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This is a review of the Bellyproof fat-loss program, developed by Jacob Nadav of Movement First Personal Training.

I completed the Bellyproof program on the (1st  Dec 2019), having started on the Monday 28th October 2019, and will share my results, experiences, hints and tips, “secrets” and thoughts.

NOTE: I am not affiliated in any way with Bellyproof, I don’t know or have never met or actually spoken to Jacob Nadav, or Movement First Personal Training, my comms with Jacob and the team have been via email in relation to this program only. This is just me wanting to share this with the world based on my feelings and results on the program now.

If you think that the claims are to good to be true or are unsure as to whether or not to commit to this specific program, or are wanting to know just that little bit more in order to decide or sum up the will to get off the fence and your ass, then this is for you.

Before

Here I am at 80.5kgs (178lbs) and a body fat % of 31.2%, click on the images to see the full size photo

After

And here I am, after 5 weeks, at a staggering (for me ) 74.1 (163.02 lbs)

The photos were all taken with my Iphone XS, so apologies for the quality, but it sure as hell isn’t a photoshop job. I wore the same pants for the second set of photos in an attempt to show the changes better as well as consistency and took the pictures in the same place and time of day for the lighting. The photos wouldn't have mattered so much if I got to finish making the video I started. I had to go away on the last day so I couldn't film myself, or use the same scales as the proof, or do the Siri date thing,  as well as demonstrate the new flexibility and skills like being able to do "skin the cat" now as well as show off with pull ups and chins ups which I PROMISE ARE NOT I REPEAT NOT PART OF THE PROGRAM.

Current weight: 74.1kg
Weight loss: 6.4kg (14.08 lbs)

Finish Body Fat Pecentage: 24.4, I lost 6.8% body fat

I for my own sake did a Dexa scan before and at the conclusion to know my figures and to see for myself if what I lost was water weight or actual fat as the program claims. The ladies at the clinic thought the machine needed re-calibrating or something was wrong, because they couldn’t understand and hadn’t seen someone not only lose so much body fat percentage in a short time, but that my Glycogen levels and body hydration was actually higher at the end than when I started and did the first scan. My Adipose levels had dropped significantly and my lean percentages were all up. Even they wanted to know what I had done and thought I’d gone under the knife for liposuction, Cryolipolysis or an abdominal etching and I didn’t even know what that was! What was also really cool was the receptionist saying straight away before the hello “Oh wow you’ve lost weight!” I also got the same from the guys in my health food/Supplement store which I hadn’t been to in a month the moment I walked in, and if guys are noticing then I knew it was significant and really noticeable even if I couldn’t tell all that much as i was actually going through it.

I know for a fact that I gained muscle mass without any scans or verbal confirmations. So anyone that says you lose muscle mass when you lose weight is lying and especially when it comes to this program. Not only do I have more muscle definition in my arms, shoulders, legs and abs, but when I started I was struggling with a weighted backpack of 4kgs! I broke a sweat and felt the burn doing a measly 4 goblet squats with that pack, at the end I was doing 10 reps of double handed squats with 2 16kg kettlebells and Bulgarians with a 18kg dumbbell. This makes me think that technically the scale would have shown more weight loss, but some of what I lost I replaced with heavier muscle mass; which is a good thing and hence how I began to learn and understand that it wasn't about the numbers on the scale, but rather body fat percentage and how I looked and felt in my own body.

  1. So I lost body fat

  2. I lost weight

  3. I am more toned and muscular

  4. I Lost fat not just from my belly but I lost man boobs (Moobs), from my hips, arms, chest and back fat, I smidge from my face as well

  5. I am better hydrated now than ever, so I didn’t lose any water weight.

  6. My glycogen levels are at the higher range of normal.

  7. I have gone down in trouser size from 34 to 30.

  8. I am so much more flexible and limber now than ever in my life

  9. I have Cardio now, I never had that before! (28 years of not working out, chewing tobacco and cigarettes I was positive I’d never have or be able to do any cardio, I quit almost 3 years ago but still i thought the damage was done for good for all time and there is no going back or getting it back)

  10. I have a different, stronger, happier, can do mindset and self confidence


My 18 year old daughter, the better half, parents, sister, my neighbours, friends, and club associates have all noticed that I am in better shape and “fitter”

HIDDEN BENEFITS:

