Your Questions Answered (Finally!) How To Lose Body Fat and Some Delicious Recipes Too!

So, the time has come for me to finally start answering your questions - several of you posted some great questions a few weeks ago and I must apologise for taking so long to reply!

My first question was asked by several peeople and was contained within many questions such as the ones below:

Hi Caroline

I'm 12 weeks pregnant so any articles on how to prepare physically for the birth and how to eat well, what exercises to do and what to avoid.

I'm still training finding it really hard to stick to my usual paleo-style eating plan because my tastebuds have gone haywire! Most of my usual fish and meat choices smell and taste horrible now, so getting enough lean protein in is proving difficult. Advice on that would be very welcome.

Many thanks

Rachel Johnston

I would love teaching on how to eat. I have seen a huge improvement in my figure with kettle bells, but if I could lose 5 pounds it would be great. How do you balance enjoying life and having a slim body?

Joy Humphries

Hi Caroline,

I'd really like articles on nutrition... specifically, how to make the same ol same ol tuna and chicken interesting again! :)

And of course, kettlebell routines are always a plus!

Thanks!
Cheverly

Ok you asked for it Caroline.

A tricky question from Australia!
I compete in mountain bike races, long distance adventure races and well, most things going really! I train hard and usually two sessions a day (from 60 mins to three hour sessions) and im not just doing long slow distance! Im mixing in intervals, speed work, some killer hill repeats up mountains. I also do a bodyweight/ kettlebell superset circuit three times weekly, and some yoga and rockclimbing. im no slouch, i train hard and i am fit (with calves and quadriceps to die for!)
But im still fat!! And i think this is more a nutrition question than anything else. Sure i can lose weight if i cut out carbs, but i also guarantee that i won't be able to get out of bed, let alone do my training! im still struggling with this awful chubby stomach, to the point that it is really affecting my self esteem because well, i guess i don't really look like i can do what i do in terms of my sports performance.
So my question is how should i eat to maintain a high volume of training, and hard training, but still lose weight. I understand that it all comes down to calorie balance in the end, but sometimes i am just eating to be able to train or to recover for the next session, but i am not getting lean the way i should be!
I hope this question spurrs you on to right some more great articles!

Regards,
Lissanthea Taylor

Hi Caroline,

Thank you for this. I have a big problem in my mid-section, especially around my hips and butt. I have been struggling to get rid of the excess fat after I gave birth to my son. I would really appreciate any tips as to how I can effectively deal with this in my diet and exercise programme.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Thenjiwe

So, there is a LOT of confusion out there regarding diet and nutrition!

All of these questions have a different slant, and of course there are many other questions there regarding pregnancy, recovery and stubborn fat areas and these will follow in the next few articles, but to start with there are a few basics to make sure you are losing fat, not simply 'eating healthy':

1. You MUST have a calorie deficit to lose body fat! You can't trick this one - calories do count, most diets that don't ask you to count them will trick you into it by making it hard for you to eat by banning things! Or by managing cravings, which is much more valid, but not a guarantee of success. Not tracking doesn't work for me as I like to eat, even if I eat only 100% clean, natural foods I will still eat more than my body needs to lose weight, if I'm lucky I will maintain. Remember, to lose fat you need LESS than your body needs - and your body wants at least what it needs, so relying solely on your body's intuitition will at best lead to maintenance. In a world of temptation you have to add the fact that your mind is constantly being bombarded by messages to eat, so you may feel hungry but its a Pavlov's response to constant harrassment to eat (even weight loss ads are selling you food to eat to burn fat).

2. Quality of food is vital for ensuring you have maximum energy, even more so if you are in a calorie deficit and / or training hard! Meats, vegetables and fruit are more nutrient dense than starchy carbs, so focus on those first. If you must add carbs (if you are an endurance athlete like Lissanthea) then add them last and focus on starchy veggies and potatoes first: squashes, sweet potatoes etc. Then wholegrains such as brown rice, millet, oats, quinoa. Also remember that sugar and white starches such as flour are actually 'vitamin robbers'. Yup, as the name implies, they actually use up more nutrients in the process of digestion than they supply. If you have an intolerance this will be made even worse by gastrointestinal distress...

