What DIDN'T Work

Before I get into exactly what did work for fat loss, I think it's important to understand what wasn't working for me (and I'm guessing other people as well).

My last failed attempt to lose body fat included the following exercise regimen (yes, this was all at once):

• working with a trainer for an hour twice a week
• doing 5-6 days of intense cardio (45-60+ mins)
• taking a one-hour Spinning class once a week
• two Pilates classes a week
• some additional weight training on my own

...all while working my desk job 50+ hrs a week and taking MBA classes. I'm exhausted just listing it all! And, after all of that hard work, I still looked in the mirror and didn't see what I wanted. I was so frustrated. How could a person put in so much effort and get little to no result?! What I was doing was inefficient and just plain overload for my body and mind. I couldn't keep it up. What really changed my perspective about my exercise routine was a free report called "The Dark Side of Cardio" and the 5 Fat Loss Myths. It's free when you visit the TT site. It's a must read for any over-worked cardio addicts out there!
Click HERE to access Turbulence Training

During that time, I was also trying to eat only 1,200-1,300 calories a day. I was hungry and cranky and would binge out of pure deprivation on the weekends. I've been “dieting” (hate that word) pretty consistently for about 5 years now. I’ve tried everything: Atkins, South Beach, Three-Hour Diet, The Abs Diet, Bally Total Nutrition, etc. There has been so much trial and error, that playing with my diet has become this strange hobby! The biggest problem with most of these diets was the main components involved some kind of deprivation or strict schedule. It just didn't fit into every day life and was hard to keep up over a long period of time. I would see some result and then eventually gain the weight back (and then some). Sound familiar?

During that time, not being able to do it all (insane amounts of cardio and low calories) and shed body fat was even starting to effect my self-esteem. After a while I just kind of gave up…well, gave up that ridiculous lifestyle, but not the quest for the perfect way to burn fat and keep my sanity.