               When I started the program and especially the workouts I spent Phase 1 (which I knew was a warm up and prep for the other more full on phases) doubting myself and everything. OMG will I be able to do the workouts, will i be able to finish them. I'm so unfit, fat, old etc, as i neared the end of Phase 1 I looked at Workout 1 of Phase 2 and apprehensive was an understatement and I was positive I wouldn't be able to finish it. Then something strange happened, the day came I gave it all I had and I actually did it! the joy and surprise and pride crept in, the next day I made sure that the previous one wasn't a fluke, by workout 3 of that phase my confidence and mindset changed and I already wanted to do more reps and weight. I went from doubt to lets see just what I'm capable of. I got more flexible and limber, I got faster, stronger and better at the workouts so my confidence grew and my mindset not just to the program but everything changed and improved, it became a Can do, lets go, yes mindset, Never give up hang on just that bit more mind.

              that first week towards the end I got on a bit of a kick and got on an outdoor body weight Cross trainer (Elliptical) and thought well I've been working out for a week surely I can do 5 mins non stop on that thing... I was wrong, I stopped twice for 15 and 20 secs that first week.  Half way through the program I ended up doing 15mins non stop on it.

              on the third last day of the program my much younger, boot-camp junkie, skinny as a rake she needs to run around in the shower just to to get wet sister called me out. She was visiting me and aware of what I had been doing and seen changes, so she decided to have fun with me and challenged me, she needed to do her 45 min Cardio and challenged me to do it and go for a jog with her. Firstly, I DONT RUN OR JOG, add to that the 1.7kgs of hair and anyone can see its not happening... Not to be out done, I agreed to it, and here's the thing, my mindset was Hey do it what do you have to lose? and even if don't make it, it doesn't matter, because next time just do one minute more, and one minute more and one day you'll run the 45mins non stop. I had the mindset, the confidence and a much better attitude to life in general. As it turns out I was beyond proud and happy, my sister out did me for the shock because I made it! I jogged 7 full laps without stopping. I want to do it again just because I can now! I've even thought about doing jogging simply because I can now (Go the Turkish Get-Ups, I think that's where the Cardio comes from)

My Program and Choices

The program has multiple options, you can do it from Home, or from an outdoor park/ outdoor Calisthenics park or at a Gym. There are also options when it comes to the Nutrition plan and meals which ill expand on a bit later. I did the following

  1. Outdoor local park training (I’m lucky and have an outdoor gym/Callisthenics park 3 mins from my home, I wasn’t getting and paying for a gym membership on top of this at the time)

  2. OMAD (One Meal A Day) as per the instructions I did the Gut Health within my feeding/eating window of an hour. So I had my meal and then had my “shake” about 30 mins after I finished eating. Everything was done and dusted within an hour.

  3. My fast was basically from 8pm until 7pm (One Meal A Day)

  4. I couldn't do evening afternoon stuff, so my workout time was very early mornings, I was working out 10-12 hrs into my fast. (P.S If you think you wont have energy or motivation for the workouts guess again the program has some secrets and surprises for you and again it WORKS!. I always had what I needed when I needed it. I was taking what I needed to about 30 mins before the workouts which meant I felt myself kicking into gear during the warm up)

  5. I chose the 5 week 4 workouts a week option, There is a 3 workout 6 Weeks and 1 day option as well.

Nutrition Plan

                 I can’t say enough about the nutrition plan, but let me start with this: IT REALLY IS A NUTRITION PLAN and not a DIET!, it’s not Keto or Atkins or Sugar busters or some other known program dressed up, it’s not boiled chicken and broccoli or canned tuna and brown rice, It is its own unique thing. What really shocked me firstly was that it has Vegan/Vegetarian option, Halal/Kosher option already that you can just select. It also gives you the ability to tell the team about anything else. To be honest I initially thought that I would be a deal breaker and would be getting a refund for not being able to do the program, and that’s because of two things, Firstly I have multiple serious food allergies and to make matters worse I have other religious restrictions as well, all of which I thought would mean I couldn’t do the program. You are promised a plan within 48 hours of submitting the request. It took the team just 32 hours to come back and give me a plan that met the Bellyproof requirements AND all of mine, like it was nothing. I was shocked by that, then what really blew me away was going through the meals. They were all café and restaurant quality decadent meals nothing like what I was expecting at all. Nothing took more than 20 - 25 mins to make (except the roast chicken meal) a lot of the meals are protein interchangeable, so you can make it once with chicken and then make it again but with another meat. I got 35 meals, enough for the entire program and I had meat dishes, vegetarian, seafood dishes, everything ohh and salads (and the salads weren’t boring either! The Salmon Avocado one I got was my favourite)

 

I didn’t have to count calories, or measure my food, weigh my food or ridiculous portion stuff. The instructions from Jacob were awesome and so damned practical and down to earth, “Don’t starve yourself and don’t stuff your face either! Find the happy middle ground, eat until you’re OK” the recipes do give amounts and the meals are given to you as bigger and smaller meals which really helps you determine and learn your own portion control.

