I Never Unlocked Fat Loss Until I Understood This

It's not your fault if you've tried losing weight unsuccessfully.

Our metabolism is incredibly complex.

Which means...

• Exercising more doesn't work.
• Eating less doesn't work.
• Combining more exercise with eating less certainly doesn't work.

'So what you're telling me is that it's impossible to lose weight?'

Not at all.

Because obviously exercise and diets work when it comes to weight loss.

It just doesn't work the way you think it does.

And just because you don't need to have a Masters in Metabolism doesn't mean this knowledge isn't important.

Because once I understood these truths, everything changed.

I dropped 5% bodyfat in less than 6 months while maintaining my strength.

Once I started implementing these same principles for my clients, their results skyrocketed.

Fat was falling off with less effort.

Energy was the best it's been in years.

Performance inside and outside the gym was improving.

Once you understand the principles (how it works), the process (what to do) becomes a lot easier.

Because there is one mistake I see all the time with new coaching clients.

On average they've tried a half dozen to a dozen different approaches to getting healthier and losing weight.

But none of them lasted.

And it almost always comes down to chasing the process (*what to do*), which leads them down a path that actually hurt their metabolism and their results long-term.

You may have lost weight before.

Maybe a little, or maybe a lot.

But the numbers show that there is a good chance you've gained that weight back too.

It's time to stop the rubberband and yo-yo of dieting, and find a long-term solution to fat loss and better health.

Understanding these truths about your metabolism are a great place to start:

1. Chronic Dieting Slows Down Your Metabolism

If you have a long history of dieting, it can actually be harder to lose weight. 

Restricting your calories over time slows down your metabolism.

This is a double edged sword:

• It becomes harder to lose weight when you restrict your calories
• It makes it easier to gain weight if you stop your diet or overeat

This can also bring other unwanted side effects such as impaired hormones, low energy, low libido, and chronic fatigue.

Here's the good news. 

If you find yourself in this situation, just keep reading and implement some of the following strategies outlined below. 

2. Lean Muscle Speeds Up Your Metabolism

This one might seem backwards.

'You're telling me if I want to lose weight, that I should actually add muscle?'

Yep, you're exactly right.

And if this seems scary when you're trying to lose weight, here's why you don't need to worry:

• The number on the scale is far less important than your body composition. That is why all of my clients get their body fat tested. What you're really after is looking better, feeling better, and actually being healthier on the inside (hormones, bloodwork, etc)
• The number on the scale actually takes care of itself long-term.

Here's why.

The number one driver, within your control, to a higher metabolism is how much muscle you have.

And here's where it gets even better.

This is also the only way to increase how many calories that you burn at rest.

While doing nothing.

With no extra effort.

It's estimated that each pound of muscle burns approximately 4.5 to 7 calories per day at rest. 

That might not sound like much.

But here's the quick math:

• At the end of my cut, I was still able to maintain over 162lbs of lean mass at 178lbs of total weight.
• Most men I work with are around 25-30% body fat when starting out. Assuming weight is the same, that would put them at around 126lbs of lean mass.
• Before I lose you with math...that's almost a 40lb difference in lean mass.
• On the low end that's ~160 extra calories burned per day. On the high end that's almost 300 extra calories burned...without doing anything.

While that still might not seem like an earth shattering number, anyone that's counted calories before knows how quickly that can add up.

That can be an extra 2,000 calories burned each week, essentially a whole extra day of eating, of calories that are just burned at rest.

Don't overthink the math, just go add more muscle.

3. Exercising To Burn Calories Doesn't Work

Yes, exercise does burn calories.

No, using exercise as the main way to lose weight will not help your metabolism.

Here's why.

When you exercise more, you burn some more calories, but most people overcompensate by eating more.

Remember when I said metabolism was complex?

Your body doesn't want you to shed belly fat. So when you exercise (especially at a high intensity), your body ramps up your appetite. 

You can override this by being super strict (which most people can't do long-term), but the risk of high intensity exercise and less food is a recipe for burning out your hormones, getting sick, or getting hurt when you ride that red line for long enough.

Does that mean you shouldn't exercise.

100% false.

Just know that you're exercise should accomplish two things:

• Getting stronger over time to add more muscle (see the point before this)
• Overall health benefits

You absolutely should be exercising.

But exercise alone, without any other changes, will leave you frustrated when it comes to fat loss.

4. Weight Loss = Lower Metabolism

When you lose weight, your metabolism drops.

Making it harder to lose more weight.

You've probably seen this before if you've tried to lose weight.

The first 5-10 lbs are a breeze.

As your weight continues to drop, it gets harder and harder to lose weight.

And even worse, if you're not following a good strength training program and eating enough protein, that weight you're losing might be muscle...not fat.

Which means...

Your metabolism slows down even more.

It's important to know this for three main reasons:

• It's good to know that true fat loss is going to be harder the more you lose. That's not a bad thing, it's just the way your body works.
• This is why I never start clients on super restrictive or low calorie diets for long periods of time. If you're already struggling to hit your low calorie targets, cutting calories further will only hurt your results and make you miserable.
• There is a solution to this: move more, keep protein high, and keep strength training.

See the last point for more on these secret weapons.

5. Use These 'Secret' Weapons To A Higher Metabolism

I won't drag this one out. 

We can talk more about why these work so well another time, but here are the secret weapons you have to be using if your goal is fat loss:

• NEAT: If you've been following along, I've wrote about this quite a bit before (here is a good summary). Basically NEAT is all the extra movement you can do throughout the day when you're not exercising. It's estimated that this can account for 15-50% of calories burned in active individuals. While this is mostly out of your control, focus less on burning calories through exercise and more through moving more throughout the day.
• Protein: I haven't been on social media a ton, but based on conversations with clients, friends, and family - I know everyone and their grandmothers are talking about eating more protein. I think it's gotten a little extreme, but I'm certainly not hating on it either. Protein has a much higher thermic effect, which basically means it burns a lot more calories to digest it compared to carbs or fats. It also helps keep you full for longer, helps with recovery, and helps you maintain muscle when your dieting (which you now know is certainly a good thing). Moral of the story - eat more protein. If you're serious about maximizing results, 0.7-0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight seems to be the sweet spot.
• Sleep/Stress/Sunlight: Get more sleep (7-9 hours per night), manage your stress (chill out and put your phone down), and get more sunlight (15-60 minutes per day). None of these are magic on their own, but all of these help balance out your hormones and overall health - making reaching your goals even easier.

Remember...

You're not a failure for trying to lose weight and not succeeding.

Unfortunately your metabolism doesn't care about you getting lean and getting healthy.

But that doesn't mean it's impossible.

And honestly, it's not even that hard once you start focusing on the right things.

I use these principles with each client to help put together a personalized program that actually gets results.

If you're ready to work 1 on 1 with me, with guaranteed results, click here to fill out a form for my coaching program. There are a limited number of new clients I can take on each month, so if you want to get in for the start of 2025, now is the time to apply.