3. Training is important not only for the calorie burn element but for the fact that you will ensure that it is fat you lose, not muscle. If you don't use muscle it won't stick around as its metabolically expensive (read 'burns lots of calories at rest') which is bad for a body that wants to store fat for emergencies, but great for someone who wants to lose fat. So use it or lose it! Full body compound moves are far better (squats, lunges, press ups, rows) as they actually use all your muscles - a simple jog round the park can do the opposite, encouraging muscle loss and as its not using many of the muscles of the body you will also not be supporting the maintenance of muscle throughout the entire body in the way that full body workouts do.

4. Inspiration is important too! Clean eating can be divine, but sometimes it feels a bit like hard work or we just don't know where to start. If you already have the Kettlebellebody Ebook you have Daniel Munday's fabulous 13 and a half minute meals so go hunt it out of your computer and give one of the recipes a try today!

An alternative, if you don't have my book (and really, if not, why not?! Especially as summer is practically here, Antipodeans notwithstanding: www.kettlebellebody.com...) you should check out my friend Jon Le Tocq's great new recipe book, Cooking for the Fitness Lifestyle. It's on sale at the ridiculously bargainous price of $13 or £9.99 with 150 clean and delicious recipes. He's also listed calories of all the recipes, so you can indulge (many of them feel pretty indulgent and certainly not 'diet food'!) but also plan your food so you can maintain a calorie deficit... Get a copy before he realises he's actually giving it away!

Next time I will answer some of the more specific questions regarding eating for different goals and situations.

If you have any more questions, please email them to me or post them in the comments box and I will add them to the list. As with this post, where there are several questions on a certain area or topic I will focus on those areas first so worth adding your question id you want to see an answer sooner!

A quick Kettlebell Workout to Do NOW - No Excuses!

OK, a quick 'no excuses' workout for you, to stay within the theme of my Ultimate No Excuses 'You Write the Rules' Transformation Contest!

Perform 5 mins of dynamic stretches, plus body weight squats, lunges, side lunges and the stick up before you start.

10 Reps (each side where applicable) of the following, taking as little rest as possible until the end of the min-circuit:

• Clean and Press
• Tactical Lunges, or Racked Lunges (holding the kettlebell in the racked position)
• Press ups (if you want to use one kettlebell on the floor you can do assymetric press ups, one hand on the bell and one on the floor, alternating each rep (which means you have to do 10 each side - ha!)
• Deadlift - you can do any variation here: one kettlebell centre, suitcase deadlift holding one to the side, 2 KB deadlift holding two of the same or uneven weight to the side (if unevem don't forget to swap!)
• Lunge and row (or if you have 2 KBs try the renegade row!)
• Swings x 25 (yes I know I said 10 of each but hey...)

Time yourself if you can find an implement of time measurement, give yourself 1-2 minute break then repeat and see if you can hit the same time!

If you have time for a third set - hit it!

Have a good stretch of tight muscle groups afterwards - and enjoy the feeling of a revved up metabolism!

And next time, try to beat today's time (or go for harder variations or a heavier KB...)

And the Winner Is.... YOU?

Well, the votes have been counted and it was a close one!

The overall winner of the 2009 KettleBelleBody Valentine's Love Your Body Challenge is....

........Nikki Caputa!!!

Yes, again!! For the seecond time running Nikki has cleaned up, CONGRATULATIONS!

If you are reading this and kicking yourself for not entering and letting Nikki win FOR A SECOND TIME, then GOOD!!

(Take that feeling and read on to find out how EVERYONE can win this time...)

Because with these contests, it actually doesn't matter whether you win or not! All those who give it a go and see it through are winners, as they get great results, and definitely better results than the alternative of not taking part!

