Over the past 15 years I’ve worked with thousands of men and women.
These days I only work with people who truly want to change their lives.
Anyone can drop a few lbs if they are strict enough for a couple months.
But, when it comes to permanent transformation – that takes a true identity change.
That takes someone who is committed to improving their life for the long haul.
That’s why I’m so picky about who I work with these days.
If you want to learn more you can apply here.
 
Transformation isn’t easy.
If it was, we’d all be lean.
However, today I want to give you my Top 50 Fat Loss Commandments that have been staples in my life over the past 15 years.
These have allowed me to shred 80 lbs of my own body-fat (and keep it off).
These commandments have transformed hundreds of my clients all across the world.
I will personally guarantee that your body and life will change if you commit to these lessons:
 
1) You are overweight because over the course of your lifespan thus far – you have eaten more calories via food than your body needs.
Your body has been fed more food than it needs and thus you’ve added body-fat.
 
2) In order to lose body-fat you must create a caloric demand AKA a calorie deficit. Your body must need more fuel than what you feed it in order to lose fat.
 
3) Being lean is a highly desirable state because it leads to better health as well as a better life
 
4) Fat loss is a highly marketable topic. However, if you always look for a solution without addressing the actual problems you will struggle.
If you have no idea what you’re struggling with – you won’t be able to pick a solution.
 
5) Take ownership for your current body. I promise you if you take full responsibility for where you are now – you will feel incredibly empowered.
 
6) Always begin a fat loss journey with the end of your life in mind. Meaning – don’t jump into an extreme plan if you don’t plan on living that way for a very long time. Fat loss is a slow process and must be met with a lot of patience and long-term commitment.
 
7) If you don’t know how much you’re currently eating – download a food tracking app like My Fitness Pal.
Start tracking every single thing you eat. Every single thing. This is called HOMEWORK. Do it.
 
8) Don’t fall for the gimmicks. There are no magical fat loss pills or powders.
Body wraps do not burn fat.
 
9) Being overweight is dangerous. It’s almost a guarantee that you’ll have health problems down the road.
Don’t gamble with your health. Eating well, exercising and losing body-fat is the fastest way to improve your life expectancy.
If you want to live longer – get leaner.
 
10) Stop blaming your genetics or your environment for your weight gain.
Genetics play a role in things but they aren’t in control of how much fat you gain.
Genetics can also be changed by poor health. If you treat your body like crap your genetics can change for the worse.
Not to mention you can pass these poor genes onto your kids – which isn’t fair to them.
 
11) Educating yourself on nutrition and exercise will serve you forever.
A good coach and mentor will always help you understand what and why to do things.
Fat loss will teach you so much about your body and how things work with food/exercise.
These lessons can be applied and utilized forever.
 
12) Fat loss won’t be easy. If you’re looking for easy – then getting lean and being healthy isn’t for you.
However – fat loss is simple. Fat loss doesn’t require fancy gadgets or supplements.
Anyone who says it does is trying to take advantage of you.
 
13) A fat loss plan is only as good as your ability to stick to it.
This is known as adherence. A less-than-perfect plan that you can stick to 90% of the time will work better than a perfect plan that you can only follow 50% of the time.
Choose your plan wisely.
 
14) Habits and routines are the building blocks to a successful fat loss plan.
Take a look at your current habits and routines.
Start by using your current habits and routines in your favor.
If you are a fast food consumer – start by eating healthier versions of fast food.
Are you a night owl? Start by getting some workouts in at night.
Use your current routine to your advantage. Don’t try to adopt someone else’s habits and routines overnight.
 
15) Set proper expectations with fat loss. Most people can successfully lose .25-1 lb of fat per week if they are consistent.
Don’t expect to lose 3-4 lbs a week. At first there will be a drop in water retention as you clean up your nutrition and start working out.
That initial rush of weight loss won’t last forever.
 
16) 1 lb of fat equals roughly 3500 calories. This means you need to create a demand for 3500 calories in order to burn a lb of fat.
Don’t think a lb is that much? Go buy 1 lb of marshmallows. That will change your mind.
 
17) If you’re going to use the scale consistently – you better use it properly. Understanding that the scale will go up and down is crucial.
 
