Surround Yourself With Winners And Be a Winner
Jill Pironti made one of the top 10 best women's body transformations in season 9 of the Burn the Fat Challenge, shedding nearly 30 pounds, while adding shapely new muscle all over her physique... a continuation of the amazing progress she had already made...
Jill confessed that before the Burn the Fat challenge, she had allowed the negativity of others to drag her down. She realized that the only way she was going to gain control was to focus on herself.
Focusing on herself didn't mean she wouldn't take care of the important people in her life, which as a wife and mother, was a high priority. She simply meant she was no longer going to let the negative comments of others drain away her energy any longer.
Knowing in advance the challenge was coming up, Jill got focused and psyched-up with a pre-contest preparation period. She re-read and more closely followed Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle and made up her mind that this challenge wasn't going to be a short term fix; she was committed to making a permanent lifestyle change.
Some of her secret weapons this year included the tools and information in the Mind and Motivation department at the Burn the Fat Inner Circle. For support, she began by reconnecting with many of the amazing people in the Inner Circle. "Don't be an island," Jill said. "Embrace the good people in your life; and if you can't find any, the Inner Circle is a great place to find some real winners!"
Jill was a few ounces shy of losing 30 pounds during the 98-day season 9 Burn the Fat Challenge. She also lost half of her body fat - going from 29.2% to 14.3% - and a full 5 inches off her waist. That was just one short-term goal. Even more amazing, is how far Jill has come since she started.
Previously she had been getting some resistance training with body weight workouts. From reading Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, she knew that this type of training was a vitally important element for achieving an ideal body composition and transforming her body shape, as opposed to just losing weight on the scale.
And wow, does it ever show! Jill got SOLID this time around - look at those biceps! (She did it on a mostly plant-based diet too!)
After the contest, we caught up with Jill to pick her brain about her best transformation strategies. We asked her, "When you think back to the 98-day Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle body transformation challenge, what were the most effective strategies you used that helped you get such amazing results, in these areas: mindset and motivation, food and nutrition and training."
1. Mindset and Motivation
I made up my mind in January how I wanted this year to go. I planned to follow Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle and run. I also decided that it was time for me to gain control of both my internal & external worlds.
I put my foot down and decided "2013 would be MY year." I accepted that focusing on myself - MY health and MY happiness - did not mean that I wouldn't be taking care of the important people in my life. What it meant was, I was going to take care of myself & not let the negative's in life drain away my energy and health!
I created and kept a very clear mental image in my mind of how I wanted to look and how I wanted to feel, and I listened to daily affirmations on mp3. I reconnected with the amazing people in the Inner Circle and I connected with more supportive and more positive people out in the real world by doing things like: working out with a running partner in the summer and training for - and participating in - obstacle courses and running races with family.
I used the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Challenge as an extra motivator. It was a fun way to combat some of the awkward social moments of the summer that relate to fun foods and drinks. Basically, I told people about the challenge and my desire to win the grand prize trip to Hawaii. The idea of sacrificing a piece of cake that would be gone in a heartbeat for the possibility of a free trip to Hawaii was readily accepted by everyone I told about the contest.
My mantra was, "I will have some (whatever treat it was) in Hawaii - the (whatever treat it was) tasted much better in Hawaii!"
Toward the end of the challenge, there were a few people who said things like, "I hope you aren't losing any more weight; you're getting too skinny." They did not bother me, because I have spent the year with that clear mental image of what I want my body to look like and I know that it is not there yet. I did not set a time limit on achieving the vision in my mind and I am still progressing toward that goal!
2. Food and Nutrition
I can't stress this enough: Tracking, tracking, tracking! If I do not track my food - physically log the calorie and nutrition data somewhere - I do NOT succeed with my body re-composition goals, period.
