The following is a plan that's has helped thousands of people before you. If it's taken seriously it will get you into your best shape by the end of this year. I wrote about this on a thread on twitter but this email goes in-depth into each point.

One thing I want to mention is that this is not a quick-fix solution.

If you're searching for a quick fix then I'd stop reading right now.

This plan is for the person who's sick and tired of going through the yo-yo cycle of losing weight and gaining it back. They're done with having an unhealthy body & low energy and are willing to do what it takes to get in the shape they deserve to be in.

This is for the person who wants to get in shape, increase energy & create a confident body in a sustainable way, and is willing to play the long game.

If that is you then read on...

The process of losing weight is a tricky one because it's both mental and physical. An example of the mental side would be  studies done linking obesity and weight regain to childhood trauma .

To get our bodies to the level of health we want, we need to change ourselves at the core. It's not enough to lose weight. We must heal the part inside of us that reaches for the Haagen Dazs ice cream at 9 pm.

The physical is tricky too because you have hormones that rear their ugly heads when you drop a couple of pounds.

Ghrelin is the hunger hormone that increases as you drop pounds. Leptin is the appetite hormone that decreases as you lose weight (See below)

This means that as you lose weight you become hungrier and increase your appetite.

We need to mitigate problems before they occur so part of this list is on methods on how to do that.

What you're about to read is a blueprint for sustainable weight loss that takes care of both the mind and the body.

When done with a long-term mindset you'll be part of the 50% of people who are able to lose weight and keep it off.

If you don't then you may very well be back on the yo-yo cycle starting all over again in 2024. We won't let that happen. Not on my watch.

Are you ready? Let's begin...

Your Roadmap to Losing 20 Pounds or More In a Sustainable Way

1. Aim to lose 10% of your body weight at a time. This makes weight loss sustainable while preventing your hormones from fighting against you.

2. Once you lose 10% take 50-100% of the time you dieted to eat at maintenance. We do this to help our hormones get back to normal and to set a new baseline for how much we weigh. It is also a great time to add muscle. If you've got more to lose the do this and get back to the process above. Thank me later.

3. Eat real food w/lots of veggies. This helps you eat more while taking in fewer calories. It also improves your mood & energy while regulating hunger.

4. Eat your food slowly & mindfully. Aim for 80% fullness. Chew so much that you turn your food into liquid. Check-in with yourself to see how full you are.

5. Don't aim to be perfect with your diet. Avoid the "all or nothing mentality". Aim for 80-90% adherence to take the pressure off of you. This is enough to see amazing results.

6. Drink water when you wake up. Drink water before meals. Replace snacking with drinking water. This helps you keep full while maintaining energy.

7. Stop eating foods that cause you to binge. Get them out of the house. Remove them from your environment.

8. Eat .8 to 1g of protein per pound of body weight to help you maintain muscle & metabolism while losing weight.

9. Get at least 3 strength training sessions weekly with 5-6 exercises per session. Use progressive overload to build muscle while getting lean.

10.  Eat 3 meals on a schedule that corresponds with your sleep and wake cycle. This means you eat your final meal at least 3-5 hours before your sleep. Eat your first meal 1-3 hours upon waking. The middle meal is somewhere in between. This helps you regulate hunger while giving you steady energy throughout the day.

11. Eat similar meals every day. This keeps things simple. An example would be my ideal day of meals if I was on a fat loss journey:

Wake up at 6 am.

8 am - Protein shake with a greens powder with fruit 12 pm - 4 egg omelet with egg whites & broccoli 5:30 pm - 350-400g of steak or salmon with potatoes & veggies

Sleep by 9:30 pm

Doing this allows me to hit around 1600 calories while eating 160 grams of protein every day.

12. Keep a food journal to see how much you're eating, when you're eating, and what you're eating.

13. If you  eat your stress or emotions then journal out what was happening and dig into where it comes from. Find the root of where it comes from so you can heal it from awareness.

14. Take  regular walks outside. Aim for 8 to 10k steps.  This improves energy & mood while burning calories. Walk in the morning, afternoon & after work to relieve stress.

15. If you're busy schedule your workouts & walks into your calendar. Mark it in red. That's your "me" time.

16. Track your numbers. Weigh yourself regularly taking the average as your true number. Measure your inches & take photos to get a full picture of where you're starting from.

17. Divorce yourself from results. Stop getting emotional about results & focus on the process.

18. Fix your sleeping habits. Get the right amount of sleep, go to bed at similar times & have a routine. This helps regulate hunger & energy the next day.

19. Stop drinking alcohol. Or at the very least severely limit it.  When you drink you take in empty calories, mess up your sleep, and increase stress & anxiety while trading 1-2 hours for 4 days of low energy.

20. List out your obstacles. Write out solutions to overcome them before they happen.

21. Visualize yourself as the body you want as well as taking action on the habits that get you there.

22. Take control of what you think & say to yourself. Your thoughts are equal to reality.

23. Have a long-term mindset. People overestimate what they can do in 6 weeks & underestimate what they can do in a year.

24. Focus on transforming your identity into someone who incorporates all of these as lifestyle habits.

25. Make all of the above easier by getting yourself a qualified coach to guide you & keep you accountable on your journey. 

Bringing it together

What you have in your hands right now is a roadmap to dropping the weight off and making 2023 your fittest year ever.

It took me 20 years of coaching and thousands of clients to get these right. Now that it's in your hands you skip through all of the confusion and get right to the actions.

Remember that it's not enough to set a goal. You must become it. Along the way heal the areas of your life that caused you to gain it in the first place.

This is the pathway to long-term transformation.

The power is your hands now. Take action and make it happen.

If you need extra guidance to dropping your first 20 lbs grab my course the Lean Body 90. In that course, I teach you the systems we use to help our clients lose the first 20 lbs off their bodies in only 90 minutes a week.

If you want a step by step guide to help you drop the weight, grab the Lean Body 90 program by clicking here.

- Dan

Ps. We're starting a new lean body mastery group in January.

If you are an entrepreneur who has 20 or more pounds to lose … you will be surprised to see how quickly your life changes :)

If you have 25 or more pounds to lose… you’re literally sitting on a gold mine of high performance.

In the group, I’ll get to work with you one-on-one to lose weight & boost energy without doing cardio or giving up your favorite foods.

I have an amazing collection of case studies from entrepreneurs from dozens of different industries… and I’d love to work with you.

Just reply to this email and put “Lean Body Mastery” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.