A challenge is counterproductive if you try to be too perfect and if the focus is only on winning, as the moment you think you may have ruined the chance of winning you are likely to give up altogether!

The next full challenge is not going to be held for a while, but, I have a far more cunning plan to ELIMINATE ANY EXCUSES that have stopped you taking part so far!!!

EVERYONE can win this one - yes, that means YOU TOO!

The winning is the taking part this time, there will be prizes for ALL who see it through (at my discretion & as with all my contests, I let the winner select what they want as a prize at the end)!

So, a different kind of challenge! It is COMPLETELY ON YOUR OWN TERMS!!!

You heard that right - am I crazy? Maybe?

But I have just been through a month of following a kind of challenge and realised that one of the things I most struggled with was feeling like the decision to train / eat in a certain way was made for me... Great for motivation if you need someone to give you a shove in the right direction, but for a programme to be effective in the long term you need to be INSPIRED - the clue being in the word - it has to come from WITHIN.

You have to decide you WANT to make the changes and do them in a way that fits you and your life right now. If you have a weekend away and can't train or want to make that your 'cheat meal' then you need the flexibility to be able to do that. I want this challenge to be the kick start you need to get LONG TERM results too...

One of the major principles of KettleBelleBody and kettlebells in general is reaching your goals ON YOUR TERMS - fitting workouts into a busy life and hectic schedule and still getting GREAT RESULTS.

So, until the next formal challenge starts I have decided to offer up a prize to EVERYYONE who documents their progress with KettleBelleBody and gets great results!

You don't have to beat anyone - apart from all those who are too lazy to bother! All I'm asking for is ACTION on your behalf, combined with ACCOUNTABILITY that comes from setting your goals and logging your progress publically.

The reason - you will get BETTER results this way! And I want you to be USING my programme, not letting it gather dust on your hard drive or a shelf somewhere!

THE RULES:

• YOU CAN START WHENEVER YOU LIKE! This is to eliminate excuses about committments getting in the way / holidays etc.
• You can choose a timeframe too! Some people like the 30 day challenge as you can be super strict for a shorter period and can avoid distractions, others prefer the longer term, so 12 - 16 weeks, as you can allow for the odd slip up...
• You take photos and measurements before starting the workouts and once per week for the duration (this is great for your own accountability and success too, check out: Muscle in a Month for mine!).
• You perform 2-4 KettleBelleBody workouts each week but can also do other activities and workouts - I appreciate we all have things we love to do and don't want KBs to replace all that!
• I would prefer it if you followed the KettleBelleBody Nutrition Plan, but you can also choose an alternative should you prefer. I really reccomend Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot Manual if you need an extra boost.
• You log your progress at least weekly on Mission Slim-Possible - you can also set up a free blog at www.blogger.com but make sure you post at least weekly on the forum to summarise your progress so it is easier for us to follow - I'll set up a single forum thread for us all to enter our updates.

And that is it! Once you have finished your Challenge, you must email me the link to your blog as well as a summary of your before and after measurements and your first / last pics. Winners are at my discretion and depend on the progress you have made towards your goals and the challenges / obstacles you have oversome. You must write 2-300 words on why you deserve a prize! Also, by entering you agree that your comments and pics can be put up here and shared with readers (just so I don't have to ask each time I want to post an extract on the blog!)

Simple, huh?

Comment below if you plan to enter, and if you haven't already joined Mission Slim-Possible then head over and join now!

KettleBelleBody 'Love Your Body' Transformation Challenge Finalists!

Well, Valentine's Day was not only a day for romance and flowers, but a day for the committed 'Love Your Body' Challengers to take stock of their achievements over the past 6 weeks - since Jan 2nd (yes, it does feel like a long time ago, doesn't it?!)

In many ways January and early Feb are the hardest times for a fitness plan, as the cold, dark days can leave you feeling demotivated and low on energy. But despite these challenges, the finalists gave the challenge their all.

AND, THE TWO FINALISTS ARE (drum roll, please!)....

NIKKI CAPUTA & KATHY SNYDER!

