| In keeping with my theme of New Year’s health, fitness, and longevity this week…
Today I’m sharing some top questions I’ve recently received on that topic, and the advice I’ve been giving clients.
Let’s get into it.
Q: “It’s time to lose the holiday weight. Help?!” (Said by many clients over the last 8 days or so) My Answer:
First, let’s get a specific definition of success.
What is the real goal we want to achieve?
Weight is never the issue. No one walks around displaying their body weight on the front of their shirt.
Besides, we can fix the “weight issue” simply by…
Throwing out your scale and never looking at it again.
But if you tell me your problem is that…
- your pants are too tight
- you have elevated blood glucose levels causing premature fatigue
- or you have painful joints because your knees and back are supporting too much load
… THEN we can put together a specific plan to solve the problem and achieve our goal.
So what are we really after?
What is your specific definition of success?
Get clear on that and we’ll build a custom blueprint from there.
Q: “If I need to lose belly fat, what’s the most important thing to do?”
Answer:
To reduce belly fat, nutrition is the real solution.
Exercise helps, but diet is the key.
Back in my fitness days I made a famous “funny” video called Diet vs. Exercise.
(Check it out to meet CB back in 2009, baggy basketball shorts and all!)
In the video…
My friend Brad Pilon eats an entire 1200 calorie pizza (plus soda) in 4 minutes, while I struggle to burn 60 calories on the treadmill in that same amount of time.
The point is that diet beats exercise every day…
To “burn off” Christmas dinner (2,000 calories) most people would need to spend 4 hours on a treadmill. Obviously, that’s not sustainable.
So, what diet is best?
Short-term, I think almost all diets work.
(It’s usually “the person” that doesn’t do the work.)
I’m a big believer in the simplicity of “calories in must be LESS than calories out”.
Keto-schmeto, fasting-schmasting — all that really matters is eating less than you burn.
The problem is that America has mastered the art of INSANE PORTION sizes and incredibly effective food marketing.
I remember looking out the window at the LAX Westin and seeing 6 billboards.
Four were for fast food, the other two were for gastric banding surgery.
Classic Americana.
Frankly, I think it’s shocking that ONLY 2/3 of America is obese. The amount of food available in America is insane. You really need to travel outside of the USA to see how normal countries eat.
Because of that, it’s very easy to eat twice your calorie needs from processed foods. And that's what leads to the majority of weight gain.
So you need to control calories.
Long term, I’d use a Mediterranean diet approach...
Real food, real ingredients, real taste, real longevity, real satisfaction…
Olive oil, avocados, fish, leafy greens, fruits like apples and blueberries, smaller amounts of pasta and rice, little sugar, small amounts of wine if you drink (I don’t).
Red meat is fine.
Dr. Peter Attia (who I shared some wisdom from yesterday) and I both agree red meat won’t stop you from losing weight or being healthy.
You don't have to suffer to lose 3-4 inches of belly fat.
But you need to plan and prepare.
Going to a steakhouse?
No problem, here’s a great order you can use:
No bread, 1 glass wine, an 8-oz filet, sauteed spinach on the side, maybe asparagus if available, 1/4 of a large baked potato with olive oil on top.
That was my "Steakhouse uniform" meal for over a decade when I was a road warrior .
You can pull it off almost anywhere — Mortons, Prime 112, Flemings, Capital Grill, Outback, etc.
Q: What about fasting and snacking? My Answer:
Intermittent fasting works for some people.
Personally, I think life is too short for fasting.
Dr. Attia doesn’t think fasting is any more beneficial than eating a Mediterranean diet.
As for snacking, this is what kills most people’s nutrition plans.
At the risk of generalizing…
What I’ve found is that people who struggle to lose weight tend to snack between eating large meals.
People that are lean & mean generally eat smaller meals because they snack…
Or they simply don’t snack at all and just eat larger meals.
If you do want to snack…
Stick to things like apples, almonds, beef jerky (no added sugar), or walnuts.
Side note: I go through a 3-pound bag of Costco Walnuts every month. If you've ever seen one, the size of it might shock you.
There are about 10,000 calories in the bag, which breaks down to 300 calories of walnuts per day.
Very healthy, and great for curbing the appetite between meals.
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Alright…
We’ll wrap it up there for now.
Hopefully that helps and you found this useful.
If this topic is important to you and you’re looking for more ways to kickstart a healthier, more vibrant lifestyle this year…
I highly recommend joining us for our upcoming training next Thursday, January 16th on:
How to Achieve Ultimate Health, Energy, and Longevity in 2025.
We’ll be covering...
- The “minimum effective dose” for exercise (so you can get the best results WITHOUT spending all your time in a gym)
- Quick & easy nutrition hacks for optimal health, cognition, and energy
- How to install the right mindset and habits to follow through and actually stick with your program
- And much, much more
If you’re interested in attending this health & energy boosting session…
… Just Reply to this email with the words “Healthy 2025” and we’ll get you all the details!
Success Loves Speed,
Craig
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