18) If you plan on weighing yourself to track fat loss – weigh yourself daily. Take the average weigh in every 7-14 days. Compare these averages every 2-3 weeks. Notice the trends. Adjust accordingly. Don’t get wrapped up in daily weigh in numbers.
 
19) The amount of food you should be eating is largely dependent on your current routine and starting point. Track your food intake for a week prior to setting your targets. If you track your food and your weight each day for 1 week you’ll get a massive amount of information to use in order to start a plan.
 
20) Meal plans, when sold as a standalone product, are a complete joke. Meal plans should be built around the foods that make you feel the best and the foods you enjoy the most. Plus, the meal plan should allow you to nail your calorie goals.
 
21) Calories are very important but so are the type of calories you eat. Protein, carbs and fats all play a huge role in determining how you look, feel and perform.
 
22) Most people eat too many carbs and fats and very little protein. Start by getting your protein intake where it needs to be.
 
23) My most successful clients eat about 1g of protein per lb. of target bodyweight. So if someone is 220 but wants to be 175 – we’d aim for about 175g of protein. I always allow for a 10-15g window. So 160-190g of protein per day is a great starting point in this example.
 
24) Don’t bitch and complain about having a hard time eating more protein. It’s a simple problem to solve. Simply eat a little more of the high-protein foods that are already in your nutrition plan. Or supplement with a high quality protein powder.
 
25) There is no perfect diet. All the fad diets are built on the same principles. Eat less, eat better quality foods and increase protein intake.
 
26) There’s also no special fat loss exercises. All forms of movement will burn energy and, if your calories are appropriate, you will lose fat.
 
27) Lifting weights is tremendous for fat loss because it helps preserve (and build) muscle – which leads to a healthier body and faster metabolism. Plus, as you strip away fat – you’ll look better with more muscle tissue. This is true for ladies and males.
 
28) Ideal body-fat percentages are pointless to worry about. Don’t worry about body-fat percentage. Most readings aren’t accurate anyway. Go based off the mirror, measurements, strength, and how you feel overall.
 
29) Base your nutrition plan on 1-ingredient whole foods at most of your meals (80-90%). Its great for health and even better for controlling appetite. Processed food that has tons of ingredients is designed to make you crave more and more of it. Don’t fall for that crap.
 
30) Don’t copy someone else’s nutrition plan. You must listen to your body and discover what foods work well for your energy needs.
 
31) Sleep is highly underrated for fat loss. A sleep deprived body (and brain) won’t respond as well to a caloric deficit and exercise program. Aim for 7-8 hours per night if possible.
 
32) An occupied mind will do much better when losing fat than a bored mind. Meaning – if you don’t find things to stay busy with – you will start mindlessly eating and snacking. Look at fat loss as a time to get better at skills, learn new things, or enjoy catching up on hobbies.
 
33) Build your meals around protein sources and fruits/veggies. These will give you the nutrients your body needs to thrive.
 
34) Breakfast is NOT the most important meal of the day. Eat when you are hungry. Don’t force feed yourself. If you’re constantly hungry around the clock – eat every 3-5 hours and be sure to include foods that are satiating and that fill you up. Avoid eating processed stuff for awhile if you have an out of control appetite.
 
35) Sparkling water and a small piece of fruit is a great appetite suppressing combination if hunger gets out of control between meals. Going for a walk is also a great way to block hunger.
 
36) Speaking of walking – walking is a tremendous way to burn more calories throughout the day. I have all my clients increase their walking time when they start with me. This allows them to burn more calories which means they get to eat more than they would if they stayed sedentary. Walk more – 10,000 steps a day is usually a bar to shoot for.
 
37) Once you’ve started tracking your food and you discover how many calories you’re eating to support your current weight – start by subtracting 300-500 from that number. Don’t go super low calories. Your metabolism will eventually adjust and you’ll be forced to lower even further. Get the most out of a small drop in calories before going lower.
 
38) A fat loss phase should last about 12-16 weeks MAX before taking a small “break” from losing fat. This could be a couple higher calorie days or a whole week (or 2) of bumping up calories. This of course is only effective if you’ve been very consistent with your caloric intake. Don’t take breaks if you haven’t been consistent for at least a couple months. I purposely made my 12 Week TRUE Shred program 12 weeks long to ensure you don’t burn out with your fat loss goals.
 
