The High Performance Journal - December 26th, 2023

Today, I've got something special for you - a plan that's transformed thousands of lives, and if you commit to it, it'll have you in the best shape of your life by the end of this year.

Now, before we dive in, I've got to set the record straight: This isn't a magic pill or a quick-fix solution. If that's what you're after, stop reading now.

This plan is for people who have had enough of the weight loss roller coaster and tired of feeling low on energy. It's for people who want to feel confident about their bodies and are willing to put in the work to claim the body they know they deserve.

Body transformation is a marathon that is comprised of multiple sprints (as you'll see later in this article).

It’s like a puzzle where the pieces involve both your mind and body.

On the physical side, you've got hormones that come into play.

There's Ghrelin, the hunger hormone that spikes as you lose weight. And there’s Leptin, the appetite hormone, which decreases when you shed those pounds. The more weight you lose the more your body plays tricks on you.

On the psychological side, you've got emotions you need to deal with.

Even something like childhhoood trauma​ can add to the complexity of someone trying to lose weight.

The key here is to be proactive and address these issues before they derail your progress.

So let's embrace this journey with a long-term mindset, and you’ll join that 50% who not only lose weight but keep it off.

Don’t, and you might find yourself back on the roller coaster come next year. I won’t let that happen, not on my watch.

You ready? Let’s go…

Your Roadmap to Losing 20 Pounds of Fat (and keeping it off)

1. Take it one step at a time. Aim to lose 10% of your body weight before moving forward. This keeps your hormones (mentioned in the intro) in check and ensures sustainable progress.
   
   
2. After that initial success, give your body a break. Spend 50-100% of your dieting time eating at maintenance levels. This helps your hormones find balance, sets a new baseline, and offers a great opportunity to build muscle.
   
   
3. Keep carb intake low if you live in a cold climate that lacks sun. Access to UV rays can have an impact on your insulin sensitivity, which can alter your ability to lose weight. A good practice is to keep carb intake to 100-120 grams in the winter and to increase it in the warmer months.
   
   
4. Find out your calories. Here's a quick way to figure out your caloric intake:
   
   Take your total body weight and multiply it by...
   
   8 if you have more than 40 pounds to lose
   9 if you have 20-40 pounds to lose
   10 if you have under 20 pounds to lose 
   
   
5. Fuel your body with real food, loaded with veggies. This allows you to eat more while consuming fewer calories, and it’ll improve your mood and energy levels while curbing hunger.
   
   
6. Slow down, savor your meals mindfully, and aim for 80% fullness. Chew food so much until it turns into liquid in your mouth, and check in with yourself to gauge your hunger. Aim to be ​8 out of 10 on the fullness scale​ when finishing a meal.
   
   
7. Forget about perfection; ditch the “all or nothing” mentality. Shoot for 80-90% adherence to your plan, and you’ll still see remarkable results.
   
   
8. Stay hydrated. Start your day with water, sip before meals, and replace mindless snacking with more water. This keeps you feeling full and energized. Aim for 2-3 liters of water a day.
   
   
9. Purge your home of binge-triggering foods. Don’t let them tempt you; remove them from your environment. A big part of getting in shape is avoiding the foods that cause you to overconsume.
   
   
10. Eat the right amount of protein. Maintain muscle and metabolism by consuming ​0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound​' of body weight while losing weight.
    
    
11. Incorporate strength circuits into your routine. Three sessions per week and 30 minutes a session with 5-6 exercises per session, using progressive overload, will help you build muscle while shedding fat. This is the foundation of our ​Lean Body 90 protocol​.
    
    
12. Sync your meal times with your sleep and wake cycle. Eat your last meal at least 3-5 hours before bedtime and your first meal 1-3 hours after waking up. This stabilizes your energy and hunger levels throughout the day. This is called ​eating to your circadian rhythms​.
    
    
13. Simplify your schedule. Consistency is key. Stick to a daily meal plan that works for you. For instance, here’s mine on a fat loss journey:
    
    6 am - Wake up
    8 am: Protein shake with greens powder and fruit.
    12 pm: 4-egg omelet with egg whites and broccoli.
    5:30 pm: 350-400g of steak or salmon with potatoes and veggies.
    Sleep by 9:30 pm.
    
    
14. Manage your emotions. If you’re ​an emotional eater​, journal your stress and emotions. Dive deep to find their roots and heal from awareness.
    
    
15. Keep a food diary. Do this to gain awareness about what foods you eat, the times you eat them, and why you eat them to gain awareness around your habits.
    
    
16. Get moving aiming for 8 to 10k steps. ​Getting more steps​ helps boost your energy, elevate your mood, and help burn calories. A great way to do this is by using a treadmill desk to get those extra steps.
    
    
17. Put your workouts in your schedule. Mark it in red and make sure you treat it as a flight that you can't miss.
    
    
18. Measure what you manage. Track your progress: weigh yourself regularly, measure inches, and take photos. It gives you a full picture of where you’re starting from.
    
    
19. Optimize your sleep habits. Consistent sleep patterns regulate hunger and boost energy levels.
    
    
20. Go alcohol-free. Limit alcohol intake, or better yet, cut it out. Empty calories, disrupted sleep, increased stress - they’re not worth it.
    
    
21. Control your thoughts, self-talk, and vision for yourself. Your thoughts shape your reality. Your self-talk trains your subconscious mind. Your vision of yourself shapes your self-image. Use all of them to point your mind to your desired target.
    
    
22. Embrace the long game. Most people overestimate what they can do in six weeks and underestimate what they can achieve in a year.
    
    
23. Emphasize lifestyle over outcomes. Focus on adopting these habits as part of your identity.
    
    
24. Get expert coaching. The quickest path to your goals is ​getting a qualified coach to guide and hold you accountable​ on this journey.
    
    

Time To Take Action

So, there you have it. This is your roadmap to shedding the weight and making 2024 your fittest year ever.

It took me two decades of coaching and countless clients to refine these strategies. Now, you’ve got them at your fingertips, so you can bypass all the confusion and get straight to action.

Remember, setting a goal is just the beginning; you must become the change you seek. Along the way, heal the areas in your life that led to the weight gain in the first place.

This is the path to long-term transformation. The power is in your hands now. Take action and make it happen.

Onwards and upwards 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help:

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