 

Many/Most of my meals in the plan can be prepped in advanced which was awesome. I had friends over for dinner on a few occasions and nobody not even my daughter knew they were eating dishes from a “Nutrition Plan” I had 2 friends literally ask me for the recipe of what we had eaten on those nights. 11 of the meals I got I will continue to use in my normal family weekly dinner meal rotations, they really are that good. Lastly what I loved and suspect many others (with kids and hectic lives will appreciate) will appreciate was the freedoms. The first freedom was that you can add things or remove things from the meals, you are given a formula and the info around Carbs, refined sugar and gluten and as long as you stay within the formula, you are golden!

Secondly and my favourite part was that it’s not a Day 1 you eat this meal, then that meal, and day 2 you eat this meal, type of plan. All the meals fit the program, so you get to decide what you want to eat, and when, on what days etc, so if you just want to eat the same meal everyday... go nuts, or just a few of them, whatever you want. So, I ate all my new favourites and was able to shop and plan my family meals of the week around it as well as when I had dinner guests.

 

I’ll mention and confirm this secret now and tell you more later on. YES, THERE ARE CHEAT DAYS if I remember correctly its like 3-5 of them, they are planned days, but you don’t have to do them. YES, you really do get to EAT PIZZA with a glass of classy wine, IT REALLY IS TRUE. In fact, you are almost encouraged to do so once in the program which ends up helping you and ill explain it as I understand it in the intermittent fasting part. I know what you’re thinking because I was the same and I’ll tell you now... The catch isn’t what you think it is. When I say Pizza, I don’t mean some crappy keto almond flour, fathead cracker thing that it’s called and styled as Pizza, I really do mean call you favourite spot and get your favourite pie and have at it guilt free! BUT try to go for the Gluten free option and the Thin crust option. The catches are these

  1. You physically won’t be able to eat as much of it as you use to (Nor want to)

  2. It will taste different (and be better in your head than in reality) aspects of the program are going to change your taste buds and in fact reset them in a good way

 

Also, you won’t pay a price for cheat days. Having the cheat day doesn’t mean you pay for it the next day with more workout stuff or eating less the day after or anything, it really is guilt free. But obviously the more of them you do the less benefits you get at the end; I did one cheat pizza day halfway through and it was good enough for me.

The Intermittent Fasting (Lion Protocol) (IF)

                           To Say that Jacob has “Scienced” the crap out of this program, is an understatement. My idea of intermittent fasting prior to this was doing the 40hr famine once a year, and spending a day here not eating (but drinking 5 cups of large lattes with sugar) then eating whatever and whenever and maybe another day of not eating 2 and half weeks from now. Today there is so much out there as well on intermittent fasting and the 16/8 split or the Warrior Diet or the 20/4 split etc etc… and how to break the fast, what will cause you to break your fast,  and what with etc and it all just did my head in honestly. Bellyproof explains what IF is and when to do it and why, as well as what the actual practical benefits are and what happens to your body during it all. He has the science and all the Insulin, HGH, Glycogen and Cortisol and receptor stuff down cold and a really cool way of explaining it (The videos are short and cool) all to non-science nerds like me.

Intermittent Fasting on its own I guess works to a degree, but from what I gather it needs to compliment with other stuff for it and you to truly get the maximum benefits and it to be effective no matter your body type (Ecto, Endo, Mesamorphs). Bellyproof combines IF with your workouts and the nutrition and even goes as far as when you should eat what, and when to workout and its not complicated, its deceptively simple. the Bellyproof-LION protocol uses intermittent fasting to promote breaking fat and burning fat, It will also vary from person to person, for instance, when I fasted and worked out would be different to when others doing the program do. It’s something that you work out and plan and structure before you even start. It also gets done around your life and schedule. If you’re a shift worker, stay at home Mom, student, someone with a long commute it doesn’t matter. Before Phase 1 kicks in you will have worked out/know from what time to what time you are fasting, what your “Eating window/s are” and when you’re working out.   

