ShareThe Exact Steps That Helped Me Lose 35 pounds in 6 months (and keep it off!)
When I tell people I’m a personal trainer, they often assume I’ve always been in rocking shape with lean, sculpted body. And that I’ve never struggled with my weight or body image.
Believe it or not: this is so NOT true.
You see, my weight has yo-yo’ed for most of my life. I failed time and time again. I didn’t think I had enough discipline to succeed. I was program hopping and couldn’t focus. Tried all kinds of insane low carbs diets.
When I moved to San Francisco in late 2015, I weighed myself one morning and the scales glared at me:
170.3lbs.
Honesty, I thought they were broken. I couldn’t possibly weigh that much. No way. So I changed the batteries, waited a day and tried again. Same story.
I was super embarrassed. And it was no wonder my jeans didn’t fit anymore.
That was my tipping point.
So in the last two years, I’ve had a major breakthrough in my physical appearance. I successfully lost over 35 pounds, dropped 3.7% body fat and sculpted awesome abs in less than 6 months. Then…
Most importantly, I’ve maintained this newfound leanness for more than 2 years WITHOUT counting calories, starving, depriving myself, or working out like a mad woman every day.
In just a sec, you’ll discover the 5-step plan I used to lose the weight and keep it off (which is half the battle)
Plus… the exact program that helped me get visibly defined abs for the first time in my life at age 32!
Now this is embarrassing to admit. But even though I’ve always been into fitness and working as a personal trainer for over a decade, I never thought it was possible for me to get abs like this.
Not only have I struggled with body image issues (which I know is the case for most women), but it seriously affected my self esteem, self worth and confidence.
My weight yo-yoed and my metabolism was all over the place.
Until I made this discovery and transformed my life…
Exact Steps That Helped Me Lose 35 pounds in 6 months (and keep it off!)
Here’s EXACTLY what I did that helped me keep off 31 pounds.
(and this is what I teach all my private clients here in SF. And the ones who follow this to a T? They get ALL get awesome, lasting results.)
Step 1: Go grocery shopping once a week
It might seem simple – and even unbelievable – however grocery shopping is the #1 key to keeping the weight off.
Don’t laugh, but I hardly ever did grocery shopping when I lived in NYC or LA. Or even in Sydney. I lived on protein bars (Quest Bars were previously my fave) and caffeinated beverages. And yes, that’s not healthy or something I’m proud of.
And since splitting up with my ex and moving into my own place here in SF, I’ve figured out how to make the healthiest, tastiest meals in half the time.
Plus I’ve developed my own strategy to win at grocery shopping, so you can get in, get out and feel in control of your weight loss.
I call this strategy “power shopping”.
Here’s why:
If you walk into any store, you already know there’s a LOT of temptations inside. Chocolate, ice cream, and junk food you can think of. You name it. You can find it in the store in America. Plus, even if that stuff doesn’t tempt you anymore. There are “healthy” temptations, like the protein bars and other new healthy snacks. No one can escape! Lol.
So before you got to the store. Write your list. Or even better – memorize it!
After all, the less decsions you make IN the grocery store – the more successful you will be.
Then every trip to the store builds your willpower. You come out a winner!
Now here the best part….
With practice, power shopping will become automatic. Meaning when you do this on a regular basis, you won’t need to think about it anymore.
How do I know?
It’s exactly what happened to me.
Same deal with my clients.
The more often you do this, the stronger you become. Trust me, it makes it much easier to get skip eating desserts if they are not in your house. And you feel more in control when YOU are the one saying no thank you.
Once you have all the healthy deliciousness in the house, you still have a few things to do to make it happen. (this isn’t a magic quick fix, after all)
But look.
Bottom line is this: if you don’t take this first step and get the good foods in your house, you’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.
So please.
Go to the shop and do your grocery shopping.
Note: one of my previous quick fixes for eating healthy was ordering groceries online and having them delivered to my apartment. Or getting a food delivery service to prepare my meals.
Honestly, I don’t like this approach. And I think it’s more effective for teaching healthy eating habits to actually learn how to cook healthy food.
Step 2: Meal Prep
Let me be honest with you here.
My first attempt at meal prepping was far from pretty. Think burning kitchen, and not-so-tasty turkey chilli.
(and who knows if it’s actually any better now LOL!)
