We all know fad diets cause more harm than good so it’s time we turn to programs that are healthy, sustainable and incorporate all food groups and key nutrients. When we got wind of a new fitness and nutrition program…we couldn’t help but share. Meet FASTer Way to Fat Loss by Amanda Tress: the fastest growing virtual fitness and nutrition program in the country.
The FASTer Way to Fat Loss program promotes fat loss with whole food nutrition, intermittent fasting, carb cycling, and macro tracking paired with effective 30-minute workouts. What makes it even better? FASTer Way is a true community, meaning everyone participating in the program follows the same meal plan and engages in the same live workout each day.
Just in time for the launch of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss iPhone app this fall, Amanda Tress, founder and CEO of FASTer Way to Fat Loss shares her background, personal stories, motivation behind launching this life changing program and how it’s helping solve problems other diets on the market have created.
Launching a company can be stressful, what advice would you give to someone?
Amanda Tress (AT): “You had a purpose before anyone had an opinion.” I often say, “I didn’t choose the fitness industry, the fitness industry chose me.” Most of us do not decide to enter the wellness space to make millions of dollars. If you have a strong mission, vision, and purpose, you can do great things and make a massive positive impact in the marketplace. It’s key to do the right things, at the right time, for the right reasons—and maintain a positive mindset as you journey through the early struggle of growing a business. I grew my business organically through word-of-mouth marketing. No fancy advertising or PR, no high-cost paid marketing, simply word-of-mouth referrals. If you have a program or product that works, and a scalable and sustainable business model, the sky’s the limit.
Can you share a bit of your background as well as your motivation behind launching the FASTer Way to Fat Loss?
AT: When I was a teenager I struggled with extremely high blood pressure. My doctor put me on blood pressure medication and told me I would be on it for the rest of my life. That’s something most people would expect to hear in their 70s. I was 17. In addition to high blood pressure, I had a metabolic disorder and severe food sensitivities. My doctor never once asked me what I was eating or anything about my lifestyle. He simply put me on medications and told me I would take pills for life. He drew me a prison and said I couldn’t get out.
When I entered college I decided to take matters into my own hands and educate myself regarding whole-food nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. After a lot of research and trial and error, I was able to wean myself off of blood pressure medication. I quickly decided to become a personal trainer and nutrition coach to empower other people to get healthy as well.
Whole-food nutrition, consistent exercise, and a paleo food log helped me feel less bloated and also keep my blood pressure stable. However, I was still dealing with food sensitivities and exhaustion after delivering my first two babies.
In 2015, I started hearing about intermittent fasting and carb cycling. The strategies sounded extreme but after diving into the research, I decided to experiment in my own life. The results were astounding. I was able to shed the final baby weight after delivering my son, increase my energy with carb cycling, AND eliminate my food sensitivities with a dairy-free and gluten-free lifestyle. After experiencing my own transformation, I started to try intermittent fasting with a couple of gym clients who were in plateaus in spite of consistent workouts and a paleo food log. Much to my excitement, the first client who tried IF with me lost sixteen pounds in three weeks.
I experimented with my gym clients further. Instead of simply implementing IF with a paleo food log, I added an IIFYM approach (which is a flexible dieting system that says you can eat whatever you want If It Fits Your Macros) and diligently tracked my macronutrients (macros). I cycled carbohydrates based on the workouts I planned to do each day of the week. The results were astonishing. After years of straddling the fence between feeling healthy and experiencing near-debilitating health problems, I found the answer… and I knew I had to share it.
When did the FASter Way to Fat Loss officially launch and what was the process in terms of creating the program?
AT: In January 2016, I launched the FASTer way with eleven clients in an online virtual bootcamp. I tested my brand-new food cycle that incorporated whole food nutrition, intermittent fasting, carb cycling, and a focus on macros, paired with effective workouts. My clients thrived, and I thrived too. Having others doing the program with me took my motivation to a new level and accelerated my own results.
Unfortunately, when I started the FASTer Way, backlash against intermittent fasting was strong. People said it would cause eating disorders, or it wasn’t healthy. After all—wellness professionals had been taught and preached for decades that, “breakfast was the most important meal of the day.” Online haters came out of the woodwork, and many people called me extreme. I was horribly criticized by colleagues, family members, and even friends. But both me and my clients had amazing results and I knew I had to continue growing the program. I’d developed a program that solved the problems most popular or expensive programs on the market created. I kept my head down and quickly scaled the FASTer Way from an idea on a napkin to a multi-million-dollar company with over 100,000 clients.
In 2017, my vision began to expand. Instead of working with clients on my own, I decided to create a certification explaining the science behind the FASTer Way strategies. That way, we could equip other women and men to bring their own clients through the program and earn significant income.
