Well damn …
You sure know how to pick a guy up when he’s down.
Seriously, thank you for the messages and support yesterday.
It was exactly what I needed.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about … I got a little emotional and down on myself and vented about it.
Get used to it … I share everything here lol.
Anyway, as a token of my appreciation, I’m going to give you something.
Here’s exactly what I would do right now if I wanted to lose body fat and get leaner but also didn’t want to feel restricted or deprived over the next 3-6 months.
I’m picking a manageable timeframe so you can follow through and execute.
You may not like the advice.
Totally cool if you don’t.
Keep in mind … there’s more than one way to accomplish a goal.
Remember that only having one path to achieve an outcome is very risky and low probability.
High optionality is always a good idea.
It’s pretty straightforward … most programs are one-trick ponies. And most programs don’t work.
It’s not a coincidence.
How to Get Leaner in 3-6 Months
Anyway, here’s your game plan for the next 3-6 months IF you want to get leaner and set yourself up for future success and freedom through the process.
Consider the next couple of weeks the “data gathering” period.
Ideally, we’d do this for a month but let’s just shorten it up for the sake of getting some quick wins under our belts.
If you need a deeper explanation of how this works and why it’s so important, go listen to the podcast episode that I released today.
Search Mind Over Macros on any podcast platform and download episode 288 called “The Most Effective Calorie Calculator.”
Or, you can just click here to listen on Spotify.
Step 1: Track Your Intake
To begin, you’re going to track your intake for 2 weeks.
Pick a starting point and go. It’s not super important where you start.
Use a body weight multiplier like BW x 12-14 or go to tdeecalculator.org.
Or, just keep doing what you’re currently doing and track it.
You’ll want to track calories, protein, fuck it meals, fuck it days, alcohol, and steps.
You should probably take some pictures, measurements, and weight.
If you have a poor relationship with the scale … get over it.
Joking. Monitor your weight as much as you’re comfortable with.
It’s just data. If you can view it as such then log it daily. If not, do what you’re comfortable with.
Do not track or give two flying fucks about calories burned during exercise or throughout the day.
It’s only going to distract you and those numbers are worthless.
Step 2: Evaluate Weight, Body Composition & Overall Results
At the end of the two weeks we should have some clear patterns.
Based on the amount of calories consumed on average, the amount of protein consumed on average, the amount of fuck it meals, the amount of fuck it days, the amount of alcohol you drank, and the number of steps you took on average …
What happened?
Body composition either stayed the same, got worse, or improved.
Step 3: Get Leaner with a Fat Loss Phase
Now we can roll into a fat loss phase.
Again, you can spend a month in this data gathering period, which would probably be a good idea. But I also know that patience is sometimes challenging when you’ve got goals.
The most effective approach for your fat loss phase is going to depend on what we learned based on real life data.
If your body comp improved … you don’t need to change anything. Just keep going.
If your body comp stayed the same … you get to choose the easiest card to play.
Keep in mind, we’re just playing one card at a time.
What I mean is … let’s say body comp stayed the same but you drank a lot of alcohol and had a decent amount of fuck-it days.
We don’t want to change your calories, steps, alcohol, and fuck it days all at once.
Pick one card and play it.
What’s going to be the easiest to adjust?
Want to cut down on alcohol? Cool. Pick that card and go.
Step 4: Monitor Progress
The best part about doing it this way is that if you start to make progress … you get to keep those fuck it days in your back pocket.
Most people change everything all at once. Most people don’t reach their goals.
Around these parts, we try to avoid being like most people.
If the card you played didn’t work. Play the next one that you feel the most confident in playing.
You’ve got plenty of levers to pull. Just go one at a time.
You’ll find the sweet spot and your body will respond.
Then, ride that shit out as long as you’re making progress.
When things stall … play the next card.
Step 5: Keep Going Until You Get Leaner or Achieve the Results You Want
You can take this approach for about 6-12 weeks depending on what your body is communicating with you.
Or until you’re happy with your results.
There should be plenty of flexibility and freedom doing it this way because you’ll know exactly how many fuck it meals, fuck it days, and alcohol you can include while still making progress.
If you end up playing all your cards … game is over.
You gotta switch gears and start slowly accumulating more cards again.
That’s kind of the idea behind metabolic priming.
It’s like stacking the deck in your favor.
It should go without saying … but I’m gonna say it anyway.
You’ll need some solid habits to carry you through this entire thing.
Pick 2-3 anchors that you do every single day … like forever.
Not just for the next few weeks. But for life.
Anchors might be … 2 servings of veggies each day, a walk each day, drinking 100 oz. of water, doing 10 minutes of self care, getting 8 hours of sleep, eating protein with each meal, etc.
That’s not a comprehensive list. Just some ideas.
Once you’re ready to shift gears back to metabolic priming …
Gradually add calories back and continue to monitor body comp.
I suspect, if done correctly, you’ll see even more changes for the better.
I would need to write an additional outline on how to do this effectively and this is already getting pretty long.
But this outline should give you enough to get started.
Want to Get Leaner Faster and See Better Results? Consider One-On-One Nutrition Coaching.
If it feels overwhelming and you don’t trust yourself to execute …
There’s something very comforting and assuring about having a precise plan based on your needs and the accountability to get shit done.
Just something to consider.
Hope this helps.