39) Stop doing cheat days. Just because the Rock does a massive cheat day – doesn’t mean you should too. A cheat day can set you back by a few days and also kick you back into bad habits. My suggestion is to have 1 or 2 “Treat” meals per week if you’re having big time cravings. Learning how to track calories allows you to include some unhealthy food while still hitting your calorie goals.
 
40) Remember- just because you refuse to track your food intake – doesn’t mean your body stops tracking it. I’m not a fan of “winging it” or just “eating clean” – that’s like shooting in the dark. You might get some progress, but more times than not you’ll miss.
 
41) Yes you can drink alcohol and lose fat- but you must do it the right way. Drinking excessively and trying to lose fat is not a recipe I recommend. I outline how to drink on a regular basis and still torch bodyfat in my Moscow Mule Summer Challenge program (that can be run anytime of the year).
 
42) A successful fat loss program will come down to your identity and how you view yourself. If you want to change your body – it starts with mentally be committed to changing who you are. You are no longer fat and unhealthy – you are lean and full of health (even if the mirror doesn’t show it yet). Go ALL-IN on this change in identity. Start living now the way you see yourself living when you are in shape.
 
43) There will be times where you have to use will-power to make the right choices when it comes to fat loss. You can’t expect the journey to be easy and stress-free. In fact, I guarantee it won’t be. My suggestion is to start feeling encouraged when things get tough. You can rest assured that when you say no to a craving that you are making big changes. When you get up and do your workout instead of sleeping in, that’s not a bad thing – that’s a badass thing!
 
44) Always remember WHY you’re doing this. If it’s just for a six pack -thats fine. But you may get to the 6 pack and realize that it’s not as great as you expected. Instead think of what that 6 pack will now do for you. Maybe it will improve your relationships because you feel better about yourself. It might get you more positive attention and increase your self-confidence. Think of the benefits of the trophy – not just the trophy.
 
45) Cardio is great for fat loss, overall health, and your body’s ability to function at a high level. Incorporate different styles of cardio into your training and you’ll see massive benefits.
 
46) Yo-yo dieting causes major issues long term. Every time you lose fat and then gain it back – the body gets better at holding onto that fat and preventing fat loss. This is why I strongly discourage people from going for super fast fat loss. Instead the slow and steady approach will ensure you keep fat off for life.
 
47) Your goal should NOT be to lose 40 lbs. Your goal should be to work on habits and routines AND lose 1 lb. Then – after you lose that 1 lb – your next goal is to lose that 2nd pound. Meanwhile you should be setting goals around the habits you have each week. Pick one habit and routine and focus on that each week. If you did that each week for a year that would be 52 habits and routines!
 
48) Never compare your journey to others. Focus on YOU. Comparison is the thief of joy. Enjoy YOUR journey and appreciate the bumps and failures along the way.
 
49) It may seem like a big investment to hire a coach now. But when people hire me for $3000 – I’m saving them $100,000 in medical bills and hospital visits over the next 30 years. Keep that in mind when you decide to avoid getting the help you need.
 
50) BELIEVE in yourself. You are fully capable of getting in shape. I know people in wheelchairs, people who’ve lost a leg or an arm, people who were born blind and people who are barely making it by that have changed their bodies and inspired thousands of others to do the same. Believe in yourself. Trust the process. Hire a coach and make a significant investment into yourself. You are worthy and you deserve it. You are enough. Believe in you!
 
I hope these 50 commandments helped teach you something new. I did my best to address the most important fat loss points.
Our next TRUE8 Experience – the Ultimate 8 Week Body and Mindset Transformation Program – starts in January.
Until then I’m taking on 10 clients who will work 1 on 1 with me.
Tomorrow is the 1 week early Black Friday special to get your first month 50% if you’re a good fit to work with me.
10 spots only.
Each spot will go through a qualification process to ensure you’re a good fit.
If you’re 100% serious about changing your body, mindset, and life – be ready to apply tomorrow.
Until then…
Much love,
Josiah

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