            As previously stated, I chose and did the OMAD option, yes, I went hardcore. The first 3 days were a bit tough, due to the strictness of the fast. For the most part of that 3 days I was fine, but I got Hangry and felt weak and started clock watching when there was 2-3hrs left before breaking. After that initial 3 days I was actually ok and by the end of the first week/start of the second it was not only fine but had become or felt Normal. I guess I had accepted it and my body adjusted to this way of things, on the other hand it was like giving myself a holiday from eating! Bottom line is this…

You end up eating to replenish your glycogen stores and energy levels and give your body what it needs when it needs it, no more or less. However, it wont be enough for you to get through the day and the workout, so your body is forced to burn fat to compensate, which means you quite quickly become what he calls “Fat Adapted” your body ends up learning to rely on fat for its energy needs and not on what you’ve eaten. The scientific beauty of the workout times is that it ensures your food energy sources are depleted or otherwise engaged in muscle and body repair and it kicks you into “Ketosis” of sorts, basically you are in Fat burning mode without the Keto stuff or the Keto Flu!!! You end up spending the rest of your “day” burning fat no matter what, even at rest, or sitting on your butt at work. Add to that Jacob encourages you to be more active to increase the results. Since he also makes sure that you’re ridiculously hydrated and glycogen fuelled, the Lipolysis and oxidation processes go to work on your actual fat stores and not your water weight

            So now I guess you want to know how and where does the cheating and pizza fit in? My experience and answer is simply this. Cheat days (Pizza Day) helps you because it’s a Re-feed or Re-feed day. Simply put, your body gets use to what is happening and you also lose or deplete stuff in your body from fasting and restricting carbs etc. So when you eat Pizza it does two things, First it replenishes some good stuff of what you’ve lost. Secondly I found that my metabolism slowed down as my body adapted to what was happening, I type of starvation or survival mode I guess, as well as the body’s way of wanting to be stubborn about energy from food and not fat; so eating Pizza half way through served to trick my body/metabolism into thinking Fasting was over and the good times were back, so it could relax and go back to food burning and not fat burning mode, therefore the next day when you’re back on the “straight and narrow” the effects of fasting get reset to what it was like at the start and the fast fat burning continues. Lastly like I said the cheat days are structured and planned so I got an education (I think Jacob planned this) you are forced to think about what you’re doing and eating and when. So it was no different really than knowing I was going have a night out with the boys or friends so PLAN IT, if it’s going be carb heavy for example, then eat protein and fats during the day and leave the carbs for then so that you can eat guilt free, balanced and in sensible moderation, Also understand what the impacts of Macronutrients do to your body and when, so make a more educated decision about what you’re going to do and when, and if you do ignore it all, understand the consequences, WOOHOO you get Life skills! The LiON Protocol really does make a big difference. Read through the explanation carefully: it's the deceptively simple key to the genius of Jacob Nadav's programme: https://bellyproof.com/intermittent-fasting/

Its not simply about fasting or definitely not about starving yourself, and the focus of IF in Bellyproof is not about reducing the time you have to consume calories therefore you eat less therefore you lose weight, because that doesn’t work. Instead the focus is purely on two scientific principals which he teaches you and explains, lipolysis and oxidation. If you don't (or don’t yet) understand the difference between lipolysis and oxidation or what they are, then the best place to start is this blog post: https://bellyproof.com/intermittent-fasting-results-hiit-workouts-and-sweat/


it’s not as bad or boring as school or those science TV programs, Jacob is really good at teaching you important stuff with SHORT, funny, entertaining and informative videos and posts, worse yet everything he explains he proves scientifically and from external sources, or uses state of the art tech to show you and prove it (I love the Rubber Blubber heat protocol proof) so there is definitely no “Bro Science” or “clickbait Science” involved. Once you have learned the distinction, you understand what you need to do to promote fat breaking and fat burning respectively in your own body, then it’s like magic (oops I mean Science) and everything falls into place

(OMG I think he is turning me into a nutrition/ Biology science nerd).

Breaking Fat Before Burning It

The Workouts

Straight to it no crap here’s what you won’t find and won’t do

 

There are no Star jumps, Jumping jacks, Pull Ups, Chin ups, Crunches, Russian twists, resurrections, skipping rope, push ups, anything taxing on the knees, lower back, and best of all (unless you want to) NO RUNNING/JOGGING. I swear, hand on heart, I ran a total of maybe 400-500 metres (Quarter mile) in total over the entire 5 weeks.

 

I spent the first week and phase 1 cursing and cussing out the Ottomans, Byzantines and Bulgarians, the walking dead made me cringe I never hated “Zombies” so much in my life”. I wanted to push humpty dumpty off the bloody wall myself and further crush the shells. During phase two I made my peace with most of them, except zombies!!! By phase 3 I was appreciating the Bulgarian race, cheering the Turks and surprised by my Zombie progress. By the end I was crushing it, Humpty Dumpty can kiss my grits cause now I'm the World Cup and press Champion and Zombies are among my favourites because I can do them well.

