Transcription
Hey, have you ever been told that losing weight is fast and unsustainable and that you're just going to gain it all back? Well, I believe that advice is completely wrong for most people and it's actually keeping a lot of them stuck in a cycle of slow progress and frustration.
In fact, after working with thousands of clients over the past 20 years, I discovered that doing the exact opposite, losing weight aggressively, especially in the beginning, is a key to long-term success. So, in the next few minutes, I'm going to show you how we use a specific protocol to help our clients lose 7 to 15 lbs in just 2 weeks while keeping all their muscle and completely rewiring their relationship with food.
Now, this is going to work especially for people who have a good amount of fat to lose. For guys, that's above 25%, for women, that's going to be above 35% body fat. If you're already lean and trying to get shredded, this is probably not for you. And if you have a history of disordered eating or certain medical conditions, definitely skip this one out.
And how do I know this works? Well, we've run this protocol with hundreds of clients. They lose between 7 to 15 lbs in the first 2 weeks. And here's the crazy part. They keep it off because they exit out of the diet in the right way. But more on this later. And this works perfectly before getting into a moderate calorie deficit because we want to fundamentally change how their bodies and their taste buds respond to food.
So, here's what's wrong with traditional slow and steady approaches. And first, let me ask you a question. If I wanted to launch a business, would you spend the next two years carefully planning every detail and launch with zero customers? Or would you rather launch a minimum viable product in 2 weeks and get your first customers and iterate from there?
Now, most people think you need to take this slow approach to weight loss because that's what every diet guru has told them. But here's the thing. It's like spending months or years trying to perfect your business plan instead of just acquiring your first customers. Once you get those first wins, everything changes. You have proof it works. You have momentum and you can actually optimize from there.
Now, something I realized working with clients over the past 20 years is that transforming the body is a lot like launching a rocket into space where 80% of the energy we use is going to be at the start. And this takes us to a point where we can get momentum. So, when we coach clients, we go harder in the beginning, not easier.
So, what's this protocol we use? It's called the protein sparing modified fast or what we like to call the twoe shred. So here's how it works. You're going to eat your body weight in grams of protein every single day. So if you weigh 180 lbs, you're going to be eating 180 g of lean protein. And that's the main rule. Then you're eating less than 50 g of carbs from vegetables only. We're talking broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, pretty much like the boring stuff. And also you're getting minimal fat. Mostly just what comes with your protein sources. As you're doing this, you're aiming to get at least half of your body weight in ounces of water with some electrolytes to make sure you're staying hydrated and full.
And the result, you're eating somewhere between 800 to 1200 calories a day, but this is critical. You're eating a massive amount of protein and fiber. It's essentially like running a massive calorie deficit, but your body isn't freaking out and eating your muscle because you're giving it all the protein it needs. It's kind of like telling your body, "Hey, we're going into survival mode, but here's all the building blocks you need to keep the important stuff."
And here's where it gets interesting. You're only eating whole single ingredient nutrient-dense foods. We're talking chicken breasts, white fish, egg whites, and lean beef. No sauces, no condiments, no flavor. And yes, you can use spices. >> Thank god. >>
Now, you might be thinking, "That sounds awful." And yeah, it kind of is for a few days. But here's what happens that nobody talks about. Your taste buds completely reset. After 7 to 10 days of eating nothing but whole foods, something crazy happens. You start to develop an affinity for eating real food again. A piece of grilled chicken tastes amazing. Steamed broccoli with a little bit of salt is actually satisfying. And the research backs this up as well. A 2015 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people eliminate processed foods for just two weeks, their taste sensitivity increases dramatically. Overall, they need less sugar and salt to feel satisfied. So, when we eventually bring more variety back into their diet, they don't want the same junk that they used to crave. They've literally rewired their brain.
Now, the reason this works without destroying your metabolism is because of one critical thing. You're doing resistance training at least three times per week. You're lifting weights. And I don't mean going through the motions. I mean actually challenging your muscles with progressive overload. And why is this? Because you're in a severe calorie deficit. Your body is looking around saying, "Okay, what can we use to get rid of saved energy?" And if you're not using your muscles, they will be the first on the chopping block. But when you're lifting heavy and eating all that protein, your body goes, "Oh, we actually need these muscles. Better hold on to them and burn the fat instead."
And the result in 2 weeks our clients lose 7 to 15 lbs. And when we do body composition testing using DEXA scans, we find that they've lost almost all the fat and actually maintained or even gained a little bit of muscle. In fact, this happened with one of my clients, Chris, who lost 15 lbs in the first two weeks. And in 12 total weeks, he dropped 33 lbs of fat. And we did a DEXA scan before and after that, and it showed him dropping the 33 pounds of fat, but also 50% of his visceral fat while adding 3 L pounds of lean mass. And if you know anything about getting lean, it's that burning fat and building muscle is the holy grail.
