The Simple Fat Loss Protocol

What's up, pals?!

I understand I talk a lot about building muscle, but today I want to offer you all a program that is simple, time efficient, requires minimal equipment, and is – dare I say – "fun."

This program is for those of you focused on fat loss and weight loss. You're going to build some muscle along the way, but the focus of the plan is primarily to take thinking and motivation out of the equation and just shed some fat whilst increasing your strength by doing 4 basic exercises with 1 piece of equipment, 3-5 days per week. 

All you'll need is 1 kettlebell that you can overhead press for at least 3 reps. 

Got that?

Great!

Here's the plan.

Warmup: 1-2 sets of any ab exercise or suitcase carries; 1-2 sets of glute bridges (10 reps)

Circuit:

A1: kettlebell overhead press OR Pushups-3-6 reps each side OR max reps if pushups

A2: goblet squat or goblet reverse lunges or Box Step ups-6-10 reps (each leg if lunges or box step ups)

A3: single arm rows OR pullups-6-10 reps each side OR max reps if pullups 

A4: kettlebell swings or kettlebell Romanian deadlifts-10-15 reps

Repeat that circuit for 3-5 total rounds. 

You could do more than 5 rounds if you have plenty of time and enjoy plenty of volume. But, for most of us normal folks, 3-5 rounds will be ideal. 

A circuit keeps the pace fast, training time short, and heart rate elevated. Combine that with progressively overloading by either increasing sets, reps, or weight over time, and you have yourself a wonderful cocktail for shedding body fat whilst building muscle, giving that ever-desireable sculpted, athletic look.

That workout covers all the major muscle groups of the body. It's not a bodybuilding program, as it doesn't isolate or directly train the chest, arms, or calves. But all those muscles are still getting trained, at least, indirectly and these 4 exercises are most efficient at training multiple muscles at one.

Feel free to alternate between goblet squats, lunges, step ups, or even a split squat variation from session to session. If you just love one squat or lunge variation feel free to do that one single exercise every single session. 

If you're not comfortable doing kettlebell swings, do kettlebell Romanian deadlifts or kettlebell sumo deadlifts. But I urge you to learn swings as nothing builds one's conditioning and cranks the heart rate, while stimulating almost all of the body's major muscles, as the loyal kettlebell swing.

If you prefer pullups over rows, feel free to do pullups in place of rows, or, better yet, just alternate pullups for rows every other session. 

You could also alternate pushups for overhead presses every other session if you want to include a horizontal push pattern. 

However, I wanted to make this program as simple and repeatable as possible, so feel free to ignore the optional exercise variations and just do the program as originally written!

For women, I'd recommend using a kettlebell that's 8-12kg (18-26 lbs). A quite strong woman could do this program with a 16-20kg (35-44 lbs) bell, probably.

For men, I'd recommend using a kettlebell that's 16-24kg (35-53 lbs). A quite strong man could do this program with 28-40kg (62-88 lbs).

Frequency

The more the better. Every other day is great. But, I want this program to be one that you can knock out most days of the week. Make it a habit. Punch the clock and get it done regularly. Each session should take around 15-30 minutes.

Do your push (overhead press or pushups).

Do your squat (or lunges or step ups).

Do your rows (or pullups).

Do you swings or RDLs.

Do 1 exercise for a set then move to the next. Rest as needed and repeat that circuit for 3-5 sets. 

It's simple. It's fast. It's efficient. 

Do it every other day or even every day if you want. The more frequently you train, the less sets/rounds you'll need to do each session while achieving the same result. 

Nutrition

Any fat loss plan is incomplete without some nutrition guidance.

I'm going to provide a super simple nutrition guide for you to follow. It's going to be 3 steps.

Step 1

Men: Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 12 to get your total daily calorie goal. So if you're 200 pounds you'd do, 200x12=2,400 calories each day.

That should put you in a decent deficit without feeling absolutely starved (unless you've been pigging out shamelessly and gluttonously for a long time).

Here's the men's fat loss formula: BW in LBs x 12 = daily calories.

Women: Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 10 to get your total daily calorie goal. So if you're 200 pounds you'd do, 200x10=2,000 calories each day.

That should put you in a decent deficit without feeling absolutely starved ( again, unless you've been pigging out shamelessly and gluttonously for a long time).

Here's the women's fat loss formula: BW in LBs x 10 = daily calories.

Keep in mind, if you do this lifting program 3-5 days per week, you will have a higher Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This means that you're maintenance calories are higher when lifting weights several times per week compared to not lifting weights several times per week. 

