The other day we moved from our home on the pond to a nice neighbourhood in Toronto.

As of now, our family is moving from one Airbnb to another while we wait for our home to be built.

It's been a bit stressful to move every 1-2 months but on the bright side we've been able to live in different areas of the world so we can't complain.

In this neighbourhood we have a little morning routine where we walk to the local coffee shop.

My wife gets her croissant fix and I get my one & only coffee of the day.

After spending some time together they leave to do their thing while I stay and get work done.

One day I was working there when I heard two ladies talking over some latte's. They were talking about some weight loss hacks they learned from Cosmopolitan.

They spoke of things like detoxes and fasting for 36 hours. Ugh.

While listening in on their convo I had to bite my tongue. I wish they knew what I've learned over the past 20 years of fitness but some people are not ready for some random Asian guy to tell them what's up.

So I'm going to tell you what I wish I told them.

There are some hacks I've learned over the course of my career.

Thankfully, they don't involve the use of detoxes and fasting for ungodly hours.



#1 - Water is your best friend.

Research shows that drinking 500ml of water before a meal and 500ml of water after a meal reduces appetite and cravings.

I have a simple rule when in a fat loss phase to replace all snacks with drinking water.

It works amazingly well. If you're not doing this then try it out.

#2 - Restriction first. Flexibility after.

When starting a diet it's better to be restrictive and then add flexibility later on.

When I say restrictive I mean eating primarily meats, veggies and fruits as your primary sources of calories.

No alcohol.

Once you do this for a couple weeks slowly add flexibility into the diet. Add one thing at a time over a period of a few months to a year.

This helps you build a foundation of healthy eating first then teaches you how to be flexible after.

#3 - Protein shakes in the morning.

I'm not hungry when I wake up and neither are a lot of people.

But when you wake up your body is in what we call a "catabolic state", which means you're breaking down or losing muscle.

How do you get around this?

I prefer to have protein shakes in the morning a few couple hours after I wake up.

It's low calorie, gives me a good amount of protein, keeps me full and sustains me until the afternoon.

I prefer to have only a shake with creatine but if that doesn't sit with you Precision Nutrition has a tasty shake recipe over here.

#4 - Light cardio in the morning or afternoon.

Sometimes we eat because we're low on energy or we're hitting that afternoon lull.

When you do a burst of cardio early in the day it gives you energy and keeps you focused to the point where you don't need food to sustain focus.

It also adds some steps to your day, which always helps.

If you can't run then walk for 15 minutes to break up the day.

This has done wonders for my focus and energy.

#5 - Hunger is fat leaving the body.

Hunger isn't always a sign to eat. It sometimes means you're bored, dehydrated or emotional.

If you're trying to lose weight hunger is inevitable.

Instead of seeing it as a detriment try seeing it as fat leaving the body.

Become friends with it and know it's all part of the game you're playing.

This is what I wished to told those ladies and now these "hacks" are in your possession.

They're simple and have worked for myself as well as the clients we work with on a regular basis.

Hope they serve you in your journey to become the best version of yourself.

Onwards and upwards,

- Dan

PLUS: Whenever you're ready... Here is one way I can help you get your body back into shape.

1. Work with us One-on-One

If you're an entrepreneur & would like to work directly with us to lose the excess weight in a sustainable way... Click here to get started.