NIKKI CAPUTA

AGE: 40!
OCCUPATION: Freelance hairdresser.

BEFORE:



Waist :28 1/2"
Hips: 34 3/4"
Right leg; 21 1/4"

Left leg; 21 1/4"

AFTER:


Waist; 27 1/2"
Hips; 34"

Right leg; 21"
Left leg; 21"

"I love a challenge and felt this was just what i needed to get me focused and back to healthy eating after a very relaxing and indulgent Christmas. I was definately less strict on myself as regards to the food but not with the work outs. I have managed to combine my kettle bell workouts with running, combat, boxing and outdoor bootcamp workouts. The challenge has re-educated my eating and i now feel that i have made permanent changes to the way i eat.

The most important thing is that the challenge (and Caroline!) has inspired me to retrain and hopefully become a personal trainer myself. Having spent most of my life having not much confidence in my body, I have used both challenges to focus myself and to achieve things I never really thought i could. I can now take this self belief and use it in a positive way to help me realise my dreams, one of which is to build my own personal gym at the bottom of my garden, another being to focus on training people outside like Caroline does.

I took my after pictures in a bikini I bought about four years ago. Until the pictures i had only worn the top half as the bottoms were far from flattering. Now I can`t wait for the summer to show it off and plan to continue with a good maintenance plan so that I retain my shape up until then. Also I bought two new pairs of skinny jeans in celebration of finishing the challenge ................size 10 of course!!"

You can see that Nikki looked pretty good at the start (despite trying to hide it in those boy shorts - ha!) by most standards, but that was thanks to her hard work in the December challenge!

To strip those last few pounds and look as great as she now does took loads of hard work and determination to not settle for 'average' - and you can see that the results are definitely something to be proud of!


KATHY SNYDER:
Chicago, USA
Occupation: Independent Manufacturer’s Representative (Sales Rep for Network Analysis Products)
Age: 49

BEFORE:


AFTER:

"Why Kettlebells?
Kettlebells are awesome, but I’ll admit I would never have picked them up on my own.

I was introduced to kettlebells by my trainer in August when I was endeavoring to prepare for upcoming knee surgery. The trainer had me perform crab walk and lunge supersets with kettlebells – the first time I’d ever used them – and I thought I was going to pass out. THAT intrigued me – no other activity in the gym ever made me feel like I was going to keel over. He said it was likely my blood pressure was to blame because of the overall demand the supersets put on my body, but that it should improve with time. So that became my challenge. I knew that this was the piece of equipment that could cause profound and immediate stress to my body. The feeling I got when I used them at the club was different from any sensation I’d ever experienced with any other type of exercise. I knew I was improving, and I wanted more.

Why KettleBelleBody?
After my surgery, I discovered Skwigg writing a lot about how much fun kettlebells were to use, and how impressed she was with the KettleBelleBody program. When Caroline announced the 6-Week Love Your Body Challenge for 2009, I just had to participate. Being accountable to an on-line group was something I wanted to try. I purchased KettleBelleBody and my first kettlebell soon after. I started practicing the exercises and routines the last week of December.

My Experience
I love the KettleBelleBody workouts! They are challenging, and make me feel good and exhausted in a pleasant, whole-body way.

Several things stood out for me during the Challenge. What amazed me the most about the experience was the impact this program had on my mid-section. Within a couple of weeks, I noticed how all of my pants fit better, and my waist was down over an inch. That kind of success has been a huge motivator.

Another aspect I enjoyed was how good it felt to do the complete warm-up and cool-down programs. Others commented about how the stretches improved their flexibility and made them feel more limber. This was true for me as well, which was a nice surprise as I have never been excited about stretching. I now look forward to the warm-up and cool-down. My back cracks every time, without having to go to a chiropractor. 

