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10 easy habits to get to 12% body fat. Whether you're at 25 years of age or 75, these are my secret weapons of fat loss. These are the same 10 principles that have worked for my fian Sashin in his 20s, Tori in his 30s, Harry in his 40s, who by the way never left his house to be able to do this. Donnie in his 50s, Dr. Gregory in his 60s, Dr. Doug in his 70s, and even Dwayne in his 80s. So, they can do it. You can absolutely do it. Let's not waste time and dive straight in.
Habit number one, ERW, eating restricted walking. The number one exercise I give to all of my clients isn't burpees or high-intensity interval training or crossfit. It's walking. And I know what you're thinking, Dr. Mike, walking, that's it. I call it the silent shredder because it does what most workouts can't do. It specifically targets the fat that matters the most. And here is why it works. When you walk at a steady pace, up to 70% of the calories you're burning is coming from fat. Comparing that to running, where 50% is coming from fat. Even better, walking goes after visceral fat first, that dangerous fat that wraps around your organs like toxic sludge. And unlike high-intensity workouts that spike your cortisol, your stress hormones, and crank up your appetite, walking actually lowers cortisol and helps you stay in control of your hunger.
So, what can we do with this information? Here's the exact coaching protocol that I use with my clients. We target an 8,000 step bare minimum, and we work our way up to 12,000 to 15,000 steps a day. Now, before you start making excuses about not having time, let's give you the system that makes this effortless. I teach something called walking snacks. Instead of thinking you need one massive walk, we break it into 10-minute chunks throughout the day. So 1,000 steps equals 10 minutes of walking. So we're talking about small walking breaks that's going to fit into your existing schedule. So for example, 10 minutes can come from taking phone calls while you're walking, parking the car far at the end of the parking lot, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. And once you've built this foundation, here are two techniques that I call metabolic boosters that will take this to the next level. The first one is walking in a fasted state. And here's exactly what it works. Finish dinner by 8:00 p.m. The next morning, have a black coffee and walk for 30 to 60 minutes before your breakfast. And this is going to create a 12 to 14 hour fasted window. And research shows that fasted exercise targets visual fat more effectively because your body has no choice but to burn fat for energy. And stick around because later in the video, we'll dive deeper into fasting as a principle. The second technique is Japanese interval walking. The breakdown is this. I want you to warm up for 5 minutes of walking and then alternate 3 minutes of a challenging pace walking with 3 minutes of a comfortable pace walking and repeat this for five times for 30 minutes. And studies show that this boosts your cardiovascular fitness by 15%. And these same studies have shown that it can shrink your waistline by up to 6 cm in just 5 months.
So the common questions that I always get asked, won't I lose muscle? No. Walking preserves muscle tissue while targeting fat, especially when it's combined with adequate protein. And then you may be asking, isn't running better? Yes, running does burn more calories per minute, but walking burns a higher percentage from fat, and you can do it daily without joint stress or recovery time. Plus, running is so much harder on the joints. It makes you hungrier, and it leads you to eating more over the long term. And that's why I call it the foundation of fat loss. Then once you have this in place, everything else can be built around it.
Habit number two, it's the invisible hand. Here's the hard truth. Most people don't fail because they don't know what to do. They fail because their environment is set up for failure. So think about it. If your kitchen is packed with chips or your pantry is packed with cookies and sodas with that are filled with calories, no amount of willpower will save you at 9:00 p.m. So, when you're stressed and exhausted, you're going to grab whatever is easiest. And that's just basically you allowing your environment to decide what that is. And I learned this early in my career. I had my clients who nailed their workouts, knew exactly what to eat, but they got home, they were exhausted, and they're like, "I'm too lazy." and things fell apart. Why? Because they were fighting things in their environment every day. And eventually, your environment always wins.
So, here's how to shift. We don't want to rely on willpower. We want to rely on designing your environment. Your brain isn't lazy, it's efficient. It takes the path of least resistance. So, let's make sure that this path leads to fat loss. So, here's how to build a willpower-free zone in the kitchen. Put protein and produce front and center. Eye level in the fridge, a bowl of fruit on the counter, pre-cooked protein to grab, right? And for myself, I pre-cook my protein or barbecue at my parents' place, and I have all my protein for the week in my fridge with a great tasting barbecue flavor. And when it comes to snacks, I'm not telling you to throw away every cookie or bag of chips. That you can do that. I've done that if you've seen me do this all the time. That may not be realistic if you, let's say, have kids, but make them inconvenient. Hide them on the top shelf. Put it back of the pantry. Make it that you need a climb to get to it. Put it in dark opaque containers. If you need a chair to reach them, you're going to think twice about it. But here's where it gets really interesting. This principle extends beyond food. Lay out your gym clothes the night before. Put on your walking shoes by the door. Keep your protein powder next to the coffee maker. It makes it almost too simple, but it works because your environment quietly shapes your daily actions. When your healthy choices become easy choices, you're not going to have to wrestle with your motivation. You're just going to follow what this design has created.