The FASTer Way has quickly gained traction and become the fastest growing fitness and nutrition program on the market. Because it works. The FASTer Way to Fat Loss is backed by research and science and is empowering tens of thousands of clients all over the world to transform their lives. I’ve staked my life on it.There is still a lot of confusion around carbohydrates, fat loss, intermittent fasting, and nutrition. Call it the South Beach diet, Atkins, Keto, whatever you want—extreme low carb lifestyles are literally depleting women of hormones and running them into the ground.
At the FASTer Way, we don’t eliminate an entire macronutrient, and we don’t promote an exercise-and-eat-less attitude either. We promote fat loss for men and women through intermittent fasting, carb cycling, macro tracking, whole food nutrition, and strategic workouts. The FASTer Way is not only backed by science, but countless success stories. Men and women are transforming their lives with a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. I want all of my clients to be successful and have an incredible transformation, fulfill their purpose, lower their risk of disease, have great energy, and change the world.
What are the major components of the program that clients must maintain for the program to be successful?
AT: In order to be successful in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss, clients must do three things.
- Engage in intermittent fasting on a daily basis. In the FASTer Way, we follow the 16:8 protocol. (I do not recommend trying the 16:8 protocol without guidance because it can negatively impact female hormones if done improperly.)
- Clients must eat enough of the right micronutrients and macronutrients. Many of my clients come to the FASTer Way to Fat Loss after years of under-eating. It’s vital to fuel your body properly in order to have energy to perform workouts, optimize your metabolism, and burn fat effectively.
- Community is the third vital aspect of the FASTer Way. Clients who feel supported and part of our community absolutely thrive.
With over 100k clients having gone through the program, can you share a success story that stood out to you most?
AT: Wow, that is a VERY tough one. We have tens of thousands of success stories and post several daily on our social media platforms.
One of my colleagues completed the FASTer Way and got in the best shape of her life. Shortly after finishing her first round, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She journeyed through a double mastectomy, cancer treatments, reconstructive surgery, and more. She remarked to me that, had she not gone through the FASTer Way, she would not have maintained the energy or stamina to thrive through treatment and recovery.
We have since heard from many clients who are diagnosed with cancer and we are with them for support every step of the way. Because cancer has so profoundly touched our community, we decided to donate $200,000 in July to build an oncology center in a Florida hospital offering free fitness and nutrition services to cancer patients. It’s a small way for us to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals suffering from cancer who would not otherwise have access to fitness and nutrition services that will help them thrive through treatment and recovery.
I’ve learned that you offer a program for registered industry professionals that allows them to become certified to coach their own clients through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss. Can you share a bit more about this certification program/how it works?
AT: In 2017, my vision began to expand and I could see incredible potential for others to coach the FASTer Way as well. I created a certification program explaining the science behind the FASTer Way strategies. That way, we could equip other women and men to bring their own clients through the program and earn significant income.
For more than 10 years prior, I traded dollars for hours in the gym with one-on-one clients. I worked 70 hours per week and still barely made ends meet. I loved my career but wished for a solution to enable me to impact more clients while also being home with my babies. The traditional career route for women in fitness was no longer working—the average instructor makes less than $24,000 per year. After years of trial and error and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, I cracked the code on the best online virtual bootcamp solution for clients. I knew I had to share it with others. I wanted to empower women (and men) to earn real money with a scalable and sustainable business so they could give back to their family, church, and community. And we’ve done just that.
We currently have 1700 certified coaches all across the nation. Women and men who are earning hundreds of thousands of dollars with a scalable and sustainable business model. Many of our coaches were earning an income below the poverty line in the wellness industry prior to becoming certified FASTer Way to Fat Loss coaches.
I see you just launched the meal plan aspect of FASTer Way to Fat Loss. What makes it unique to the thousands of meal plans on the market?
AT: Our meal plan is strategically paired with effective 30-minute workouts to maximize results. Our community follows the same food log which corresponds with our effective macro cycle (incorporating IF and carb cycling) and also joins in the same LIVE workout each day. We are the only company in the industry who is providing BOTH digital nutrition and fitness to our clients.
What are your future goals for the FASTer Way to Fat Loss?
AT: The FASTer Way is the best way for women and men all over the world. I launched the FASTer Way to solve the problems that other popular or expensive programs on the market created, and we’ve done just that. We’ve grown organically over the past 3 years, and now it’s time to scale. We are 45 days away from the launch of our app, and we will continue to provide the most value possible to our new and returning clients. In ten years we will be a household name in addition to the most comprehensive wellness program on the market providing fitness and nutrition support to clients worldwide.
For more on FASTer Way to Fat Loss, visit: fasterwaytofatloss.com. Follow along with Amanda Tress on Instagram at: @AmandaTress.