In the beginning I struggled with a weighted backpack (Full water bottles in a backpack) six Bulgarians with maybe a 4-5kg pack burned the legs and made me sweat, same for Humpty, just 4 goblet squats with maybe 6kgs had my heart thumping and legs almost shaking from the burn. By the end of phase 1 I had “borrowed” my sisters 8kg kettlebells, by phase 4 I was doing Bulgarians and lunges with 18kgs, offset steps, Humpty Dumpty World Cups, Humpty presses and Turkish getups with 16kgs and 10 rep set of double handed squats with 12kg kettlebells in each hand! (told you that muscle loss from weigh loss is rubbish).

 

I’m going to say it again, Jacob has really scienced the crap out of all this stuff . On the surface the workouts are made up of weird, interesting, technical, and strangely non boring and enjoyable exercises and funny but appropriately named mobility stretches. However, it is a WORKOUT! There are going to be things in them you HATE! And are Hard but also things you will love and continue to do long after your finished bellyproofing. There you go here’s a secret for you, THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL OR BIG SECRET, its Hard Work! Do the work get the rewards, the pain and huff and puff is temporary, the glory, satisfaction and pride is yours FOREVER! Don’t cheat yourself, its 5 short lousy weeks, 35 itty bitty days GIVE IT ALL YOU HAVE. Here’s another secret, you don’t work out everyday for 5 weeks, you do get loads of rest days. The workouts are time sensitive, its 45mins to maybe an hour that’s it, doesn’t matter if it’s the gym or home, its not 2-3 hour workouts or multiple times a day.

 

All other workouts are based on either straight Cardio (HIIT or HIRT) or strength/fatigue based that are about upper and lower body splits, push and pull splits, eccentric concentric splits, yada yada etc etc. Bellyproof sticks to the Lipolysis and Oxidation principals. The workouts are made up of sets and there are multiple exercises per set. The big difference is that the uneven sets (1,3,5 etc) are all about breaking fat in body manageable increments. The even sets (2,4,6 etc) are the oxidation or fat burning sets. All workout you break down fat, burn it, break it, burn it. The final set of each workout I thought of as the clean-up, in as much as it burns off anything that you haven’t during the rest of the workout so it doesn’t just end up back where it started from. If that wasn’t science enough I didn’t realize until phase 4 that the workouts incorporate super sets and splits. Some workouts for example will work your lower body or compound muscle groups more, others will work the core or upper body more, meanwhile almost everything you do will incorporate your core and core stabilizer muscles. The rolling rotation of the workouts allows everything to recover before being worked out again. The Efficiency of the workouts to is nuts. So for example rather than workout out your arms and then have to rest for 2-3 mins and repeat, you work your arms and then they rest while you work something else! And then something else, so by the time you return to the first one its had the required rest, meanwhile you’ve been maintaining an elevated heart rate (too smart for his own good) but hey it WORKS!.

 

I also loved the personal touch and it feels like you have a trainer with you or Jacob with you every workout. Each day and workout is addressed to you specifically, you get the good morning its time to get up and drink water, get ready for your day, its time to workout, do this and take this before you workout. Then during the workouts your getting things like Hooray the torture sets are behind you, or high five we are 60% finished, take a 1min breather, do a fast walk, drink water, sip water, time for the heat protocol now.

I’ll give you more about the workouts and how to maximize everything at the end in the hints and tips part. Basically ill tell you the things you wish you knew the first time so that you get more of it right and more benefit (and maybe save you from feeling like you want to do it all again so not to make the mistakes)

            Here is the last workout secret or hint/tip from. Don’t be a tightwad and cheat yourself for a measly few bucks GET THE PREMIUM WITH ABS VERSION. It’s a few bucks more than the basic but saying its worth it is beyond an understatement. I still do the ab stuff and will continue to do the ab stuff for years yet, most of my favourite stuff like Tectonics and Adonis slides are in the ab stuff. Furthermore the workouts are add-on based. So everybody gets the basic and can see what the basic is, but mine had more sets and reps of ab stuff separate and incorporated in the basic stuff. So I can see or premium people can see how much more we get and what everybody else is missing out on and it’s a good size chunk of stuff you miss out on

