The Badass Body Diet: The Breakthrough Diet and Workout for a Tight Booty, Sexy Abs, and Lean Legs (5 page)

GOOD-BYE, SAG!

There’s one thing that will mess up your butt: yo-yo dieting. It can cause your ass to sag, and we don’t want droop if we can help it. If you constantly go on and off diets, you’ll stretch out and weaken two key protein fibers in your skin: collagen and elastin, both of which make the skin in your butt, and elsewhere, nice and firm. If you keep losing and regaining the same 10 or 20 pounds or more, your butt will sag. It’s kind of like washing and stretching out a sweater; eventually the garment wears out. So it is with your butt. Constant dieting worsens the sag, and so does lack of exercise, because those protein fibers endure more stress and consequently break down faster. Your butt goes south.

The Badass plan is one you can embrace for life, because it’s flexible and gives you dietary options, depending on where you are in your fitness journey. You can kiss yo-yo dieting good-bye, and keep your ass gorgeous and firm.

BOOHOO! BOOTY FAT AND CELLULITE GO TOGETHER

My friends envy my cellulite-free legs and butt. They’re always telling me how lucky I am, but I tell them: “It’s not luck, because there’s plenty of cellulite in my family tree.”

I’m certain the reason I don’t have cellulite is that I take care of myself to make sure I stay cellulite free. I believe in the old saying
You are what you eat,
and I know my diet is crucial. I’ve been a clean eater for years, but with deserved cheat meals. That means no processed foods, no junk food. They take longer to digest and clog up your system; this mess creates cellulite. I don’t smoke, either; anything that can impede your blood circulation (such as tobacco) needs to be banned from your lifestyle. And I drink loads of water to flush out my system. Keeping myself hydrated gives me loads of energy too.

Three factors create cellulite: excess body fat, sluggish circulation, and water retention. These factors cause the connective tissue beneath your skin to weaken and collapse. When this happens, fat pushes against your skin, forming dimples. About 90 percent of women have cellulite, especially if we have fat fannies. Sure, every woman who has cellulite hates it. I have yet to meet a woman who wanted more!

If nothing is done about cellulite, skin begins to lose its elasticity and the bulges become more visible. The lymphatic system, which collects and filters damaged cells, bacteria, and viruses, also plays a role. Under normal conditions, it drains fluid from your tissues. Cellulite, with its trapped fat and weakened tissue, can block this drainage, triggering swelling and thus worsening cellulite.

The “miracle cure” is simple: clean eating, with the right balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, along with strength training. There is no other cure—no massage, no cream, no oil, no hope in a jar. If there were one, believe me, I would have found it and told all my clients about it!

Strength training, in particular, develops muscle that helps iron out the appearance of cellulite. Unless you do this form of exercise, your gluteal muscles will stay weak and flaccid. Fat will rest on top of that muscle and produce the lumpy look that we all detest!

Believe me, cellulite does go away. I’ve seen this happen with the women I train: when they exercise and clean up their diets, it all disappears.

SEE YA, CELLULITE . . . HELLO, PLEASURE!

Ready to make this all happen? Grab your booty shorts, and let’s get prepared for the journey.

My PREP Strategy for Success

I’VE SEEN HUNDREDS OF
my clients lose lots of pounds and be successful when they start the program with a strategy that I’m about to share with you.

I call it the PREP Strategy. PREP is an acronym for Photograph (your body), Rate (your weight), Evaluate (your body composition), and Police (your portions). It helps you set benchmarks to evaluate your progress, and see if you’re zeroing in on your goals. And it helps you stay the course should your resolve ever start to slip. Use this strategy, and you’ll find yourself piling up small successes left and right.

I know you’re ready . . . so let’s begin.

PHOTOGRAPH YOURSELF

Take several “before” pictures of your whole body and include a “belfie” (butt selfie) the day before you start the program. Do it from different angles—front, side, and back. Ideally, you should wear a two-piece bathing suit if you have one, and take the pictures against a plain background or white wall. If you don’t want anyone to see you in a bathing suit, set your camera on a tripod and snap away. Or have a family member or trusted friend click the photos.

I know you probably don’t want to do this and would rather wait until you’re more “fit,” but when you see the changes in your body later, you’ll wish you had taken those initial photos. Go ahead and trust me on this. Take the photos and store them away! No one but you has to see these pix.

These pictures are crucial for your success. That’s because one of the greatest ways to stay the course is to be able to see your progress—progress that can’t be disputed.

When I look back over the last couple of years at my clients who have had the most extreme results, they all took “before” photographs.

RATE YOUR WEIGHT

Most of my clients hate the scales. Just the sight of them makes them break out in a sweat. Those numbers can dictate their moods for the rest of day. Down good; up bad. Down healthy; up, they feel like a slob. I get that, and I’m not a big fan of weighing oneself on scales, either. However, I do think it’s important to at least know your weight before you begin. It helps you benchmark your progress going forward. If you decide to weigh yourself regularly, do it just once a week.