I had an “ah-ha!” moment on January 31. That was a Core1 day, and to that point, I was still doing partial workouts. That day as well I told myself it would be okay to just do 3 circuits. Then something clicked - I hit a groove. For the first time, I pushed myself to perform all four circuits, and I felt invincible the rest of the day. My caloric burn for 101 minutes was 780, and I wanted that feeling again. Since then I do all circuits, and burn over 500 calories every session.

I travel with my 10-pounder. It makes my bag a little heavier – a reason to get searched – but that just adds to the fun. I can do a good Blaster with 1-arm Swings and Turkish Get-Ups in any hotel room, which is very cool.

I enjoyed the Challenge, and am embarking on another 6-Weeks, this time with the “2s” of the Multi Focus 4 Days Per Week schedule as I prepare for Spring Break. Thanks for a great program! "

Kathy has done really well, and in addition to the entry I wanted to share with you her continued results and additional comments since the challenge has ended:

"I know the first part of the Challenge wasn’t my best effort. I’m still not proud that I missed all of Week 2, but I must say my diet was a lot cleaner and my exercise was more intense after Jan 25.

I do want to let you know that since the Challenge, the disruption of moving to the 2^nd program in the Multi Focus 4-days Per Week has been palpable. A) I’m sore (with Warm Up and Cool Down, so I know I’m exercising new muscles), and B) I have lost over a pound from my weekly average weight each of the past four weeks. I had a goal to be sub-160 by Mar 28 – my average so far this week is 165 – so if I keep dropping at this rate, I’m going to beat that goal. Do I like kettlebells? You bet I do! (Did I tell you I got one from my sweetie for Valentine’s Day? Best Valentines gift ever!)

Here’s another bit for you – I think the kettlebell training has rehabbed my shoulders. All last year, I had a lot of rotator cuff tenderness when I’d reach overhead for anything – worse if I was trying to lift something. Now? The tenderness is all but gone, and Monday I did regular Press Ups (40 of them in Strength2) and that’s one exercise I have never been able to do.

My body is changing – I look and feel stronger. I don’t really like the pictures that mark the end of my Challenge, but they do show a flatter midriff. I couldn’t be more pleased with the program, the effects, and how it makes me feel.

The reason for sharing that extra comment is the reason why Kathy made it into the final. PERSISTENCE!

She, like many others, floundered in the middle of Jan. The weather got bad, the challenge felt hard and people felt they had slipped up.

BUT, did Kathy give up (like several others)? NO! She got straight back on track, aware that her deviating from the plan might put others ahead, but she also realised that it is not the winning that really counts, but the DOING!

By getting back on track she did get great and obvious results. Not as good as had she stayed on track for the whole time, but a lot better than quitting altogether at the first challenge.

Six weeks is much harder than 30 days for a challenge, but also even 6 weeks is not long enough to get ongoing results when you have a target that is far off. There are always going to be moments when you break your respolve, miss a workout, eat something you had planned not to.

The important thing - get back on track as soon as you can! Enjoy the deviation for what it is (don't feel guilty!), and then get right on with things.

You can see on my Muscle in a Month challenge blog that my Valentine's Weekend was a dietary disaster - but I still did the workouts and got straight back onto the nutrition. Some people would have said 'if I can't do it 100% I won't do it at all' but you can see from Kathy's results that that is just not true, especially when it comes to something as long term and ongoing as eating and exercise.

We make a clean start every second - and every choice we make takes us closer to or further away from our goals. Once something is done, it is done, and there's no point making the next step backwards just because the one before was!

Kathy has proven the power of persistence and is well on track to hitting her ultimate goals. I am just proud to have been able to contribute to her success in this challenge!

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR VOTE IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW, OR YOU CAN VOTE VIA TWITTER or FACEBOOK or EMAIL (info@perfectfitforlife.com)

*VOTING CLOSES WEDNESDAY FEB 25th MIDNIGHT GMT

Meltdown Kettlebell Fat Loss Training Launched Today!

Finally, Troy Anderson has launched the MUCH awaited Kettlebell Fat Loss 'MELTDOWN' programme!