Gut Health

                           In all honesty if it had been left to me I would have ignored this part and thought of it as just health filler stuff and just focused on what I felt was the important stuff. How wrong I was! I probably still would have skipped it in the regiment if it wasn’t for one critical thing..  the first time I had to do it was 2-3 days in and after fasting and such a drop in food and a day of fasting, I was hungry and saw it as an opportunity for more sweet sweet lovely belly filling calories! There were days in my program where I had to do the Kefir “Shake/Smoothie” as part of my regiment. Surprise one was that its actually tastes nice on its own let alone in the Protein mix that you get shown/given and can have fun with. Now I still take it and make my own at home. My daughter drinks it, I put my parents on to it and they drink it, its pretty darn neat. I didn’t realize how bad my gut health was to start and how poorly I was digesting stuff, the inflammation I must have had in the colon and lack of good bacteria (Pre and Probiotics) and balance. The first few days and times really turned my stomach upside down, I even lowered the amount and still had that reaction. But after 4-5 days I still felt stuff and was a bit flatulent but it was fine, after that I was down right awesome! I have never felt so good in the stomach, my digestion was quick and really good, I lost belly size because I must have had bloating and inflammation that got sorted out, no indigestion, heartburn or stomach cramps anymore. I feel happier and healthier and have made kefir shakes a part of my everyday life.

Where I Personally Struggled...

Turning Off Screens At Night (Smart is the new stupid is what he calls it)

Just before bed time is my TV, tablet, Phone game time, switch off from everything time, and you get robbed of it. I did the best I could, I failed at it several times, I did my best to change that time and use it for meal preps, doing the bed time routine and checking out the next day (which I needed my phone or tablet for). The two rooms away thing wasn’t practical especially when you use your phone for the alarm clock. I get the blue light thing, I understand the electrical waves and sleep interference stuff and it all makes good smart sense, however it was hard and not practical in this day and age for me.

Straight Black Coffee

I tried it, I’ve never been a straight black coffee drinker (don’t mess with my Lattes, I might do Almond milk, but don’t mess with my morning cup of Joe with sugar. I like to quib that life has let me bitter so coffee is where I get my sweetness and sanity. I’m still amazed that I went 5 weeks without drinking my coffee.

What made drinking it black so hard apart from the taste was that you are doing it between multiple cups of Water and for me it was too much. I did however find a solution and here’s  a tip for you all reading this… NO DOZE!! (Caffeine Pills) It’s the cheapest and best pre-workout that actually works. I just took two tablets (200mg, same as a large strong expresso) with the multiple cups of water in the morning. It took 30 mins to kick in and I was good to go. I also didn’t consume any other caffeine during the day which was awesome for good sleep at night. Its not the only thing you take but it really helps.

3.5 Litres of Water per Day!!!!!

C’mon are you kidding me!!!! Nobody drinks that amount of water, it’s ridiculous!!, I don’t care what anybody says. I truly truly believe it was excessive and then some. Bear in mind I’ve never been a water drinker in the first place, so from maybe one cup of water every 2-3 days to a week (I got my liquids from Coffee, Drinks and Carbs) to 3.5 litres (A Gallon) a day!!! It was insane and insanely hard. You can’t flavour it, or put BCAA’s in it, nothing that’s because for the most part putting anything in it will break the fast and spike your insulin. To top it off, I felt that my new job and hobby and everything else was Peeing! I hated this part of the program, I struggled with it and I’ll admit there were more than a few days where I came up about half a litre or more short. Okay, now that I'm done ranting about it there is a flip slide. I didn't truly understand the importance of drinking so much water until almost the end of the program. There were times and days where drinking that much was easy and in fact I even craved the water, especially during phase 1 and at times I used it as a crutch for eating (so if I thought of food or felt a rumble I would drink a glass or 500ml bottle to fill and quieten the stomach) but there were times I don’t know why, I was actually thirsty and craved not a Soda/Soft Drink or Coffee but cold water.

            The flip side of the water drinking for me are these. Firstly I now know that your body breaks down and burns fat there is waste/residue left over and your body excretes those through sweat, breathing and urination, so you need to drink water, the more you drink the more fat waste stuff you clear out of your body, liver and muscles.  Secondly is the final peace of mind of what I did lose. Since I was so damned well hydrated, and the scan showed it and more full of water than ever then what did I lose? It must have been pure actual fat, because I have my glycogen stores and they are well and truly bonded to the water, so whatever I lost could not have been water weight and that sort of kind of makes it worth it

Final Thoughts (HINTS AND TIPS)