Habit number three, proteus. If walking is your foundation, protein is your metabolic multiplier. And if you want to hit 12% body fat, this is a non-negotiable. So, here's why. Protein is your metabolism's best friend. Every time you eat it, your body burns extra calories just digesting that protein. It's what we call in science the thermic effect of food. Protein is king. It's going to boost your calorie burn 20 to 30% after a meal. But here's the real game changer. Protein is also your appetite off switch. When my clients hit their protein goals, they stop fighting cravings all day long. And you may be asking, "Okay, why Dr. Mike?" Because protein boosts GLP-1. It's the same pathway that those new weight loss drugs are using, except this is your body's natural version. It's like flipping the off switch to your hunger.
And here's your exact target. I want you to eat 1 to 1.3 g of protein per pound of body weight per day. So, if you weigh 150 lbs, you need to eat between 150 to 195 grams daily. And if you're asking Dr. like which one should I pick? The hungrier you are, the more protein I recommend you should eat. And I know it may sound like a lot, but here's how to make it effortless. At every meal, include a palmsized portion of protein. And science shows that this is roughly 25 to 30 g. So, you can use your palm size as a measuring tool, right? So, the mistake most people make is that they try and eat all of their protein in the evening. That may be very harsh on your gut. So, I recommend spreading your protein out. So, here's a simple way to go about it. So, for breakfast, we want three whole eggs and three cups of egg whites and one cup of Greek yogurt. This will give you about 50 g of protein. For lunch, we want 6 oz of grilled chicken plus rice and veggies. That's another 50 g of protein. For dinner, we want roughly 7 oz of salmon, roasted potatoes, and greens. Another 50 g of protein. And for a snack, two scoops of a whey protein and that's going to give you another 50 g of protein. So for those of you doing intermittent fasting, that same protein intake, just fit it in a shorter eating window period. So the break between meals will be a lot shorter. But I'm going to show you guys what to do with fasting.
Now, when you nail your protein intake, two magic things are going to happen. Number one, you're going to eat fewer calories without even trying because you're actually satiated. You're satisfied. And number two, it's going to protect the muscle tissue on your frame, if not even help you build it while you're burning fat. That's how you get lean without looking skinny or weak.
Habit number four, I'm going to be brutally honest with you. You cannot hit 12% body fat and looking amazing without strength training. Resistance training is the fountain of youth. And here's why. Every pound of muscle burns 6 to 10 calories per day just sitting there. Strength training also triggers something called epoch, which is the afterburn effect, keeping your metabolism raised up to 24 hours after you train. You're still burning calories while you're relaxing.
So, here's your plan. We want a minimum of three strength training sessions to five strength training sessions per week. And we want to focus on compound lifts, squats, deadlifts, presses, right? Bench press or dumbbell press, rows, and pull-ups. These moves will hit multiple muscle groups at once. So, this will help you be more efficient, and it's also a metabolic bang for your buck. And I've included workout sessions that you can take screenshots of right here on the screen, and they work perfectly both for beginners and intermediate. The key guys is hitting quality reps. So lower the weight slowly for about two seconds. Pause at the bottom and the same for every movement. Then lift it under control. You're not just trying to power through the exercise. This will help you build more muscle tissue and maximize the fat burning. And remember, the secret is progressive overload. The goal is to add reps. It's to add weight or to do both or just cleaner from each week. Just getting a little bit better every week. Small progress is going to compound into a major transformation. Now, combine this with a protein intake and you have the ultimate recipe for burning fat while building lean muscle.
Habit five, intermittent fasting isn't magic. It doesn't melt fat off on its own. It's one of the most powerful tools for creating a caloric deficit that will help you hit 12% body fat. So, think of it as the guard rails on a mountain road. Now, the guard rails aren't going to make your car faster, but they're going to keep you from driving off a cliff. And fasting does the same thing. It creates these boundaries naturally, preventing you from overeating. And when you compress your eating window, it becomes surprisingly hard to overeat. So, try cramming 2,500 calories into 6 hours. It's a challenge. Your hunger and your fullness signals finally have room to work. There's also perks to this as well. It makes it easier to keep your insulin levels lower, making it easier for your body to tap into stored fat. And you also get small boosts of growth hormone and norepinephrine, both of which are supporting fat burning.