The programme is fantastic and a great addition to your Kettlebell workout library. It even includes a DVD (I know there are loads of you who really want a KettleBelleBody DVD and I will get one done sometime, I promise, but right now this is a great stop gap!)

So, what's in the programme?

• 155 page manual that contains 5 Months of top notch kettlebell fat loss programs

• Kettlebell Exercise description Appendix contains photographs and descriptions of every single exercise in all of the workouts.

• Special inside the manual bonus video links, showing you sequence and optimum technique for the Big Iron Burn portion of the manual.

• 4 Week 'Start from Ground Zero Training Plan'... that will allow the inexperience kettlebell user to start down the path to becomes a fat losing sensation, by starting with this simple and easy 4 week plan and progressing into the other 17 weeks of training.

You’ll Also Discover ...

• A really Simple and Easy technique used by Olympic Athletes who need results fast!

• The Kettlebell secret which works out your entire body... so you can burn fat faster than you believed possible!

• The Amazing Secret of one of the world’s healthy, fittest and respected men and exactly what exercise he recommends HINT: This may surprise you!

• How to Not only burn fat but start to develop a lean hard body using this long forgotten Russian secret

• The 5 Things you absolutely must do before you start using Kettlebells if you want to burn fat.

• Two things that you need to do if you want to become athletic... forget these and you don’t stand a chance!

• 7 Things which will absolutely murder your chances at losing weight... and how to overcome them

• Why using Kettlebells can give you a body that will rival the bodies of celebrities: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Kim Basinger, Caroline Radway (ha, only joking!) it's true they are all kettlebell users!

• How to use ‘Smoking’ to burn fat (This isn’t what you think!)

He's running a trial offer of $7.97 so you can 'try before you buy', and of course he offers a rock solid money back guarantee anyway so there's no risk on you. So what are you waiting for?! Click the link below to find out more...

MELTDOWN KETTLEBELL TRAINING

Muscle In a Month - Why?

Dax Moy has created a beast of a programme called 'Muscle in a Month' that he has been using on his famous actors & actresses (and himself) with great success for a while. However, as they don't want to be used for 'before' and 'after' pics he's asked me and several fellow trainers to be guinea pigs so he can get some evidence about its amazing transformational ability!

Just what have I got myself into?!

We are all following the Elimination Diet (a copy of which comes with my KettleBelleBody programme: those who did really well on my 30 Day Challenge were using it in addition to their training, as it ensures you are fuelling your body with the quality it needs to perform the workouts to the best of your ability and thus get the best results).

Each night Dax posts the workout for the next day - and we have to train hard and heavy every single day for the full 28 days - no days off at all! These workouts are brutal and we are only on Day 4... The workouts are top secret, but they are harsh!

We've all got blogs about the programme as we have to take pics and measurements every single day, which is horrendous, as well as a bit of a pain, but will be well worth it when we see the effect of the training in more detail than the usual 'before' and 'after' pics can ever show.

You can check out my dedicated blog (the first time I have ever posted 'before' pics - last time I took them I chickened out completely when it came to putting them on the web, but with this its all part of the challenge so we have to!): http://carolinesmuscleinamonthexperience.blogspot.com. I've linked to all the other guys so you can see what they are up to by following the links on the right hand side.

One of the great things is knowing that when I'm going through hell in a workout, all the others are going through the same! It's got a similar feel to the KettleBelleBody challenges, where we are all supporting each other through it, which means we get even better results.

A support network is so important to your success, if you haven't joined Mission Slim-Possible yet then you really should - you don't have to be doing the challenge and it is a really great place to share workout advice and challenges. You can also see how the current 'Love Your Body' Challengers are doing - with just over 1 week to go!

Check it out: http://www.missionslim-possible.ning.com

Panic Over - KettleBelleBody Site is Back!

Panic over - my site went down on Saturday night which has been a complete disaster, but you will be pleased to know it is back (well I sure am pleased!).

So, if you had problems accessing www.kettlebellebody.com for the past few days, please accept my apologies - all now is up and running!