If I had to start all over again at 30 percent body fat with:
my old man boobs
the love handles
the belly fat
And I wanted to get back down to a lean, defined 15 percent body fat with some barely visible abs – here’s what I’d do:
You didn’t gain all this weight overnight, so you can’t expect to lose it overnight either.
You’ll need to put in effort and energy.
But if you follow these five steps, you’ll be successful.
1. Vision and Anti-Vision
The first thing I’d do doesn’t require any working out or healthy eating at all.
But the 10 minutes it takes will double your chances of being successful.
Here’s a quote / idea from Dan Koe.
Your future fitness is determined by 2 main things:
One big decision to go all in
The repetitive actions you take on a daily basis.
Without a clear vision for where you’re headed, what you’re avoiding, and why, it’s hard to make either of those things happen.
I’d sit down and have a session with the notes app to get clear on where I was headed.
With today’s date at the top, I’d write down a 1 line answer to the following questions:
What is my biggest challenge right now with my weight?
How long has this been going on?
What have I tried in the past – what worked / what didn’t?
If I keep doing what I’m doing right now, where will I end up?
Why do I want to make a change now?
If I could have a dream-come-true result for my fitness, what would that be?
What would life look like and how would it feel to do that?
Why have I not been able to figure this out up until now?
Get inspired by outlining an ideal future for yourself, and a clear vision of what you want to avoid in life.
You’ll also get some clues to what you need to do differently in order to make changes that last.
Because this probably isn’t your first rodeo, right?
Get specific here and make it personal.
Is it because you hate the way your clothes are fitting and feeling?
Or are you tired of your partner no longer finding you sexy?
In any case – Write it down whatever it is.
It’s time you started building motivation instead of just hoping it shows up.
Now that I’ve got my mind straight, it’s time to work on my body.
I know that I’ll need to start working out.
2. Build Muscle ASAP
I wouldn’t wait even a day to get started training in the weight room.
The sooner you can start building muscle, the sooner you’ll look more defined.
And building muscle while you’re losing fat can help you avoid ending up with a skinny fat look once you’ve lost all the weight.
That’s what happened to me the first time I lost 50 lb.
Just doing keto and running.
Building muscle while you’re losing fat is call Body Recomposition.
In case you want a free in-depth guide to make it happen, check out Body Recomp 101
And you’ll be moving twice as quickly toward your goal because you’re moving both sides of the equation.
It doesn’t need to be anything crazy, either.
I’d do 3 full body workouts per week, focused on basic exercises like squats, rows, deadlifts, pressing, pulling, and direct arm exercises for biceps and triceps.
4 muscle building principles for faster progress
Pick exercises that target muscles you want to grow, without irritating your joints.
Train relatively close to the point where you can’t do any more quality reps.
Add reps, weight, or a combination of the two over time wherever possible.
Do 3-5 sets per exercise per body part, 3 days per week, keeping most sets in the 5-20 rep range.
It’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by all the information out there on building muscle.
But if you go to the gym and give a hard effort, near failure, on a few basic exercises consistently, and get stronger at them over time, you’ll see incredible results.
But most people have so many misconceptions about building muscle:
You don’t need to be a bodybuilder to do this.
You don’t need to lose weight before you do this.
You don’t need to be perfect to do this.
If you miss a session, that’s no big deal.
Just push it back a day, and get it next time.
If you’re worried about spending too much time in the gym…
Do supersets, where you pair up lower body and upper body exercises, or pushing and pulling exercises, so you don’t spend as much time resting.
You’ll get the same amount of muscle growth in a fraction of the time.
But I’m not going to sugarcoat this.
No amount of lifting will get you from 30% body fat to 15%
You’ll never lose a substantial amount of body fat if you don’t get your nutrition in order.
3. Diet for Fat Loss
I’m not talking about “eating healthy” or throwing out all the food in your pantry.
Also not talking about being dogmatic and following any one camp’s approach.
If you’re going to be buckling in for a solid weight loss that might take you several months, you’ll want to find a strategy you can stick to for more than a couple of weeks.
For you, that might mean some kind of fasting, low carb dieting, plant based dieting, or something else.
But here’s what I would do.
I’ve actually gone from 30% to 15% fat.
What worked for me is The 50:1 Principle.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the 80/20 principle, or Pareto Principle..
80 percent of the results you get come from just 20 percent of the things you do.
Some tasks are inherently higher value than others, right?
If you’re trying to get laid:
talking to people you want to have sex with is important
dressing nicely is also important
But one of those things is where you should focus more of your effort.
Now apply the 80/20 principle to itself.
Narrow down that 20% even further.
You’ll find that 50% of the results you get come from just 1% of things you focus on.
The 50:1 Principle
You can make getting in shape a lot simpler by focusing on that 1% of tasks.
You want the best return on investment for the time you spend getting in shape.
The most bang for your buck.
And when it comes to losing body fat, THE ONE THING that will drive more progress than anything else, is losing weight.
That’s what tells your body it’s time to tap into your fat stores.
And the only way anyone has ever lost weight, was by eating fewer calories than they burned each day.