So, here's the progression I give my clients. Start with a 12-hour fast, right? I call it the 1212. So, if you normally eat between 7:00 a.m. to 900 p.m., shift that from an 8:00 a.m. to an 8:00 p.m. After about a week or two, move to a 1410. So, let's say your first meal is at 9:00 a.m. and your second meal at 7:00 p.m. Then progress to the 168, for example. So, that's noon to 8:00 p.m. And the key is to match your fasting window with your lifestyle. So, let's say you're doing morning workouts. Try a 10:00 a.m. fast where you break it at 10:00 a.m. and you finish your meal at 6:00 p.m. Or you do evening workouts, then eat between noon and 8:00 p.m. That should work better for you. And here's an optional extra. Once or twice a month, do a 24-hour fast. It's a plateau breaker and it's going to give you the reset you need for your digestive system.
Let's go to habit number se. It's the ultimate multiplier. If you're grinding in the gym, you're eating clean but not losing the weight that you want to. Your problem may not be the food or the training. It's your sleep. And sleep isn't just a reset. It's when your fat burning machinery kicks into high gear. And when you're not sleeping enough, your hunger hormones are out of control. You feel hungrier. You eat more. And you're just never satiated. You're just never satisfied. And at the same time, your stress hormone cortisol rises, which does push more fat storage to your belly and your body becomes less sensitive to insulin, meaning you store more of that carbs as fat instead of burning it.
So, how do we fix this? I use a simple system that I give to my clients. We start this as a foundation. It's called 10 3 2 1. 10 hours before bed, no more caffeine. 3 hours before bed, no food or alcohol. Two hours before bed, no work or stressful tasks. 1 hour before bed, no more screens or we put on blue light blockers. Then we turn the bedroom into the sleeping sanctuary. So, we want to keep it cool about 65° F. My clients who still don't feel cool, we get them the eight sleep that is a mattress cooler and we want it to be quiet in there with blackout curtains. And above all else, we're creatures of habit. So, we need to make this consistent. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and even on weekends. Your circadian rhythm, which is your body's internal clock, strives and thrives on this rhythm, right? This routine. And sleep doesn't only support fat loss. It multiplies the effect of everything else. It helps you with better workouts. You recover quicker. You make smarter food choices and it kills your cravings and you'll even notice that you have so much stronger willpower. So, this is the silent multiplier most people are ignoring and it could be the reason that you're stuck.
So, let's go to number seven. This one is also a simple fix that can fire up your metabolism and control your appetite that most people are skipping. Staying hydrated. Even mild dehydration, just 2% can lower your metabolic rate by two to three%. And that may not sound like much, but over months, it's the difference between steady fat loss and staying stuck. And hydration just isn't about your metabolism. It's a natural appetite suppressant. So, think about it. A lot of the times, you're not hungry, you're just thirsty.
So, here's the exact hydration protocol for men. About a gallon a day or three liters and for ladies about 2.2 liters which is about .7 gallons a day. So add half a liter to a liter for every hour of training. Right? And the key tip is this. Drink 500 mls, right? Drink half a liter before each meal. I also tell my clients this. You want to frontload your liquids in the morning. So try and get a pint like this. My nice coffee, but try and drink this full pint in the morning and it will be a great start to your day. Now I know some of you are thinking, I'll be running to the bathroom every 10 minutes. So here's the fix. Sip water consistently throughout the day instead of chugging it. So maybe have this as you wake up and then sip it throughout the day. Now your kidneys can only process about 200 to 300 mls an hour anyway. So to make it more enjoyable, add lemon to it, lime, cucumber, fresh mint, and sparkling water is amazing as well. The bubbles in there can make you feel fuller. And on hot days, I highly recommend, especially after a tough workout, you can add electrolytes. And you don't need any fancy powders, but you can just simply add a pinch of pink himalayan sea salt. That also works. And here's a nugget that most people miss. Thirst is a late signal. By the time you feel it, you're already dehydrated and your fat burning is slipping. So, hydration is simple, but it multiplies the result for every principle in the system.
Habit number eight, you can have your diet perfect, your workouts dialed in, but if your stress is running the show, your body's going to fight fat loss every step of the way. So, when stress is constant, your body's pumping out cortisol. I call cortisol anti-testosterone. Testosterone helps you build muscle, gives you energy, and boosts your metabolism. Cortisol decreases your metabolism, burns muscle, and stores fat. But when it stays elevated all the time, it flips on this fat storage signal. That means you have more cravings. You want to eat the comfort foods, right? Because comfort is going to bring down this cortisol. It wrecks your sleep, and it also lowers your body's insulin sensitivity, and it's going to drive belly fat storage.
