Lesley Rotchford - Womens Health Take It Off! Keep It Off!: Real Women Reveal How They Lost 20, 50, Even 100 Pounds—and How You Can Too!

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

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Internet addresses and phone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2017 by Rodale Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Photograph credits appear on page 235 (page number refers to the print edition).

Book design by Christina Gaugler

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 9781623369033 hardcover
ISBN 9781623369941 e-book

We inspire health, healing, happiness, and love in the world.

Starting with you.

For Gil, who proposed to me at the end of the Boston Marathon 12 years ago and has been cheering me on ever since.

CONTENTS

I could not have written this book without the brilliant Cassandra Forsythe, PhD, RD, assistant professor of physical education and exercise science at Central Connecticut State University, who created the diet and workout. Thank you for your guidance, patience, and kindness. And, of course, there would be no book without the dozens of weight loss superstars who inspired it.

Thank you to the fitness and nutrition experts who have generously shared their time and tips with me over the years, including Shawn Talbott, to whom I owe my working knowledge of cortisol; Stephen Gullo, who introduced me to GG Bran Crispbread and many other weight loss foods; Jean Kristeller, who taught me the magic of mindful eating; and Nicholas Ratamess, who has good-naturedly fielded my questions about strength training, fat-blasting hormones, and HIIT.

To my friends and former colleagues at Womens Health, especially Amy Keller Laird, Theresa ORourke, Sara Culley, Jen Ator, Sascha de Gersdorff, and Sarah Rozen, thank you for keeping me part of the WH family. And to my editor Erica Sanders-Foege, Leah Polakoff, and the rest of the Rodale team, I am profoundly grateful.

I thank my mentors and former bosses Kate White and Michele Promaulayko.

To my extraordinary parents, Joel and Karen Goober, for believing in mealways. And to my brother, Greg, a true hero.

Finally, thank you to Gil, Wyatt, Henry, and Teddy for bringing endless amounts of love and joy to my life.

T he first time I went on a diet was in college. My daily runs turned out to be no match for keg beer and late-night pizza, and I started gaining weight. This was back in the late 90s, when baggy vintage Levis and boxy Patagonia jackets could keep you in denialso I didnt realize I was packing on pounds until the summer between sophomore and junior year. A childhood friend and I had jobs scooping ice cream on Marthas Vineyard, and wed apparently been eating as much ice cream as wed been serving because when our parents arrived for a visit in August, my friends mom took one look at our significantly stockier figures and exclaimed, What happened to you girls?

It was time to face the music. I didnt starve myself or jump on the latest weight loss trend (which at the time was going fat-free, and we know how effective that turned out to be). Instead, I just started eating a little less and figured out how much I needed to exercise to make up for the occasional slice of cake or pizza. This strategy has served me well over the years, helping me stay slim and strong despite a demanding, sit-on-my-butt-all-day desk job and three kids younger than 7.

The women in this book have their own weight loss tales to tell. Some of them have shed over 100 poundsmost have dropped over 50and kept the weight off. Their newfound health and confidence has set in motion a domino effect of positive change. Theyre an inspiration to me and to everyone who has ever set out on a weight loss journey, which is why I wanted to write this book. On these pages, you will discover the secrets to their success, plus all the tools you need to lose weight and keep it off. My hope is that the Take It All Off Plan helps you develop a passion for fitness and nutrition and sets you on the path to a happier, healthier life.

I f youve cracked open this book, youre probably looking to lose some weight. Maybe youve been chubby since you were a kid. Maybe you packed it on during college or couldnt take it off after having your first baby. Maybe youre a fluctuatorthin one year, flabby the next. Sound familiar? And chances are youve tried every trendy diet and every popular exercise programand here you are.

The Take It All Off Plan isnt like other dietsin fact, its not a diet at all. Its a lifestyle makeover that provides innovative eating strategies with a meal plan that focuses on protein and portion control, plus a time-saving strength and cardio routine specifically designed to blast fat fast. Whats more, this program has been shown to work for women just like you, who have struggled for yearsin some cases their entire livesto lose weight and now regularly rock skinny jeans and crush 10-Ks. Their stories are so inspiring that they were featured in the You Lose, You Win column of Womens Health magazine.

While I was an executive editor at Womens Health, I used to push my other work aside when the You Lose, You Win page landed on my desk to be edited. Real women sharing their tales of weight loss triumph? I couldnt get enough! After reading dozens of these over the years, I started noticing the common threadsthese women were following similar weight loss strategies. It was as if the answers for permanent weight loss were staring at me on the page. And now, with the help of fitness and nutrition expert Cassandra Forsythe, PhD, RD, Im able to share them with you.