But like anything in life – practice makes for progress – and in this case, KV can now make tasty meals that are actually edible. Yay!
To help in this process of learning how to meal prep like a ninja…
First. Think about the reason WHY you are prepping your meals in advance.
For me, there are 3 reasons:
- It saves time! So when I come home late from the gym, I have healthy food waiting for me in the fridge. It stops me from grabbing take away or being tempted by the awesome restaurants in SF.
- It eliminates decision fatigue, meaning I don’t spend energy thinking about what to eat. I’ve already pre-thought about it. But it’s not so rigid. Like I don’t count calories or macros. I just eat until I’m full. Then stop. And eat when I get truly hungry again. Sometimes I drink wine too. 
- I feel better! I know exactly what’s in my food, and it gives me the nutrients and energy I need to wake up and kick butt everyday!
So have I convinced you to do meal prep yet?
Step 3: Move Every Day
A lot of people ask…
“Do you workout every day?” or better yet…
“You must be going to the gym for 2 hours every day to have a body like that!”
Well… both are not true.
In fact, I only hit the gym 3-4 times a week. And another 1-2 days I do 10-20 minutes of bodyweight HIIT.
Some days, I do nothing. Or go hiking. Or just simple do 5-10 minutes of my pretend yoga exercises to get my body moving so I feel better.
But my body started transforming when I started strength training consistently, doing more bodyweight strength and HIIT workouts.
Here’s how it started:
(1) BW HIIT Challenge – 10 minutes every day for 21 days.
Get all the details HERE
(2) Ab Sculpt and Slim Program – 9 minute ab targeted workouts
Click HERE to check out the details
Once I shed the extra weight I could focus on sculpting muscle.
Step 4: Did Pull Ups and the OMG Arms Program
In the long term, you can’t burn a ton of fat and sculpt muscle at the same time – only in the first month where there is a “window of opportunity” where your body is super sensitive to change and can shift the extra calories of body fat into your muscles to support muscle growth.
Now truth be told: It took almost a year to get really good at pull ups, to the point where I could do 5 with full range of motion. And I was practicing every week.
So here’s how I did it:
==> OMG Arms Program
Building the right amount of muscle in the RIGHT places is extremely important.
That’s why I like bodyweight exercises.
Especially at the start of a program, to build a strong foundation. And make sure you’re doing the moves with the correct form, so you don’t bust your shoulder or back or neck.
Also, bodyweight exercises like pull ups and push ups force you to use your core muscles. So you’re hitting multiple muscle groups at the same time, which gets you faster results.
(Pull ups are my fave, in case you didn’t notice.)
Next. The 5th and final step.
And I’ve save THE most important one for last…
Step #5: BE CONSISTENT
You’ve heard this time and time again… be consistent… consistency equals results. Blah blah blah.
But you’re probably wondering – how can you be consistent when life is hectic?
Here’s a few ideas:
1) Be aware of the areas in your life where you’re not consistent with right now.
Is it your workout schedule? Your meals at work?
Pick the biggest issue that by changing will have the most impact. And focus on that entirely.
2) Have your systems in place to reduce your reliance on willpower.
If food it the problem, no trigger foods in the house. Because by the end of the day, your willpower is gone.
That’s why night eating is such a struggle for so many people.
To overcome it, you need to have your system in place to avoid making decisions. Or even thinking to much about food. How many times have you come home from a long day of work to find zero food in the fridge, then you end up ordering whatever you feel like in the moment? (which, let’s be honest, is not the healthiest of options). I know I have. And it’s a vicious cycle. Which is why I suggest you go back to Step 1 and nail that first.
If it’s your workouts, get it done first thing in the morning. And treat your scheduled workout like you would any other important appointment.
It’s about strategizing to make better decisions in the moment. Plus getting the support and accountability you need.
That’s why it’s essential to hire a pro coach…
…someone who can help you strategize with you and solve problems as they come up. Someone who can give you clarity with a step-by-step plan, set a realistic, achievable goal and provide accountability so you get you results you want.
Someone just like KV
Good news is… I’m opening up another spot for a coaching client. It’s not for everyone and it’s definitely not cheap. If you’re interested, then fill out this application and I’ll review it to see if you’re a good fit.
==> Apply for Private Coaching with KV (ONE spot open)
Your Coach and Friend,
Kate Vidulich