Now, to fix this, you don't need hours of meditation. You only need 5 to 10 minutes a day of stress downshifting. So, let me give you a few simple tools that work for stress. The first one is called box breathing. I want you to inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 4 seconds, and then repeat that five times. And you can do it anywhere. In your car before a meeting, before you're about to do a show, before you're going to enter a situation that you know is high stress. This is an amazing tool. It's like hitting the reset button on your nervous system. The second one is time in nature. There's research on something called forest bathing. Just being outside lowers your cortisol, and it doesn't need to be hours in the woods. Even 10 minutes on a short walk outside can completely shift your state. And the third one is what I called morning protection. Personally, I never check my emails the first hour after I wake up. That time is mine for movement, for reflection, and setting the tone for the day to show up as the best mic that I can be. Because if you start on a reactive mood, the stress is going to run the show for the rest of your day. Here's the mindset shift. Stress management isn't selfish. It's strategic. When you keep your stress under control, you're going to eat better, you're going to train harder, and you will recover faster. And fat loss finally clicks.
Habit number nine, fiber and your gut health. Your gut is often called your second brain. It has over 100 million neurons that talk directly to the real brain about hunger, fullness, and cravings. And when your gut health is dialed in, it's like having a builtin appetite control. So, here's how fiber works its magic. It takes up space in your stomach so that you feel full. It slows down your digestion so that you feel satisfied for longer. And it also feeds your good gut bacteria, which produce compounds that literally signal to your brain to stop eating. That's like your own natural appetite suppressants.
So, how much fiber should you be eating? 25 to 30 g of fiber per day of whole foods. So, here's how I make it automatic with my clients. Include produce at every meal. Spinach in your morning eggs, berries in your protein shake, salads with your lunch, and roasted veggies for dinner. And you can add fiber boosters, an apple, maybe with almond butter, raspberries in the Greek yogurt, and beans and lentils in your salad. Add about 5 g per week until you're hitting your target. Go too fast and your gut will let you know. And also add fermented foods to your gut. Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut. These bring in healthy bacteria and supercharge your microbiome indirectly to support that fat loss. And one of my clients was constantly battling late night cravings. And when we boosted her fiber intake with small tweaks like beans at lunch and berries in her shake and veggies in dinner, the cravings disappeared in 2 weeks. No willpower, no white knuckling, just her gut working for her, not against her. And fiber doesn't just help you eat less. It makes your fat loss feel natural and not forced.
Habit number 10, this is the final piece of the puzzle, and that's tracking and accountability because you can't manage what you can't measure. Now, I'm not talking about using obsessive spreadsheets or weighing every bite forever. What works is simple and is consistent feedback that lets you know that you're on the course and you're going in the correct way.
So, here's the system I give my clients. Weigh yourself at least three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then take that average. The day-to-day bounces, but the average shows the real trend. Measure your waist weekly, the same spot at the same time under the same conditions. And the scale may stall, but your waist will tell you the truth. And I also recommend taking weekly progress photos. Same light, same poses, same time of day. And the photos can help you reveal the changes that you're missing in the mirror. And I recommend tracking your food for 2 to 4 weeks. Most people are shocked when they see how much they're really eating. After that, the habits and the intuition will take over. So, use a daily checklist, right? You can open your notes app, write down these steps, protein, water, sleep, and you want to tick those boxes every day. And as the momentum builds, you're just going to see the progress you're making. And here's the real magic. Accountability. Getting a coach or a training partner, maybe your spouse, or even just joining an online group. And one study found that people with accountability partners were 95% more likely to hit their goals. That's not motivation. That's a system working in your favor. And that's exactly what we do at Sculpt by Science. My clients have a head coach who's a medical doctor. I help build that plan. They see me every weekend on Saturdays and Sundays with all our clients and I call them my business athletes. They're business owners who become business athletes. They finally run their body like a business and behave like athletes, right? With that mindset. If you're interested in having that you're a business owner, executive, your medical doctor, it's the first link in the description to apply to see if you qualify to work with us. But not to worry, you can create this accountability may be with a group of friends or your family members where you're going after this goal together.
Now, I know some of you are thinking, isn't tracking too much obsessive? And the answer is no. What's obsessive is working hard for months and not knowing if you're making progress or not. So, the tracking will give you more clarity. This is the amplifier. It ties everything together. The walking, the protein, training, fasting, sleep, hydration, the fiber, the whole foods. This complete system will help you reach body fat percentages of 12% at any age. No hacks, no gimmicks, just the same evidence-based principles I use with all of my clients.
Now, here's the key. You don't have to do all 10 at once. That may be overwhelming. Pick two to three at a week and then master them and then keep on layering on them. And remember, this isn't about looking good in the mirror. It's not about, you know, developing absolute will. It's about your health. It's about improving your quality of life. I'll leave the video there. If you want to work with me and my team of medical doctors, it's the first thing in the description. And if you did enjoy the video, hit it with a gentle thumbs up. And I'll see you in the next one.