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Chris came to me frustrated.

He's making a good living, raising three kids, and achieving his business goals, but he was never able to stick to a diet for more than two weeks.

"I know what to do," he told me on our first call, "I just can't seem to do it."

When we looked at what Chris was doing, we told him that he didn't have a motivation problem; he had a systems problem.

After making some changes to his health, we were able to drop 33 pounds while adding 3 pounds of muscle.

Even better, he dropped 50% of his visceral fat along the way while improving his bloodwork:

So, in today's newsletter, I want to take you through the protocol we used to help Chris and our clients burn fat, build muscle, and improve their performance.

You ready? Let's go 🔥

The System That Helped Chris Lose 33 Pounds In 90 Days

Most people approach fat-loss like they're starting a new project. All energy, no structure.

They white-knuckle calories, do random workouts, skip meals, then they'll read at night, and then "start over" again on Monday.

Even if they do get results, they end up losing muscle, which ruins their metabolism.

Chris was doing the same thing. He'd go hard for a week, crash, then spend the next month recovering from the guilt spiral.

So we stopped treating his body like a willpower test and started treating it like a system I call The High Performance Flywheel™

The system has five parts:

1. Fuel Architecture
2. Strength Training
3. Step Automation
4. KPI Tracking
5. Identity Upgrade

Each one has a specific job. And they work together.

Fuel Architecture

This is where most people overcomplicate things.

They think fat loss means no carbs, no restaurants, no life.

That's not what we're doing.

Fuel architecture means designing a simple structure that your body can run on.

For Chris, that meant focusing on two numbers: calories and protein.

Calories create the deficit. Protein protects the muscle.

We started Chris off on a diet we call the 2 Week Shred (more on this in a future newsletter), then moved on to a moderate calorie deficit while eating 1 gram per pound of lean mass when it came to his protein.

Then we built a meal structure he could repeat without thinking: Three main meals. One optional protein plug if he needed it. Similar foods most days.

Why? Because every meal decision is a point of failure. We made it easy by removing the decisions.

Chris also shifted his eating window earlier. Last meal finished three to five hours before bed. Not because of magic. Because late-night eating was wrecking his sleep, and bad sleep was driving his cravings the next day.

Within two weeks, he told me his appetite had "calmed down," and he craved eating whole foods #winning

Strength Training

Here's where most people accidentally sabotage themselves.

They turn workouts into calorie-burning sessions. Endless cardio. Random HIIT. Chasing soreness.

That's great if your goal is to feel busy. It's terrible if your goal is to keep muscle and look great.

Your workouts are for muscle. Muscle is what makes you look good at 30 pounds down, not just smaller.

With Chris, we ran a simple progression system we use with clients called 2S Strength Training:

• Two sets per exercise.
• Full body, three times a week.
• Hitting each muscle group 2x/week
• Every week, add reps or add weight.

30-40 minutes in the gym. No two-hour sessions. Just consistent mechanical tension with progressive overload.

(In next week's newsletter, I'll be getting deeper into the 2S Strength Training Method)

Chris got stronger every week for 12 weeks straight. And because he was hitting his protein, he was able to build muscle while the fat came off.

Step Automation

Now, I'm going to say something that might piss off a lot of health influencers, but I have to say it:

No one should be forcing themselves to do cardio to lose weight.

Any form of cardio you do to lose the weight must be kept off in order to keep it off.

Instead, they should focus on upping their step count.

Steps are the most underrated fat loss tool for busy people. But no one hits steps consistently by trying. So we automate them.

Chris had meetings every day. He also listened to podcasts. So we put a walking pad under his standing desk. Now that time has added 4,000-6,000 steps without changing his schedule.

He wasn't exercising more. He was moving more while doing what he already did.

Low-intensity movement burns fat and keeps energy high. And because his energy was high, he didn't feel the need to stress eat when 3pm hit.

You know the best part? He usually feels a dip in energy after lunch. After doing this, he kept sky-high energy levels throughout the rest of his day.

Tracking Health KPI's

If you don't track, you're guessing. And guessing is expensive.

But most people track too much and quit. So we tracked two things:

• Daily scale weight, judged by weekly averages.
• Waist measurement once a week.

Weight can lie short-term. Water, salt, stress, travel. But the waist tells the truth about fat loss.

Every week, we asked: Is the weekly average down? Is the waist trending down?

If yes, keep going. If no, adjust one lever. Not everything.

Chris never had to guess whether the plan was working. The data told him.

As an added bonus, we did a DEXA scan (body fat) and bloodwork to make sure we were actually getting healthy.

Identity Upgrade

This is where the plan becomes permanent.

Goals don't change behavior. Identity does.

When you're stressed, tired, or traveling, you don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your identity.

So we installed a system we use with clients called Identity Shifting™:

Chris did an exercise where he wrote out who he wanted to become. Not the goal weight. The person. The man who stays lean no matter how busy life gets.

Then we picked three non-negotiables he could execute on his worst week, not his best week.

We also used a special visualization technique to ingrain the new identity into his self-image.

That was his new floor. And because the floor was sustainable, he never fell through it.

The Final Word

Chris didn't transform because he tried harder.

He transformed because he stopped relying on motivation and started relying on systems.

If you want the best chance at a big drop in 90 days, your job is not to be extreme. Your job is to be consistent.

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

PS: Want to lose 20-30 pounds in 90 days like Chris? We're taking on a few more clients this month.

Reply "COACH" and I'll send you the details.

(For entrepreneurs, founders, and executives only)

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.