"How I Lost 52 Pounds of Fat, Gained 8 Pounds of Muscle and Walked 3 Million Steps in 98 Days"

Marc Chabot, age 55 years young, was overweight for most of his adult life. "In my twenties, I carried an extra 10 pounds," he said, "in my thirties, an extra 30-40 pounds, I had 50 excess pounds in my forties and this past year, I was 100 pounds overweight...

When I had blown up to 301 pounds and 39% BF, that's when I knew something had to change; and by change, I did not want to simply lose the 50 pounds. I wanted to transform my body - permanently."

The Burn the Fat Challenge was just the motivation he needed. Marc took on the challenge, and once he did, there was no stopping him.

Using his FitBit (pedometer), Marc tracked more than 3 million steps during the 98-day challenge - coming in third place in our very first Million Step Challenge (yes, three people, including Marc walked 3 million steps each during the Burn the Fat challenge.

Marc's transformation was so impressive, he was also awarded second place overall in the season 9 Burn the Fat Challenge as well as the "Most Transformed Man Over 50" Award.

Marc participated in two other challenges, but in those earlier attempts, he didn't get the results he was hoping for. Looking for answers, he decided to re-read Tom Venuto's book, The Body Fat Solution and concluded that the isssue was more mental than physical.

Using everything he read in the chapter about "Setting Goals and Reprogramming Your Mind For Success", Marc did "re-program his mind" and from that day forward, everything started to fall into place.

"This Burn the Fat challenge has been - by far - the most successful I've been in the last 10 years at getting in shape, both physically and mentally."

We contacted Marc right after the 98-day Burn the Fat challenge and asked if he would share his top transformation strategies. We asked about his best tips for motivation, nutrition and training and he gave some terrific advice, which you can read below:

1. Mindset and motivation

My first mindset change was making the decision to once again do the 98-day summer challenge. I was fortunate enough to receive Tom's book, The Body Fat Solution, from the Spring Challenge and I had read it once quickly. I found it was a lot like the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Book but geared even more toward my fitness goals (I've never had any desire to pursue bodybuilding goals).

Chapter 5 is really what inspired me. It made me realize I needed to reprogram my mind and get my subconscious mind trained to work for me - not against me. It was actually easier than I thought, and once I identified what I wanted to do and set my goals, it became a life-style change instead of a quick fix. My wife always describes me as black and white. I don't have grey areas; I make up my mind and jump in head first, to get things done.

2. Food and Nutrition

For this challenge, I decided I would plan my meals and keep my intake between 2800-3000 calories a day which may seem like a lot of food for some, but it's maintenance calories for me. I decided to do a minimum of 1000 calories a day deficit, so it meant that I had to burn more than I ate. I eat pretty cleanly, avoiding all processed foods, and I don't eat at restaurants.

I also don't eat chips, candy, ice cream or most other desserts. I always have eaten fresh fruits and vegetables, all kinds of red meat, fish, shellfish and most of the A-type foods. I do like butter and use it in my cooking and on my bread. I eat 3 meals a day and have banana as my morning snack and apples for my afternoon snack.

I also cut back on alcohol, which during the summer with vacation and barbecues is sometimes difficult but when I did consume alcohol, it was just as a beverage along with a meal. I also drank 140 to 200 ounces (1 to1.5 gallons) of water every day. With all the exercise and walking I was doing, I needed to stay hydrated.

3. Training

I walked a lot [3,055,057 steps in 98 days to be exact] using the principle of LISS (Low Intensity Steady State). I did not want to injure myself as I did in the past where I ran (high intensity cardio) and then my knees gave out. I did a minimum of three, 2-hour sets of cardio during the week and on the weekends, I did three to five 2-4 hour sets.

On average, I walked approximately 7 hours per day. It may seem extreme or excessive, but I have a 40-hour a week job where I sit all day. I was 300 pounds so I said "I'm not just gonna walk, I'm gonna walk as many steps a day as physically possible. I lost 10 pounds the first two weeks which didn't surprise me because I always had good results early on.

I kept walking and increased my steps as I got fitter. I was thrilled to see the fat weight continue to drop. I also used my Bowflex 3 times a week. Then, when I re-read Tom's book, it dawned on me that I should get some dumbbells. So I purchased some and started doing supersets.

I instantly felt the change in my fitness; and even though I couldn't see the change, I felt it. And I not only felt better, I felt like I was 35 years old again.

4. Other Tips and Advice

• Don't be afraid of not succeeding! It can take time to find the plan that suits your particular needs.

• Don't be afraid to start over if something doesn't work. It's absolutely alright to have failures. Failures show you the route NOT to take and provide you with valuable feedback you can use to adjust your program.

• Do not quit! Even if you don't see a measurable weight change. Why? Because if you are exercising, you are ahead of where you would have been had you already given up.

• Set goals! And then execute a plan to accomplish them. One thing you can always count on is change. Nothing stays the same over time. So adjust your goals and tweak your plan accordingly until you get where you want to be.

• Get support! Get your friends, relatives and social network on board; and especially your Burn The Fat Inner Circle connections. There are a lot of wonderful people there willing to inspire and motivate you on your journey.

Marc began his Summer Challenge contest journal with the following poem by Edgar A. Guest; an English-born American poet who was popular in the first half of the 20th century:

Don't Quit

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

"When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,

"And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow,

"Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;

"So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit."

RELATED ARTICLES:
They Walked 100 Million Steps In the First Burn the Fat Step Challenge... Here's How They Did It:
//www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/public/Burn-The-Fat-Million-Step-Challenge.cfm

CLICK HERE To discuss this article in the Burn the Fat Inner Circle forums

For details about upcoming Burn the Fat Challenge events that you can enter, CLICK HERE