So instead of worrying about:
fasting
supplements
what time of day you eat
eating vegan, carnivore, keto, paleo, ancestral, or whatever else
Focus on the bigger ticket item:
how much you eat
It’s the missing piece of the puzzle for just about everyone.
Ignore it, and you stay stuck for good.
But what types of food are best for losing fat?
I’m not going to exclude any specific food groups.
I’ll enjoy some treats in moderation along the way.
I’ll eat pizza and ice cream on occasion and indulge in a beer here and there.
As long as it all fits within my calorie goals, I’ll keep losing fat.
If it’s something I’m going to stick to, I better be able to enjoy it, right?
Most of my diet will be fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, and lean meats.
That’s going to keep me satisfied throughout the day, and honestly it’s pretty enjoyable.
Have you ever had a steamy baked sweet potato, next to some roasted broccoli, with a crispy grilled pork chop?
For bonus points, I’d make sure I’m eating enough protein to support the muscle growth I’m stimulating in the gym.
How to know you’re eating enough protein:
1) Figure out what your goal weight would be.
2) Multiply that weight (in pounds) by 0.8.
3) Eat that many grams of protein per day.
For example:
Goal weight = 200lb
200 x 0.8 = 160
So you’d aim to eat 160g of protein per day, and ideally split it up evenly between 2-4 meals per day.
2 meals per day = 80g of protein per meal
3 meals per day = 55g of protein per meal
4 meals per day = 40g of protein per meal
I’ll know my diet is right if I’m losing around 1% of my body weight every week.
And other progress markers are moving in the right direction – more on that in the final section.
You know you need to burn more calories than you eat consistently to lose body fat…
4. Get Active
I’d lean into the types of exercise I enjoy here – so I can stick to it for longer.
I’d join a group activity that I could do at least once a week.
And I’m not talking about a workout group, bootcamp, or fitness class here.
Something like:
Pickleball
Jiujitsu
Pickup Basketball
Or even joining a hiking group
Yeah, you’re going to burn some extra calories.
You’re going to have the added accountability of other people expecting you to show up.
But you’re also going to make some new connections with other active people, which will help make the whole process so much more fun.
Lately, I’ve been doing jiujitsu and wrestling 3 days per week.
There’s nothing like the crisp high fives and smiles shared among the crew after class.
We’re all dripping in sweat, working hard toward a common goal.
It’s human nature.
You don’t get bonus points for hating your life for 20 minutes daily on the stair climber.
Make the process something you enjoy.
You’ll find that results just start to happen on autopilot.
As an added insurance policy to be sure that I’m being active enough, I’d set myself a daily step goal.
I’d enable step tracking on my smartphone inside the health app.
Or buy a cheap knockoff fitbit on Amazon to keep track of it.
I’d go for a quick 10 minute walk after my meals, when I could.
And I’d go for a longer walk in the mornings or evenings, listening to music, audiobooks, and podcasts, calling the people in my life, or just treating it as a little chill time.
Again, we’re burning calories, but we’re also improving the quality of our sleep and mental health here.
Staying positive is a super power in today’s world.
A daily step goal is the most underrated habit for losing fat – that’s why it’s part of The Four Point Fat Foss Framework I teach in Four Point Fat Loss.
I will teach you to how to shrink your waistline over the next 45 days by focusing on your steps, calories, protein and body weight.
You can enroll here.
It’ll basically turn you into your own weight loss coach.
Which is the final thing I’d do:
5. Become Your Own Coach
Nothing is more motivating than results.
Document your process and progress in order to know what’s working and why.
When you see your bodyweight moving in the right direction, and your body transforming in the progress photos you take, that’s lifechanging.
When you keep your finger on the pulse with your measurements, progress photos, and bodyweight, you also get an early warning system.
You know when things aren’t working or if you’ve hit a plateau, so you can adjust.
Having all the data in a spreadsheet, email, or in your notes app, keeps you focused on the bigger picture.
When you have a blowout weekend and go way over your calorie goal, you’ll realize that it’s not really that big of a deal at all.
When you go on vacation or get busy at work and miss a week of workouts, you’ll see that it’s just one week, and you’re going to be just fine because you can get back on track.
And look – when I say that you need to be your own coach, I don’t just mean tracking your weigh ins, measurement data, and photos…
Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.
I think about the type of things that I do for my clients.
Be compassionate with yourself when things are difficult, because trust me they will be at times.
Be honest and firm with yourself when you need to be doing a better job.
Bring yourself back on track when you inevitably fall off the wagon.
Take responsibility for the results you’re getting.
And give yourself the recognition you deserve when you hit a milestone.
Just remember that you can’t fuck this up.
Keep on working toward the goals you want to accomplish.
If you can give your best effort today, and wake up tomorrow to do the same again, you’ll eventually get as lean as you want to be.
There are 1000 ways to succeed at getting in shape, and only 1 way to lose.
Don’t give up.
– Matteo
PS: If you’re looking to drop your body fat percentage, and you need added accountability, a workout plan, and nutrition guidance…
Apply to work 1:1 with me so we can get you started – click here
