I used to think that the best time to exercise was first thing in the morning. My husband Jonas would try to wake me up, bring me my coffee for 5:30 am so I could go for a run or put on my exercise videos. Most of the time I would sleep in till 6 am which is my normal wake up time and then I would miss my workout. You see, I had the determination to exercise, but I was not a morning person. Missing a workout would make me feel like an awful failure. Why could I not get up a half hour early? I would go through a vicious cycle of starting an exercise program (slow paced jogging, videos), getting exited about it, seeing a some results (but nothing extraordinary) and then thinking that it was just to much work and not enough results. I would then lose the drive to get up so early in the morning. After giving up the early morning exercise I would gain back the few pounds I lost.

Well I finally realized that I am not a morning person. I have tried getting up early and I love being outdoors in the early mornings. Hearing the birds, smelling the fresh morning air, watching the sun rise is one of the most exhilarating ways to start your day. I really do love it. I just can’t get up to see it. 

I did however find the best time for me to stick to an exercise program and it fits perfectly into my schedules. That time is right before I start dinners! I make sure my kids are playing happily, or if they need a little more guidance I get them to do a workbook page. I do my 20min Fit Chic workout which normally gives me the energy to get me through my evening of prepping and cooking dinner, cleaning, and laundry!

So this morning I was shocked to see that I had lost some more weight. I am finding it so easy this time around. It is harder to fall off the fatloss program you are on when you see results. So what is the difference between the Fit Chic and the programs mentioned above? I am building muscle and muscle is what burns fat. I am working out with weights with little rest in between sets. This gets your heart pumping a lot more than slow steady jogging ever did. This means you burn more calories in less time.  I can work up a real sweat in 20 minutes. Also I can be working out my arms and I will use my core to stabilize my body. With these types of exercises I am working two muscle groups instead of one. This also shortens the length of time needed to see results.  The Fit Chic 20 min workouts are perfect for busy moms on the go! When the workouts are nice and short you can squeeze them in where ever you *find* time.

To your health,

Catherine Osthaus

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So here it goes… The first picture is taken at 128lbs. I had lost six pounds already and thought that I should not delay a picture any longer. The second picture was taken at 118lbs. That is a difference of ten pounds and a total loss of sixteen in two short months. Please don’t mind if I only you show you a side profile. During pregnancy I had major scarring and stretch marks. I am a bit shy about them!

At 128lbs

At 118lbs

 
To lose the weight I have exercised using the Fit Chic workouts and by eating a Low Carb Atkins diet. I eat clean and do not use any artificial sweeteners, carbquick or snack bars. My tastes have changed. I find that food is more delicious and the flavours jump out at me. This can also be because it is summer time and my veggies are fresh and local. I also find that the few berries I eat are extremely sweet and a perfect little treats. My taste buds can also find incredible sweetness in a sour grapefruit – no extra sugar needed!

The Fit Chic is pretty incredible. I love reading through it. The energy and motivation just jump out of the book and straight into your heart and mind. This is where we need to change. The reason we don’t workout is because of the negative thoughts running through our minds. Well no more excuses. The Fit Chic workouts are only 20min! They get your heart pumping, give you a good dose of adrenaline and boost your energy through the roof. This is a long term workout program for long term results. I am ready for my six pack abs! Are you?

To your health and happy eating,

Catherine Osthaus

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I have been following the Atkins Diet for 2 months now. When I started I weighed in at 134lbs and today I broke through to 118lbs! That is a total loss of 16lbs in just 2 short months. I am thrilled to say the least. I am also 2 pounds lighter then when I got pregnant with my first daughter! But I did not start Atkins for the weight loss. I started Atkins because I had a severe Candida reaction which was not pleasant at all. For Candida I am also taking Oil of Oregano. For the most part, I don’t notice the Candida symptoms anymore. They are still there but they are diminishing. I may have to stop eating cheeses and only eat fermented dairy. Dairy has lactose in it which is a sugar and Candida loves sugars.

Other benefits of this diet are the huge improvement in my digestion. This is partly due to the Candida dying off and also because of the drastically reducing fruit intake. You see fruit digests really fast and fats digest slower. So when eaten they get mixed together and the sugars from the food start to ferment causing gas and bloating. I find this especially true when eating nuts and fruit probably because of the fiber in the nuts is slow to digest.