This makes it easier to lose weight because: 

(1) more muscle = more calories burned each day and

(2) more activity (via lifting weights and walking, for example) = more calories burned each day.

Do you understand? Simply by exercising more you will be able to lose weight more easily because you're burning more calories per day. 

Don't try to lose weight by diet alone. Improving body composition happens by increasing muscle mass while  also losing body fat! It's NOT just about weight loss. It's about health, strength, longevity, and shape! 

Lift weights AND eat in an appropriate calorie deficit. 

Count your calories. I'm not discussing this further.

Step 2

Eat 150 grams of protein. I'm not going to give a specific calculation here. Most people are eating much less than 150 grams of protein per day. Let's keep it simple and just aim to eat 150 grams of protein per day.

You can track your calories and protein on paper or you can download MyFitnessPal for free. 

I don't care what your carb and fat numbers are. Get that bodyweight x 12 or bodyweight x 10 (depending on gender) calories and 150 grams of protein per day.

Step 3

This is going to be the most difficult and controversial step. But it works! (Consult your doctor if you're uncomfortable with what I'm about to say).

Do a 24 hour fast (no calories) 1 day per week. This works best if you start after dinner on one day, and go without food until dinner the next day. That way you get about 8 hours fasted while sleeping. The initial 3-5 hours after dinner before bed is easy because you're full from dinner, and then fasting for the first few hours in the morning is easy because most people don't have much appetite first thing in the morning.

So you really only have to grind through like....(8+4+4 is 16. 24 – 16 is....) 8 hours. That's really not that insufferable, bros and bro-ettes.

I know people are going to resist this and cry out that not eating for 24 hours is impossible, unhealthy, and fool-hardy. But, I'm here to tell you that it's super possible, perfectly healthy, and guarantees fat loss. 

It also allows you some grace for that one cheat day each week that I KNOW you're going to take every Friday or Saturday. I know how this works. I've worked with clients one-on-one for over a decade, and – believe it or not – I, too, am a humanoid. Shocking. We all give in to the same vice of eating off the plan one time per week. It's normal. The 24 hour fast helps mitigate – or even totally eliminate – the negative side effects of that 1 bad day. Win-win-win.

Even if you were to eat maintenance calories every day of the week (which I'm not recommending, per Step 1), fasting for 24 consecutive hours each week would put you in a 2000-3500 calorie deficit, depending on your total energy expenditure and your daily calorie consumption. Keep in mind that 3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat. So if you do this once per week alongside lifting several days per week and eating in a moderate calorie deficit, you are guaranteed to lose weight and body fat. 

Brad Pilon created an entire system and multiple books called, "Eat, Stop, Eat," where his pupils are instructed to do 1-2 x 24 hour fasts per week (not on consecutive days) and people that follow this protocol, predictably, lose fat like clock-work despite eating around maintenance calories the other 5 days per week. People that have best success with this protocol also lift weights 2-4 days per week! (I cannot stress the "you gotta lift weights for 30-40 minutes several times per week" enough)!

If you're unsure, by all means, consult your doctor. 

If you have some underlying health issue/concern that would be negatively affected by a 24 hour fast, of course do not do this step! 

What to do during the fast?

Fasting is great for mental, spiritual, and physical health. When I'm doing a 24 hour fast, I drink water with a little salt in it consistently throughout the day. I also drink herbal teas, coffee, and decaf coffee. That coffee must be black. No calories from food or liquids (I'm aware there's trace calories in black coffee, but I'm not that worried about the potential 3-4 calories that may be floating around in coffee grounds. With that said, don't you dare drink some sort of latte or sugary energy drink and count it as fasting). 

Take advantage of the free time to get some work done, do some reading, maybe binge a TV show, spend a bunch of time outside. I usually go for 3 or 4 short walks during my fasting days. Definitely walk. Distract yourself with mental and physical activity. I find I'm super productive and – mostly – quite relaxed on days I know I'm going to fast for 24 hours. 

I, personally, would NOT lift on the fasting day, unless you're planning to do it right before you have your first meal breaking the 24 hour fast, which still is NOT ideal. For the sake of this program, use the fasting day as a rest day from lifting your kettlebell.

My regular fast schedule tends to be from whenever I finish dinner Saturday night until dinner time Sunday night. 

The end.

That's the program. Go do this for 12 weeks. 

Train 3-5 days per week. 

Count those calories. 

Eat 150 grams of protein per day. 

If you're comfortable and safely able, do 1 x 24 hour fast per week. 

You will make GREAT progress without needing a complex gym or nutrition plan!!  You can do it from home (or a local park if you prefer)!

Let me know if you need assistance or guidance along the way. I'm here to offer any support.