But not so fast, because here's a part where most people screw this up, and this is critical. When you go into a more moderate calorie deficit or even into maintenance, you have to be prepared for what I call the bounceback effect. And when people see that bounce back of weight, what happens is they usually freak out and then they do some things to make it up. And they'll also say, "See, I knew this was like too good to be true." And it's like, "No, you just were not prepared for the bounce back."
Here's what I mean. So, when we go back into maintenance or into a moderate calorie deficit, what's going to happen is is that you're going to have water and glycogen coming back to your body. And this is going to mean that you're going to gain back around 3 to 5 lbs within the first week. And even when I tell clients this is coming, they still panic when it happens. They're like, "Oh my god, I'm gaining all the weight back. Ah, the sky is falling. >> The sky IS FALLING. THE SKY IS FALLING." >>
And no, you're not. You have to realize that a portion of the weight that you did drop was water and glycogen. When you go back to a more moderate calorie deficit by incorporating things like carbs, you're going to be filling back your muscles with those two things. What's happening is your muscles are refilling with glycogen and water. And remember, you've been eating almost no carbs for the last 2 weeks. So, your muscles are going to be depleted and they're like a sponge that has been rung out. And when you start adding carbs back in, even just 50 to 100 g of carbs, your muscles are going to soak it up like a dry sponge hitting water. And that glycogen pulls the water with it. So, the 3 to 5 lbs, it's not fat. It's your muscles refilling and your body rehydrating properly. It's actually a good thing.
And the problem is, if you don't know this is coming and you freak out, you do something stupid like cutting more calories again or going back onto the twoe shred, that just starts a whole yo-yo cycle. But when you accept this 2 weeks of stabilization, you're going to start to see your weight starting to drop again. But this time, you're eating more calories, you have more energy, you can think clearly, and also your taste buds have changed. And the crazy part is you're eating way more food than when you started, but you also weigh less. Your metabolism hasn't crashed because we brought you back up intelligently.
But the most important part is your taste buds. The foods you used to binge on, they actually don't taste that good anymore. We actually had one client try some chips the other day and they actually told us it just tasted like salt and chemicals. It's almost like your body goes through a transition where it wants the stuff that's actually good for it now. And that's when you know it's working. That's when you know this isn't just another diet. It's actually a tool. And it's also helping you change your relationship and also your taste buds when it comes to food.
Now, I know you may be thinking and be like, "Oh, this sounds too extreme. It's too restrictive and it's too hard." And you're right. It is all of those things. But my simple question to you is, would you rather do something hard for 2 weeks and see results or do something easy for 6 months and not see anything? Because that's a reality for a lot of people who try the slow and sustainable approach. They actually don't see results fast enough and they give up and they're right back to where they started.
At least with this method, you get the momentum. You get the proof that your body can change. You get the confidence that comes from losing 10 plus pounds in 2 weeks. Especially for people who get motivated with results. It's a great tool. And yes, you have to be smart about it. You have to do the resistance training. You have to make sure you're hitting your protein. You have to make sure that you are prepared for the bounce back. And also, I might add, you may want to add some supplements. Things like electrolytes, which I just mentioned, a multivitamin to make sure you're hitting all your nutrient needs. Omega-3s, magnesium, vitamin D. These are things that I would just take regardless if I was on this diet or not. And I tell you, when you do this right, it works every single time.
So, that's the blueprint. 2 weeks of extreme fat loss to jump start everything and rewire your taste buds. Then, you're just preparing yourself for the bounce back, which is going to happen. And after around two weeks, your weight should stabilize and you should be back on the path to dropping weight.
Now, if you do have a good amount of fat to lose and you're tired of the slow approach that hasn't worked, this is a great option. Focus on protein, lift heavy, trust the process, especially during the bounceback phase, and don't panic when the glycogen and the water bounce happens. And if you do want help with this, because honestly, doing this on your own is quite tough, that's exactly what we do with our clients inside our coaching program. We walk you through every step. We handle the panic moments and we make sure you exit the diet intelligently so you can actually keep the weight off. But either way, you now have another tool in your fat loss arsenal. Use it wisely and I hope it changes everything for you like it has for our clients.
Now, once you drop the initial weight, you probably have a little bit more to lose. So, if you want to see everything that I would do if I had 30 lbs to lose in 90 days, check out this video right over here. I'll see you on the other.