I have dubbed 2019 as my #yearofintention. I set out in January with intention in five areas of my life; Spiritual, Emotional, Relational, Physical and Financial.  I count one of my biggest wins this year to be in the PHYSICAL category. I started the year with the extra pounds and inches that are so easy to put on at my age, and set out to shape up. I knew I didn’t want to do any sort of plan that required buying packaged food, supplements, or shakes… (#nojudgement for people who use those plans with success, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.) I just wanted a plan that would teach me how to use real food, hold me accountable to make wiser choices, and one that was sustainable for the long haul. I found the perfect program that checked all these boxes, and for those who are seeking to change their relationship with food and exercise, read on…

First of all, I waited to share this program until I had some results that stood the test of time.  I started this program in February, and seven months later have trimmed over 20 inches, gone down three dress sizes, and maintained it for several months. Secondly, this program is not about deprivation.  I don’t even consider it a diet. It’s not Keto, not Atkins, not no-carb. It teaches you how to eat REAL food wisely, and a huge variety of it! Thirdly, it’s a very reasonable investment. For $199 you get 8 weeks of coaching, accountability, meal plans, workout options, and you LEARN how to do this method long term. After the 8 weeks, you can continue with a monthly membership, but I haven’t chosen to do that and continue to do well.  And before you balk at spending $199 on your health, please break that down to a mere $25/week for 8 weeks, $3.57/per day for 8 weeks. (Trust me, you’ll recoup the $199 and then some with meal planning and less impulse eating!)

Proof it works!  February, 2019 to May, 2019

The program is called The Faster Way to Fat Loss and my coach is the wonderful Amberly Deavours from Georgia.  She’s feisty and hilarious and loves Jesus.  She also happens to be one of the best coaches in the entire program, currently ranked number three in the company.  If you use my referral link, you will also be coached by Amberly and her great support team. You must register before the beginning of the 8 week round, and her next one starts August 19^th. Here’s the link if you’re ready to take a closer look, or jump in and register:

https://www.fasterwaycoach.com/register#juliedarr 

(*If the link doesn’t work by clicking on it, cut and paste it into your web browser and it will work!)

The program is founded on three main principles:

1. Intermittent Fasting—don’t let the word FASTING scare you. It’s simply the principle of shrinking your eating “window” to 8 hours per day, giving your digestive system 16 hours to process what you’ve eaten.  I “break my fast” at noon every day and then stop eating by 8:00  p.m.  I’m not starving by noon, but I am definitely ready to eat!  Also you can have liquids during your fasting time, as long as it’s a total of 50 calories or less.  I drink lots of water and black coffee during the fasting hours.  You pick the eight hour eating window that works best with your lifestyle.
2. Counting Macros—you’ll use the smartphone app MyFitnessPal to track three macros daily; carbs, proteins and fats. (Note you’re not tracking calories!)  With a simple scan of food bar codes, or entering the fresh product description, MyFitnessPal calculates these three macros for you.  You have your macro goals for the day and can plan your food accordingly.  Yes this takes some work in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, it truly becomes second nature.  During the 8 weeks you post your daily macro summary on the Facebook group page and then your coaching team will counsel you and give you tips for improving (or accolades for hitting the mark)!  *Update!–the Faster Way now comes with 4 weeks of recommended meal plans, with the macros already calculated—WIN!
3. Carb Cycling—you’ll mix up the combination of your three macros (carbs, proteins, fats) depending on the day. Also the recommended workout will be specific to the type of macro day you are doing.  On the two low-carb days, the exercise is cardio intensive.  On the regular macro days, the exercise is strength intensive. There is a science behind it that I don’t understand, but all I know is it works. AND the recommended workouts come in three levels;  Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced. AND there is a home workout version and a gym workout version.  For those of you adverse to exercise, you don’t have to do that part, or you can do fewer days of it.  Also huge bonus—the exercise regimen is only about 30 to 40 minutes TOTAL, not hours and hours in the gym.  The “less is more” principle applies here!

The last thing I will say about the program, is it is balanced and realistic.  Some of their best mantras  include:

“Progress over Perfection” aka don’t sweat it if you blow it one meal, one day, one weekend! You can get back into the swing of it without looking back!

“Memories over Macros” aka if you need to digress from your normal plan to make a special memory with people you love—DO IT!

Making memories with my grandson Ryder in July at his 1st birthday party! Yes I ate birthday cake!

In summary, I’ve always aimed for my blog to be life-giving. This one may sound more like a commercial, but I’m passionate about helping women find joy in life.  My mother had huge weight struggles when she was my age, and I saw how it affected her happiness and self-worth, not to mention her health. I also think as women we so often put caring for everyone else we love, ahead of ourselves. I’m learning the art of “self-care”, which includes prioritizing my food and exercise. God gives us one temple for this lifetime.  We can’t control everything that happens to it, but there is much that we can control. I’m grateful God led me to this program, to Amberly as my coach, and that He has given me my voice so that I can share it with you!

Feeling wonderful on my 61st Birthday in June, celebrating with my dad and stepmom!