Eating less is also a huge benefit of the Atkins diet. I am surprised when I do groceries that my cart is only half full when every week it used to be filled to the brim! This must be due to stabilizing of the blood sugars. I also love fats. Our bodies need healthy fats. Fats are satisfying and they digest slower. This reduces the amount of food you need to feel full. If I feel a slight urge to cheat I go straight for the fridge and grab an avocado. This stops the cravings! I love it.

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The zucchini’s in my garden are growing like crazy. We ended up planting more than what we normally eat. So now I am trying to use them and eat them up before they grow to be dinosaur size. This morning breakfast was …

Quick Zucchini Fry

1 Zucchini
1 Tomato
2 tblsp butter
1 tblsp onion dehydrated flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 cup shredded mozzarela cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in frying pan. Slice up zucchini and tomato and add to frying pan. Add onion flakes, garlic, paprika, chili powder. Cook until zucchini is soft. About 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a plate and top with cheese.
612 Calories, 43grams Fat, 24 grams Carb, 36 gram Protein

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I have started to go through the Fit Chic Fatloss program. There is a lot to this program! I am not trying to rush through it, but actually work with it. A big part of a successful long term fatloss is our mindsets and core beliefs. The Fit Chic Fatloss  program talks about changing our limiting beliefs and busting every darn excuse you can think of. As I have been going through the program I have been jotting down notes like crazy so I can go back to them and read them again. The Fit Chic Fatloss program is walking me through my biggest obstacles so I can turn my limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs.

One of my favorite quotes out of the Fit Chic is “But the biggest obstacle of all is when your limiting belief becomes a part of your identity. For example, “I am a fat person. I am an over eater. I am uncoordinated.” There’s a lot of power attached to a belief when the ‘I AM’ is present.”

Wow! The Fit Chic Fatloss program then goes on to explain how to turn those thoughts around so that they become empowering and what to do when we start thinking them. So this program is not only an exercise program but a program that focuses on long term results. No one wants to lose weight and gain it back in a few months after they have fallen off the wagon. And continue in that cycle with all the different programs on the market.

Also the Unstoppable Fatloss Motivation Audios are great to reinforce those empowering beliefs. I am excited to finally have found a program that focuses on long term results!

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I was surfing the web the other day and stumbled upon a recipe that called for lavender in it. I was intrigued. I never knew that you could use lavender in food. Lavender scents are used in soaps, shampoos and cosmetics, but in food?? Well I have a lavender bush in my yard that I have done nothing with. It was planted five years or so ago and I am ashamed to admit that I have not even used it as potpourri.

Excited I went out to my garden and harvested some of it. I went into my kitchen and I experimented with some spice combination’s and came up with this awesome concoction! This recipe will become a summer staple.

Sugar-Free Lavender Mint Lemonade

1 tblsp fresh Lavender with stems
2 whole cloves

Heat up one cup of water and brew lavender and cloves as tea. Steep for half hour until cool.

Juice of 1  1/2 lemons
4-5 sprigs of mint leaves
1 liter of water

Strain tea. Add lemon juice, mint and water to the tea and stir.

Fill glasses with ice, garnish each glass with a wedge of lemon, extra lavender and mint.

Beautiful and tasty.

Your comments below are always welcome!

To your health and wellness,

Catherine

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I am excited to announce that after 2 months on the Atkins Diet I have reached my pre-baby weight of 120lbs. That is a total loss 14 lbs. I did not do an induction phase or count carbs. I just eliminated sugar, grains and sweet fruit out of my diet and used no artificial sweetners. I did this not to lose weight but to gain control of a systemic candida problem. But I sure am enjoying the weight loss!

After getting back to my pre-baby weight I am noticing that I do not look like I did before pregnancy. I still have the biggest problem area of a postpartum “mommy belly”. I would love to get some lean and toned muscles. I have watched Angie Tousignant go through the Fit Chic Year of Workouts and seen her transformation and would love to have the same results as her. She is a mom of 2 small kids and was able to get six pack abs – even after a c-section. I have never had six pack abs, so I am going to challenge myself to achieve this!

I know that the hardest part of fatloss is overcoming the “stinking thinking” and getting motivated to actually do the workouts. You can have the best workout program in the world but if you don’t use it then it won’t work for you. To get over this problem I will be listening to the Unstoppable Fatloss Audios and joining the Unstoppable Fatloss Support Community. 

I will go through all the material in the Fit Chic Fatloss program and post my before picture and my measurements in the next few days. I am excited to start on this challenge! If you would like to join me in the 6 pack ab challenge let me know by commenting below and check out the Fit Chic Fatloss Program!

Warmly,

Catherine

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