally 2 low-carb days. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you should make sure you eat close to 100g carbs per day, which is higher than the recommended amount for participants who are not pregnant or breastfeeding.
- There are 3 regular macro days. No modifications needed for these days.
- There are 2 low macro days. It’s not recommended to follow these reduced calorie days during pregnancy, so they are supposed to be replaced with regular macro days.
- The program follows intermittent fasting, so you’re technically supposed to eat within an 8-hour window and fast for the other 16 hours. The recommended schedule is breaking your fast at noon and stopping eating by 8pm and you can still have ~50 calories in your fasting window, so a cup of coffee with creamer is okay. Because I’m still at a point where I have to have food on my stomach in the morning or I feel nauseous, I won’t be doing the intermittent fasting aspect right now. I’ve heard amazing things about this, though, and I think it makes a huge difference!
- The program comes with workouts. I am going to stick with my current schedule of Pure Barre 4x a week, but I may incorporate these other workouts into the other 3 days of the week. I’m currently doing LIIFT4 workouts but wouldn’t mind breaking it up some!
Also, my coach is amazing and so knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the program and she shares a great glimpse into the day-to-day of following FASTer Way to Fat Loss on Instagram. There are lots of coaches out there, but I learned about Kris from lots of bloggers who I follow and they’ve all had such great experiences with her as their coach – which is why I decided to work with her!
Get 30+ of my Favorite FASTer Way to Fat Loss Meal Ideas Here
What to Know About FASTer Way to Fat Loss
The program isn’t free – a six-week round plus one learning week is $199, but that includes your coach (the most valuable part), recipes, grocery lists, an online resource portal and community of coaches and participants.
You also need to download My Fitness Pal, which has a free and paid version. The free version is technically all you need, but the premium version has additional features that might make tracking nutrients a bit easier!
After the initial questionnaire, in which you take measurements and photos, you’re not supposed to step on a scale for the remainder of the program. Being pregnant, I’m not exactly focusing on weight loss anyways, and of course, I’ll be weighed at doctor’s appointments but I still love a program (similar to Whole30) that doesn’t focus on the scale.
Unlike Whole30, there’s really no limit on what foods you can eat. The founder, Amanda Tress, encourages you to avoid dairy and gluten (which is what I am doing since I don’t eat either of those) but my coach and some other coaches are okay with these foods in moderation. The approach is like the IIFYM plan, “if it fits your macros” – so you can technically have things like wine, french fries, etc. if it fits into your daily macros.
What I Hope to Get From the FASTer Way to Fat Loss Program
So I am obviously on a different track than most participants because they’ll be losing pounds and inches and I know I won’t be! Potentially inches, I suppose – from building muscle and burning fat – but not pounds. My goal is to build lean muscle and gain weight healthily throughout my pregnancy. I know this will also set me up for getting back into shape more easily post-pregnancy! I really didn’t focus on proper fueling and building muscle in my last two pregnancies, so I’m really excited for the possibility of doing that this time around.
If you’re curious about the program, I’d love to answer any questions I can at this point and for others, I can direct you to Kristen! If you’re interested in the program, you can sign up with my link (affiliate link). The next round begins on March 4th!
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