Are you looking to burn fat, lose weight, get leaner, and build that confident body that you desire?

Below I will share some lessons I've learned as I've dropped down under 10% body fat that will help you on that journey.

I've maintained a relatively lean and fit lifestyle for most of my life. I'd say on average it's been relatively easy for me to maintain 14-16% body fat with very little dieting efforts. I've also certainly let myself get up closer to 20% at several periods of life.

I say that so you know that I'm by no means genetically gifted in being lean. If anything, whether it's my Polish and Irish descent, I'm very good at eating potatoes and holding onto fat. This is a good thing if we ever face a famine, but not ideal for seeing your abs.

At several points in my life, with more focused dieting efforts, I would be able to get down close to 12%. But I would usually let life (or excuses) get in the way of pushing it any further.

But this year - for the first time in my life - I dropped under 10% body fat.

It was something I've always wanted to do. I enjoy seeing what's possible when it comes to my body. I enjoy the process of pursuing and achieving a goal.

And with a lot of support, encouragement, and permission from my wife - I decided to go for it.

For reference, here was the timeline and results on this recent cut:

• Start Date - 2/1/24
  • 195 lbs
  • 14-15% Body Fat
• End Date - 7/15/24
  • 178 lbs
  • 8.8% Body Fat

Dropping to a single digit body fat percentage is something that most people will never do. And to be honest, you might have no desire to drop under 10% body fat (or under 20% for most women).

But if you're looking to drop any amount of body fat, improve how you look/feel, and improve your confidence in how you look - there are some things you need to know.

Whether you're looking to drop under 10% body fat for the first time (or under 15% or 20%) - I believe these lessons can help you do that more successfully.

Here Are 8 Lessons Learned On My Way To 8.8% Body Fat:

1. You Might Have More Fat To Lose Than You Think

This one surprised me. Starting at 195 lbs, I would have guessed I had about 10 lbs to lose to get to the physique I wanted. I realized that was an inner dialogue I had for several years. I always felt like I was only 10 lbs away from my goal weight.

After quickly dropping the first 8-10 lbs, and monitoring my body fat percentage, I realized I was wrong. I have many clients that think they're only 10-15 lbs away from their ideal weight. While losing the first 10 lbs is a great start for general health (among many other things) it might not be enough to notice the desirable changes in your body that you're after.

I'd recommend checking your body fat percentage at the beginning. Do a few calculations to determine how much weight you actually will have to lose to get to your goal body fat percentage (accounting for decreases in muscle mass along the way).

2. Don't Start Your Calories Too Low

While there are some things I would have done differently on this journey, my calorie targets are something I would not have changed a bit.

I know way too many people that cut their calories too aggressively up front. This has a few drawbacks:

• The early part of your cutting process is usually the easiest to lose weight. Take advantage of that by starting with a smaller calorie deficit.
• Starting too low can be too big of a shock for your body, actually causing you to hold onto more body fat or burning muscle.
• If you start low, it's harder to go lower when you hit a plateau. This is extremely important for mental sanity, sticking to your diet, and long-term success.

I lost at a near textbook rate of 1lb/week, over several months, while only having to lower my calories ONE time. And my ending calorie intake was around 2,150 per day which is MUCH higher than the 1,700-1,800 calories per day many men I know finish their cut at (points #3 and #4 below are a big reason for this)

As a general rule, aim for 0.8-1.2 lbs of weekly weight loss and don't go too aggressive out of the gate (unless you're doing much shorter cut). 

3. Muscle Matters When It Comes To Metabolism

If you want to successfully burn fat and get leaner, your muscle mass is the number one variable to pay attention to. Having more muscle mass has several benefits as you drop weight:

• You won't be 'skinny fat' and you'll look better even at a higher weight. Low muscle mass leads to people seeing lower numbers on the scale, but still not having that lean or toned look.
• Your metabolism will be higher. This will allow you to burn more weight at a higher number of calories. This makes dieting WAY easier and enjoyable
• You'll set yourself up for less likelihood of regaining weight after your fat burning phase (see point #7 for more on this)

So if you're getting ready to start a fat burning journey, the first priority is to have as much muscle as you can before you start. If you're already on journey, do everything you can to prioritize strength training throughout this process to maintain as much muscle as possible.

Despite dropping over 10 lbs between my body fat tests, only lost 1.3 lbs of that was muscle (it's normal to lose some muscle as you drop to lower body fat percentages). This allowed me to keep calorie counts higher throughout my cut.

Whether you're dieting or not, prioritize 2-3 days of full body resistance training.

4. Increasing Your Step Count Is Key

I can't tell you how many people I talk to that think this is too simple or too basic to actually work. Instead of increasing their walking, they try to add in more workouts or cardio. Which leaves them hungry, tired, and miserable.