But don’t be beholden to the numbers on the scale or obsessed with them. Your weight can fluctuate based on fluid retention, constipation, sodium intake, last night’s dinner, and other factors that have nothing to do with fat gain.

So before you begin, check your starting weight. Do it in the morning, without clothes. Make a note of that weight, perhaps in a journal.

The following chart gives target weight ranges for women in various age and height groups. Find the ideal range for you. Use that number as the weight-loss goal you’ll aim for.

Okay, if you hate the scale like I do, you don’t even have to go near it. Just monitor your progress in other ways, such as how your clothes fit or how you look in the mirror in the buff. Both will soon tell a fabulously positive story. Then keep doing the right things and trust that you’ll get the right results.

Source: Gerontology Research Center, National Institutes of Health

ARE YOU LIVING A BADASS LIFESTYLE?

Take this quiz and learn how you can improve your health and your life as you go through the Badass plan. Read through the multiple choice questions, then circle the letter that best fits your response. Be truthful!

1. Generally, how much shut-eye do you average each night?

A. Less than six hours

B. Six to eight hours

C. More than eight hours

2. When did you get your last medical checkups?

A. Within the last year

B. Within last two years

C. I can’t remember

3. How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat daily?

A. Two to four

B. Hardly any

C. Five or more

4. How much pure water do you drink each day?

A. Eight glasses or more

B. Four to seven glasses

C. Three or fewer glasses

5. How much exercise do you get each week?

A. Seven or more hours

B. Four to six hours

C. Three or fewer hours

6. How much protein do you eat at meals?

A. Once a day

B. At every meal

C. Several times a week at best

7. How many alcoholic beverages do you drink in a typical week?

A. None, one, or two

B. Three to six

C. Seven or more

8. What is your body fat percentage?

A. Under 20 percent

B. Between 20 and 30 percent

C. Over 30 percent

9. How would you rate your stress level?

A. Moderate

B. Constant

C. I am rarely stressed; I know how to manage it

10. You avoid excess sugar:

A. Most of the time

B. Sometimes

C. Rarely

11. Smoking

A. Trying to quit

B. Never

C. A pack or more daily

12. You have a stable sex partner (or are celibate).

A. Very true

B. Somewhat true

C. I tend to have multiple partners

13. How often do you use illicit drugs?

A. Never

B. Rarely

C. Weekly or more

14. How do you feel about your occupation or what you do for a living?

A. Moderately happy and fulfilled

B. Very happy and fulfilled

C. Unhappy

15. I make time in my schedule for fun, leisure activities, and/or relaxation:

A. Rarely

B. Sometimes

C. Always

1. The best answer is C. Eight to ten hours a night is optimum, though not always practical if you have a busy schedule. At least try to shoot for nine—the sweet spot of sleep. Getting less than six hours of sleep has been linked to weight gain.

2. The best answer is A. Annual checkups, plus regular dental care, are a must. An annual physical can detect any problems when they’re still treatable. Regular dental care and teeth cleaning prevent gum disease, which is nasty. Bad bacteria can head to the heart and cause major problems. So floss daily and get twice-yearly teeth cleanings (or at least yearly).

3. The best answer is C. If you eat balanced fruits and vegetables daily, the stronger your resistance to disease, the more efficient your digestion, and the more control you have over your weight. Always pair servings of fruit or vegetables with a protein and a fat. This combo keeps blood sugar steady, hunger at bay, and your fat-burning mechanisms activated.

4. The best answer is A. Most scientific evidence still backs the recommendation of 2 quarts a day. The minimum limit increases when you engage in strenuous exercise or physical exertion. Also, tea, alcohol, juices, and other flavored beverages don’t count—water is what you need. A quick tip is to divide your body weight in half. The number equates to the minimum ounces of water you should drink daily. For example, if you weigh 140, you need 70 ounces of water a day, or roughly nine 8-ounce glasses. The science on hydration is pretty clear: The more water you drink, the greater your weight loss. I carry a favorite water bottle with me at all times, which helps me drink more water through the day. I have a goal of refilling it five times a day so I know I have had enough water.

5. The best answer is A. I can’t say enough good stuff about exercise. It’s a miracle worker for a great body, lasting weight control, energy, sexual vitality, great health, and longevity. Don’t think you need hours and hours of exercise, either. You need quality over quantity. An eight-minute workout that’s focused and intense is more effective than an hour workout done too lightly or haphazardly. Diversify your workouts, too, with different programs; boot camp, running, yoga, and so forth. Whatever you do, have fun. The more fun you’re having, the better it is for you!

6. The best answer is B. Most people don’t eat enough protein. Protein helps build muscles and burn fat. It tames your hunger and keeps you feeling full, especially when you eat it in combination with carbohydrates and fat.

7. The best answer is A. You’ve probably heard that drinking some wine a few times a week is good for your heart and circulation. True, but it’s also associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Too much alcohol through the week will also make it hard for you to lose body fat, especially that stubborn cellulite. You have to weigh the pros and cons.