Additionally, I took a fairly big detour for this Summer Challenge. Modeling my nutrition after a successful former champion, I nearly eliminated dairy from my diet for the entire summer. As a vegetarian, this created a pretty sizable protein challenge for me, so I embraced a new friend - beans. Black beans, Cannellini beans and Garbanzo beans!
I also learned how to cook up Quinoa for both a breakfast food and a lunch / dinner food. It made a great staple in the fridge because it was versatile and healthy. Since I am not exactly sure what impact the dairy restriction had on my results, I'm consuming dairy again right now, but planning another dairy restriction phase soon so I can take note of any changes / benefits.
I also opted not to drink alcohol for the majority of the summer challenge after reading an article by Tom about your body not being able to process alcohol and fat at the same time. I can only remember two or three occasions over the summer where I made a conscious decision to process the alcohol and not the fat.
3. Training
I ran, walked and jogged for a large portion of my cardio. I also utilized my recumbent stationary bike while posting to the Inner Circle and doing other recreational computer activities. I completed my first half marathon toward the end of the Summer Challenge and a few obstacle course races too. The training fit together nicely! I'll be honest - I struggled with the weight training, and still do. The majority of my strength training was completed in the form of body weight exercises. I did lift weights and I did improve at lifting weights, but I feel like haven't "got it" yet with respect to serious weight training. I haven't had that moment yet where I feel completely comfortable in the free weight section of the gym. But give me time. I still plan to get there!
I didn't have the same struggle with cardio, and though I completely enjoy the benefits that come from strength training - I love feeling strong - it seems a constant internal battle for me to do the work that gets me big results. I recently decided that when the I'm going to set up a plan and embrace "TNB Training" (The New Body workout) from the new hardcover version of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle for a specific time period. I'll work that program diligently and with the determination that I have put into everything else I have achieved this year. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes! 4. Other Tips and Advice Some final tips: Don't be an island! Embrace Good People! The Inner Circle is a great place to start. Then, if you can, take your friendship and your positive attitude to the rest of your world! Sure, I met my share of people who wanted to rain on my parade, but mostly, I shared my journey with my family, friends and co-workers and I was aptly rewarded with their support and encouragement. Also, try to project a positive attitude whenever you can. I believe this is extremely helpful. It's always easier to point out what is wrong, what doesn't work, what is so bad in life. It's more much challenging to find a positive in every situation and share it freely. But the happiness from a positive attitude is contagious... why not catch it! CLICK HERE To visit Jill's contest journal. CLICK HERE To discuss this article in the Burn the Fat Inner Circle forums
You could be the next Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM) success story - or even Burn the Fat Challenge Transformation contest champion... If you follow the same success strategies that our winners did...
Each of our champions had their own unique approach, but there are 5 success strategies they ALL had in common, and we can give you 4 of them!
1. Proven Program. All of our champions used the success principles and elements from Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM) - most importantly, they were using strategies for improving body composition - that means fat loss, not just weight loss.
2. Positive Association/ Support. All of our champions participated in a support forum using the power of association with like minded people
3. Accountability System. All of our champions used an accountability system - they "kept score" by measuring and tracking everything they wanted to improve, and then posting the results for others to see.
4. Rewards/External Motivation. All of our champions achieved their transformation during one of our official Burn the Fat body transformation challenge competitions and the prizes/rewards were pretty "juicy."
5. Hard Work. All of our champions worked their butts off. No "magic pills" here. As Thomas Edison once said, "There is no substitute for hard work." None.
If you will provide the hard work, we'll provide the rest. If you're not a current member of the Burnn the Fat Inner Circle family yet, we invite you to become a part of our growing community.
make YOUR body transformation a reality!
Click on the links below to learn more about Inner Circle membership... and we look forward to meeting you on the members-only forums... and maybe even seeing you at the next Burn The Fat Challenge!
Not a full member yet? CLICK HERE to learn more about the Inner Circle
CLICK HERE to join the inner circle today
CLICK HERE for BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE - The official program of the Burn The Fat Challenge
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