I looked at many programs, watched a crap load of 60 and 90 day transformation videos and “I worked out for 30 days like (insert celebrity name here) and here’s what happened videos, and free routine and workout videos and fat loss promise videos. In the end I saw Jacobs video of his 5 weeks and watched the other bellyproof reviews and read Alex’s review and saw all the pictures of the people who had done it and it was convincing. I thought this could be the program that gave me abs and muscles and made me fit in 5 weeks (Ha). Watching all the videos and scientific stuff for me actually made sense, then I searched the net at the things Jacob was talking about and got more proof that he was on to something and right about the science. It also explained to me why I had hit an unbreakable plateau in my weight loss journey and what to do about it. I also learned that it wasn’t weight loss I was really after but body fat percentage loss. Bellyproof was the best program and blog that completely addressed all the issues to fat loss and my situation. It explained how I was my own worst enemy in many ways and how insulin resistance, lack of any exercise, gut health and poor nutrition or nutrition understanding for the most part was working against me. Jacob and team really have done it all, worked it all out, explained it all, put it all together and done absolutely everything, honestly, they have brought the horses to the water and shoved their heads in it, the only thing left for you to do is DO IT! FOLLOW IT. He’s even there to encourage you through it and answer your emails  

 

If you’re a Lilly-livered wouse, not serious, lack commitment, lack faith and trust and or heart then honestly it’s not for you, it’s not for the faint hearted: it is for those who have the determination, discipline, and courage to put their faith in a comprehensive fat-loss solution and those who will TRUST AND FOLLOW THE PROCESS!!!. 

So suck it up Sugar Cookies!!

GET OFF YOUR ASS, STOP PROCRASTINATING, TOMORROW NEVER COMES!

LETS GO PRINCESS

HINTS AND TIPS (ADVICE)

  1. Give it a 100%, give it all you have for 5 short weeks

  2. Get all your ducks in a row before you start.

  3. WATCH ALL THE VIDEOS !!!!

  4. WATCH ALL THE WORKOUT VIDEOS AND LEARN THEM!!! As well as the progressions

  5. DO THE WORKOUT EXERCISES AND LEARN TO DO THEM PROPERLY BEFORE YOU START THE PROGRAM

  6. DO ALL THE MOBILITY EXERCISES AND LEARN TO DO THEM PROPERLY BEFORE YOU START THE PROGRAM

  7. Don’t weigh yourself daily it will drive you nuts and infuriate and demoralize you when after some initial loses it goes back UP!. Leave it alone, you will be told when to weight yourself and record the weight within the program. As best as I can figure you lose some water weight at the start which must be unavoidable, so the program makes you restore it. If you really need to then weigh yourself once a week at the same time and day, anything more than that will drive you insane! Leave it alone go do your thing, let the weigh-in be the most pleasant surprise you’ve had in ages.

  8. Focus on beating yourself and not the scale

 

Please let me elaborate on these. Give yourself a few days before you start. You will need time to get some things together, to read through everything and watch everything and learn everything. So get confident and comfortable with the day to day and the workouts before you officially start the program. Set up reminders or alarms on your phone for some things if you need to.

Watch all the videos until they end, especially the workout ones. All the progressions and versions of them are in there, whether you do it in a gym or at home, its in the video and how to make them harder. Trust me you will need to know how to make them harder, you will end up progressing. Don’t assume or think that you will start with that many reps or weight and finish there, if you did that you are cheating yourself and wasting your time and energies. Jacob and others actually give you the proper form and technique in the videos, where you should feel stuff and where you shouldn’t so that you do it properly and don’t get hurt or strain something.

The other reasons to do them all before you start is to get your starting point. For instance I made the mistake of thinking that I would need 4-5kg pack for everything, had I of done and learned things and tried things before I started I would have been able to work out that yes 4-5 kgs was true for some things, but I could do 12kgs for example in the Renegades and 8kgs for the Get-ups etc. So, when I do this again I will do it again knowing what my true starting points are on everything and go from there. I’ll also know the reps. The exercises have varying reps and rep ranges. So rather than instinctively start at the lowest or minimum take the time to actually do them and work out whether that is truly where you start from or is it actually 1-2 reps higher or can you already do the max reps. Remember this is only for your own benefit and gains (or losses whichever way you look at it) so be honest with yourself and not lazy. You have no idea how proud you will be of yourself and how far you will get in 5 short weeks.

Don’t ignore the mobility stuff and don’t think it’s a bonus or separate from the workout. I initially did them to give myself more “breathing time” before the next “Actual part of the workout” in short, I'm an idiot. Here’s why, not only do they make you more flexible and limber, but it is doing two other things that I didn’t realize until near the end. Firstly, it’s stretching you and preparing you for an upcoming thing so once again you don’t get hurt or strain or pull a muscle, but the truly sneaky scientific part of it is that Jacob is maxing out your workout, building your compression strength and form. Here's my example; when I started, I sucked at squats and I can honestly say that I was not getting and incapable of doing the full range of motion, I'm the wrong side of 40, my limber days were long behind me (so I thought…) and don’t get me started on my knees, what I didn’t realize is that three of the mobility stretches I did, were actually making me more limber in the hips and hip flexors, thighs, knees and back so that each time I did squats I was actually going lower and lower and getting better and better. By the start of phase 3 I had a freak out moment when my butt actually hit my own ankles! Now I was lifting double the weight and getting the full range of correct motion without getting hurt or stressing my knees. So what I thought was a breather, was not only part of the workout but it was working to ensure that other parts of the workouts were Harder, deeper, higher, longer.