As you diet and lose weight, your metabolism is already lower. This is because your overall weight is lower, the food you're consuming is less, and you naturally move less throughout the day (your body wants to conserve energy, not help you see your abs).

I hit one minor weight loss plateau towards the middle of my journey around 188 lbs. I added about 30 minutes of walking each day, and then I continued to lose weight at a rate of at least 1lb/week almost every week after that, from changing that one variable alone.

Hitting a plateau? Add 15-30 minutes extra of walking in each day to combat a lower metabolism. Just trust me - it works.

5. Intermittent Fasting Isn't Magic - But It Makes It Feel A Lot Less Like Dieting

I love intermittent fasting. It's not for everyone, and it's not magic, but I utilize it with all of my coaching clients. I've utilized it personally for the past 10+ years. I use it because it works.

However, it doesn't work because of some special fasting benefits. It works because:

• The fasting part becomes pretty easy once you get acclimated to it
• It's easier to maintain a calorie deficit for most people
• You can eat meals that don't make you feel like you're dieting
• It takes your mind off of food all day. When I tried eating 5 small meals spread out throughout the day, I found myself always thinking about my next meal.

Throughout this fat burning phase, I would routinely enjoy 1,000 calorie meals (that's a lot of food when you're dieting). Women tend to do well with ~12-14 hour fasting windows, where men can get away with ~14-18 hour windows.

If you're worried about withering away, not getting enough protein, or losing your gains - remember I only lost about 1 lb of muscle (which is usually much lower than what many will lose when dieting).

6. Don't Cut For Too Long

This was one of the biggest things I would have done differently. I stretched my cut out for too long, which led to several negative side effects:

• Low energy/mood
• Excessive cravings
• Inability to stay consistent with tracking for several weeks in a row
• Noticeable decreases in strength/performance within the gym

Some of those are probably inevitable when you get to lower body fat percentages, but I also think some of those could have been avoided with a shorter cutting phase.

The risk about running your cut for too long, aside from feeling miserable, is sacrificing too much muscle along the way. This will hurt the way you look in the short and long-term.

Start thinking about the long game. Instead of thinking about one big fat burning phase that will get you all the way to your goals, consider doing multiple smaller fat burning phases over the course of 1-2 years (broken up by muscle building phases).

This will make it more enjoyable and actually lead to better results long-term.

7. Have A Plan Coming Out

I've been guilty of this one in the past, and it's messed me up.

Coming out of your diet is probably more important than the diet itself. You can literally undo the past weeks and months of discipline if you do this wrong (like I did many times).

I've come out of diets so happy to be done with them, only to celebrate with a big meal where I binge out. This usually led to a whole snowball of bad choices over the coming days and weeks - and just like that I put 5-10 lbs back on over the next couple months.

Your body is more susceptible to gaining weight back after a fat burning phase. That's why so many people gain the weight back they lost (and more) after dieting.

As tempting as it is to 'celebrate' with food, it's important to have a disciplined plan to coming out of your diet.

For me it looked like this:

• Starting diet: 2,350 calories/day
• Ending diet: 2,150 calories/day
• 1-2 week diet transition: 2,400 calories/day
• Increase to estimated maintenance: 2,650 calories/day
• *I'm also testing a reverse dieting strategy to gradually increase my maintenance calories over several months. This is an advanced strategy, and possibly unnecessary depending on how long you were cutting or how your current metabolism is. My plan is to focus on muscle building over the next 6 months and settle in around 10-12% body fat at maintenance

Expect to spend 0.5x to 1x the length you spent dieting in a maintenance or muscle building phase (ex: if you spent 6 months eating in a calorie deficit, you should spend at least 3-6 months at a calorie maintenance or surplus before dieting again). Your body needs to recover (physically and mentally) from dieting efforts.

8. Confidence Comes From Inside > Outside Changes

I look leaner and more fit than I probably ever have. Yet I realized it wasn't seeing more ab or arm definition that gave me that confidence.

I know so many people that lose weight or get super fit - yet have an extremely unhealthy low levels of confidence and body dysmorphia. 

It's sad, because most people trying to lose weight and get leaner are doing it for some increase in confidence.

I think my 'success' in this area - to feel fulfilled and content with where I'm at - is a result of all the internal work that God has done in me over the past 5+ years. In the past I would have kept trying to push it even further. Thinking that being a little leaner and little more weight would get me that confidence I was looking for.

Celebrate your success whether it's losing 5 lbs or 50 lbs. Know that more weight lost or lower body fat percentages won't bring you confidence on its own. But it's also importance to celebrate the process of losing weight. To do that requires discipline, integrity, sacrifice, and delayed gratification on your way to a bigger goal. These are character traits and habits that are worth celebrating, and the real things that bring confidence.

If you're looking to follow the same protocol I've been following (with workouts and nutrition recommendations), click here and DM me the word 'protocol' and I'll send over the muscle building/fat burning guide I used to drop below 10% body fat.