Author, Six Weeks to Skinny Jeans(2012)
NSCA-certified celebrity trainer
Fitness writer
Has invented home exercise equipment
One of Nashville’s 25 Most Beautiful People, 2008
Married, Jim
6 Children: Kali, 21; Tyler, 18; Denver, 10; Greer, 9; Chase, 7; Sky, 4
GUEST BIO
Amy Cotta: Six Weeks to Skinny Jeans
By
The 700 Club
CBN.com -FROM FABULOUS TO FLABBY
Amy started working out when she was 13 and entering competitions. When she was 16, Amy started teaching group fitness classes. Since then Amy has become a certified trainer, master instructor, boot camp owner, product spokesperson and cover model for several fitness magazines. Then Amy married, got divorced, remarried and got pregnant with her fourth child….all within 2 years. Almost overnight she went from 3 kids to 6 and became a grandmother a year later at the age of 40. (Greer and Chase are her “bonus children” not step children.) Her total weight gain was between 20 and 25 pounds.
In 2007 while she was 7 months pregnant with Sky, Amy got rear-ended at a dead stop which landed her in the hospital in pre-mature labor and resulted in a back problem. After months of rehab, she found herself tired, injured and unable to exercise. So she took up a new hobby: eating! Amy says she totally gave up on her former fit self. She stopped eating and exercising the way she used to and definitely stopped looking the way she used to. (She calls this a case of the IUsedTo!) One day, Amy looked in the mirror. She didn’t like what she saw. She thought “Who are you?” That was when she decided to get back into shape.
SKINNY JEANS SUCCESS
Amy says skinny jeans are like a trophy to many women. A Special K 2010 poll found that 35% of women claim to keep a pair of these trophy jeans hoping to fit in them again one day. Amy says the secret to skinny jeans success is three-fold: DEA or diet, exercise and attitude. She says the most important is attitude. “If your head and heart aren’t in the plan, the plan won’t happen,” she says.
Her diet plan is calorie-restricted. “There’s no other way to do it. Calories in. Calories out,” says Amy. Her plan incorporates two eating plans: Ignite and Melt and trims fast-burning carbohydrates for the first 3 weeks then reintroduces and manages those carbs for the second half of the plan. For the first 3 weeks, Amy says the main goal is to eat mostly vegetables followed by lean protein and dairy. No fried, dipped or filled with sugar foods! For the second 3 weeks, Amy says to add fruits and some multi-grain carbs.
Since people are usually making huge dietary changes, Amy strongly suggests using a food log. “You must track every bite of food that goes into your mouth,” she says. Amy also suggests exercise and says that you can exercise at home. Use dumbbells for resistance or bands. Her motto: Be your own kind of skinny. Whether that is a size 6 or 16, Amy says to let your skinny jeans be your guide.
Amy will demo the following:
- Skinny Minis: bite-sized egg muffins packed with 11 grams of protein. Great for breakfast on the go or in your lunch. Page 132
- Skinny Beef Kebobs: fun way to add more protein to your diet using steak or chicken. Can substitute shrimp or scallops. Add more veggies like Portobello mushrooms, zucchini, squash or onions. Page 134
- Skinny Zucchini Fries: when you are dying for French fries! Pair these up with a turkey burger in a lettuce leaf! Page 144.
- Skinny Chocolate Delight: low-calorie, protein-packed chocolate dessert. Packs 7 grams of protein. Amy’s favorite dessert. Page 149
Amy says she didn’t find her deep-rooted faith until she started taking care of herself again. “I realized my body is a temple,” says Amy. “You need to have faith and faith in yourself to make these changes. We only have one body, one life.” As far as messing up, Amy says today is always a new day.
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