.png){kind=logo}
Do you want the perfect body with amazing muscle tone, flat abs and a firm butt?
Here's How... Complete my workout every day and eat 1500 calories a day.
Have you been seeing messages like this more and more? I see so many programs and diet books that promise you insane changes simply by proposing a one-size-fits-all program.
Thanks to those messages, I have clients showing up in my office who are frustrated that they can’t seem to lose the weight despite intense workouts and restrictive dieting.
I’m doing everything right!
The most common complaint I hear from new clients is: "I'm doing everything right and nothing's changing. I just don't know what to do anymore." They've done low-carb diets, low-fat or vegan diets, Weight Watchers, daily spin and HIIT classes until they couldn’t go on anymore. They’ve gone to the latest dance classes created by trainers to the stars and... NOTHING. No change. Nothing. Of course it's frustrating when you put in so much time, effort, money and energy into a goal and then don't get even half of what you were promised. It’s no surprise they want to say "screw this" and go back to doing nothing, because what's the point anyways…?
Exercise is NOT the key to fat loss
Last year a woman showed up in my class and told me she needed to lose the 10 lbs she had gained over the previous month. When I asked her how she put on the weight, she told me about her sudden 15-hour work days and that she tried to ‘de-stress’ by spinning 5 days a week. Before she knew it, she had gained 10 lbs in a month.
How is that possible? Working out is supposed to make you feel LESS stressed, no...?
Another woman had gained 20 lbs in three months. She was putting on weight around the midsection due to peri-menopause and then decided to start running training towards a half-marathon to lose the weight. As she started her running program, her work got intensely busy, she slept 5 hours a night, and she suddenly wanted to eat nothing but sugar and starches. Around that time she started to feel more exhausted, slept terribly, had terrible gas and bloating and woke up between 1 and 3 am every night. Her appetite became uncontrollable, her cravings for sugar overbearing..
But, isn't running supposed to make you LOSE weight....?
Another client was a new mom. She was breastfeeding and as soon as the 6-week healing period had ended, she had thrown herself into an intense workout routine of 5 HIIT classes a week. She was sleep-deprived, exhausted and overwhelmed due to the new routine. She felt depressed, cranky, ravenous, bloated and was gaining weight, not losing any.
But, isn’t breast-feeding supposed to help with weight loss…?
All three clients thought they were doing the right thing. They exercised more and ate less, but as a result they all fared worse and gained weight. It made no sense to them.
Here’s what they did...
They all implemented the model called “Exercise More & Eat Less”, which is the #1 recommendation you’ll hear from your doctor, trainer, and nutritionist.
If you show up at a fitness studio and announce you want to lose weight, they’ll tell you to show up daily, of course. Not just because they earn the more often you show up, but also because many don’t know the underlying issues that stop people from seeing results.
What these clients didn’t know was this key issue: All three women were in states of metabolic stress. The dieting and intense exercise made that stress worse and as a result, their bodies fought them hard by producing stress hormones that promote fat storage.
Even worse, the ongoing stress lead to a breakdown of various systems in their bodies: thyroid, digestion, brain/mood, endocrine/hormone and made them feel and look worse.
The right workout for your metabolic stress level: Unfortunately, the wrong workout can make it harder to lose weight, not easier. The wrong workout can make you insanely hungry and kick up your sugar cravings so much that you end up eating what you worked off, plus some. The wrong workout can disrupt your hormones to the point where you gain weight and start to feel terrible. For example, if you've been scraping by on 5 hours of sleep, dealing with intense work stress and have been hitting daily boot camp classes while eating a low-carb diet, your body will be running on adrenaline. Why? The female body is more stress sensitive and will do what it can to preserve fertility. Hence, it will make you incredibly hungry and carb crazy and signal your body to retain body fat.
So, what’s the fix, you ask?
Coming up with the ideal program for your body has to start with an assessment of your current stress level. I’m not talking about work stress or the stress of an argument. I’m talking about the type of stress that’s ongoing and lingering and starting to affect your entire body.
Any change from the norm creates stress to your nervous system. For example, being a new mom, going through menopause, dealing with long work hours for weeks and months, cutting calories, exercising intensely all create a certain level of stress.
When your sympathetic nervous system gets activated (fight-or-flight), you start to produce adrenaline and cortisol. Both are stress hormones that also increase your insulin, which is a fat storage hormone. So, if you overdo dieting and exercise and already have a stressful lifestyle or are in a metabolically stressful state (menopause, breastfeeding, new mom, if you’re in the week before or of your period…), the stress hormones will create a fat storage response, not fat loss.