Get all your ducks in a row. In other words, make sure have everything and are ready for the changes before they happen. This will make the program a breeze in many ways. The best example of this I can give you from experience and it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or women and especially if you’re doing this from home or park and not a gym. GET ALL THE WEIGHTS NOW AND KEEP THEM HANDY. What you don’t want happening is that you get to the point where you need to increase the weight for something, and you don’t have it. On top of everything else in your day do you really want to be stressing out about and scrambling to find another or heavier dumbbell or Kettlebell or whatever? Get it all at the start and I say as much as 20kgs. Workout what you need for everything and have the next weight up with you ready to go for a fast and smooth swap out. You wont need everything for every workout, they all differ, so you can just take what you'll need for that specific workout.

The previous tip ties in with this one, Challenge yourself. Don’t focus on the scales or weight. Instead focus on YOU, compete against YOU. The one thing I made sure of from the start was making sure that I was as wasted on the last day as I was my first day. I never wanted to have an “easy” day. Truth be told the first time I did Zombies I had to stop, my heart was thumping so hard and I was so out of breath, my lungs were on fire, my legs burning and I honestly truly thought I was going to at the very least pass out, but I thought I could die, it was scary, I was thinking about quitting right there and then. I backed off a bit and continued because I realized that I could die trying or the obesity and poor health was going to kill me. I held on to that feeling for everything. So if something wasn’t as full on as yesterday then I pushed myself to do one more rep, if I was at max reps then I went back to minimum reps or minimum plus one rep but with more weight, or escalated from the level 1 variation of something to level 2. I was always beating myself and making sure I gave it all I had and left it all out there in the workout. Then I had the pride of knowing I gave it my all the rest of the day and no niggling thoughts of well I could have done… doing this is not only the principal of progressive overload but its how you know that you are making progress, you are getting fitter, stronger, better at something. Its your own proof positive of your own progress. You can’t argue with yourself or deny yourself when today you lifted 5kgs more and for 3 more reps than this time last week.

As for weighing yourself it’s really not necessary and you are going to get so many other indicators throughout the program and hopefully not as embarrassing as one of mine. In my first week I noticed physical differences in my body. In the second week my compression top wasn’t compressing as it did before. I now had gaps in my arms and armpit areas. My workout shorts needed to be tied tighter. In fact before I even got to phase 4 I had to buy new ones. My previous shorts were my congrats your down to 80kgs (from a peak of 97.5kgs/214lbs) make sure you never get too fat to wear them again shorts and are a medium 34in waist. 2 days before finishing phase 3 I was in the park doing the workout and I was doing an Abs hold, so as I went up, my pants went down (don’t laugh) I was surrounded by Oldies doing their constitutionals and others working out and walking dogs. The shorts basically didn’t fit and were too big. So I didn’t need a scale to tell me that my body had changed and I had lost fat from my hips. My new shorts are a 30in waist!

Now What?

I’m away from home a present for the next three weeks, and a little upset that I can’t make or finish the video I started. I am however doing maintenance stuff and parts of the workout that I can do on the road. I’m also getting into the Bellyproof Muscle side now as well.  By the way it’s not over as soon as the program finishes. You can get access to other stuff, you get info on other things you can do and maintenance workouts. There is nothing stopping you from taking all the workouts and making a Frankenstein of it for yourself. I’ll probably do it all again to lose even more, but that’s because now I know and am motivated to want to do Calisthenics and Bodyweight training and get serious about it. I also know now without a doubt it works and what I can do even better this time around, also I’m on the road to Muscle ups, Human and Dragon flags, Planches, Back and front levers, L-Sits to Handstands, Shrimp flips, Bar Wars and all that cool skill functional body stuff. Losing more weight is just going make it easier to get started and to get shredded. I bought some Wooden rings and plan on incorporating those into future workouts, and in the second time around doing the ring progression versions. Besides I really do think and can see that Bellyproof is the path for me in getting my 8 pack abs with the V-cut that I dared to fantasize about in the past and now can actually become a reality. THANKS JACOB!

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Round Two

Okay, as previously stated, I have decided to do Round 2. I Will write it all up for you again and include videos this time. there are...

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