If you’re having a hard time losing body fat despite eating well and exercising regularly, then do the following:
Assess your current metabolic stress level: Check off whether you’ve experienced the following:
Regular sleep disruption (especially around 3am)
Feeling wired but tired
Intense sugar and carb cravings
Feeling bloated and puffy
Weight gain in areas you used to not gain weight (back of arms, upper back, lower back, belly fat)
Thyroid dysfunction
Excessive urination
Digestive issues (bad gas, diarrhea/constipation)
Food allergies
Anxiety/depression (for no good reason)
Feeling exhausted all the time
Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
Achy joints, especially in the morning
Are you:
New mom
Breast feeding
Peri-menopausal
Menopausal
Post-menopausal
Traveling frequently, especially through various time zones
Shift worker
A recovering exercise addict or eating disordered
If you fall into the above categories, you need to follow a different approach than the average 20-year old, who will likely see great results with your one-size-fits-all Kayla Itsines Workout. You want to match your workout to your hormonal state and adjust your diet accordingly. Your #1 goal is to restore a healthy nervous system and make your body feel and believe it is in a relaxed state, not in a stressed state. That changes your entire hormonal state and will then allow you to make lasting changes through diet and exercise.
My Philosophy
I recognize that my approach is at the polar opposite end of what you hear. The sad part is that this information is not taught to trainers or even Nutritionists, so it is my goal to make you understand what your body needs, so you can manage your own metabolism and can finally achieve your goals on your own.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
Back to the three ladies who were struggling with their bodies.
All three were missing what fat loss was about. They thought it was all about calories. I’m so glad they decided to participate in my Online Slim & Strong program and were able to see impressive changes in only 6 weeks.
HERE'S WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY...
Success story of a menopausal woman: “When I started menopause, I thought my body was failing me. I gained a huge belly pouch, started to feel exhausted all the time and my sleep was erratic. Once I started the training program, all I wanted to eat was candy, pastries and bagels. I was like a bottomless pit. I was feeling worse and worse and finally couldn’t take it any longer. I needed to change course before my mental health suffered too. Ariane, I can’t thank you enough for putting together such a comprehensive program. I learned about how to work with my low estrogen and progesterone and started to eat differently. I’m now 15 lbs down and see my arm and shoulder muscles. I am spending 20 minutes a day exercising, thanks to your seriously intense workout videos and I’m loving how it makes me feel. I have so much more time on my hands because I know exactly what to do. Thanks a million times!”
Success story of a new mom: “As a new mom I put myself under so much pressure to get my body back instantly. I was so exhausted from the sleepless nights, the breastfeeding and being back to work and yet I signed up for a workout program that required 5 classes a week. It was insane. I felt worse and could not control my appetite. Every night after my baby went to sleep I would dive into cartons of ice cream and cookies and even though I worked out so much, my body wasn’t letting go of the body fat from pregnancy. Within 2 weeks of starting Online Slim & Strong it all changed. I started to feel more relaxed, slept better, my appetite normalized and I noticed that my milk supply improved. I exercise every day for 10-15 minutes and it’s enough to help me see my body change. It makes me feel so in charge and I don’t have to obsess or lose my mind over it.
I’m so glad I did your program during a time when I was struggling to be supermom and I learned that I don’t have to do much to see my pre-pregnancy body return because I now know the most effective nutrition changes I can take. The best news is that I was able to get my old body back in only 3 months after delivering my baby and with only 2 hours of working out a week!”
Success story of a former Type A Superwoman: “When you told me I was overdoing the exercise I thought you were crazy. How can exercise make you gain weight? Well, little did I know that everything I was doing was making me gain weight, not lose fat. I could have saved myself a lot of time, money and energy had I known these things years ago. You taught us about so many issues that I had never heard about: How to work with my menstrual cycle to create fat loss. How to adjust my nutrition every day based on what’s going on. How to stop the food obsession and how to dine out without fear. How to stop beating myself up for cheating and how to stop being so tough on myself. I can honestly say that this has been a life-changing program for me. I can finally understand where my struggles came from and now I feel so well equipped to handle anything that comes my way!”
“Ariane, I can't thank you enough for the gift of self acceptance that Slim and Strong Online has given me. I finally and truly understand how to take care of myself through nutrition and I finally believe-- through my own results-- that exercise does not have to be exhausting and stressful to be productive. I feel (and look) like a new person. Looking forward to what's next from you. With sincere thanks and a grateful heart.”
Join Slim & Strong and start the work towards your happy self!
You may think about the cost of the program and hesitate, but consider the cost of still being in the same place a year from now...