The Most Effective Method I Used To Fix My Potbelly.
Most gurus overcomplicate it, and I'm here to tell you it's beyond simple.
It transformed everything I knew.
I lost 56+ pounds in 8 months and have maintained abs since, proof here.
I'm not saying this to "thirst trap" or "try and get laid", as a few commenters put it, but rather to add substance to our discussion. I've tried everything: Paleo, Keto, 5/2, Vegan, skipping breakfast, you name it.
They never worked for me, and each time I was back at square one, it felt like I was smashing my forehead against a squat rack.
It stemmed from those diets, which required me to cut out certain food groups which were too restrictive. Life's everyday events, like unexpected dinner invitations or weekends away, would slap my diet around like a wet fish.
Those approaches don't suit the real world.
Everything changed once I used this standard method for losing weight but added some key ingredients. When I did, the results were like magic.
Strap in tight, and let's get into it.
All calories are not equal.
The equation for me has been simple: increase my activity output and decrease the calories I consume.
One passionate commenter wrote to me recently saying:
“I’m tired of hearing you brag about losing 30 pounds and saying it’s because of calorie counting. 30 pounds ain’t sh*t. Every single person in the know thats done a calorie focused weight loss like Weight Watchers or Noon initially lost weight but gained it all back and more. The only thing that works long-term is whatever controls your appetite hormones. Everything else is bullsh*t.”
They're right.
I talk a lot about calorie counting, a common truth in losing weight, but many people find it ineffective because they cannot manage their appetite cravings. I've also got it wrong, and it boiled down to messing up the macronutrient mix—too much or too little fats, carbs, or protein.
When that balance goes out the window, you'll find me diving into the snack cupboard like a treasure hunter.
There are many calorie-counting sceptics out there. One is scientist Giles Yeo, author of the book Why Calories Don't Count: How We Got the Science of Weight Loss Wrong.
Giles Yeo — Source
“Calorie counting is a very useful tool to give you a general idea of how much you eat during the day. It's true. “How much” you’re eating. But it tells us nothing about the quality of food you’re eating. How much protein, fibre, fat, and carbs—the calorie tells you absolutely nothing. It gives a piece of information, and I can see how that can be important. I would like to see a world where we are more concerned about the quality of food.”
I agree.
Yeo says if you stick to a calorie-restricted diet of 2000 calories, the chances are you will probably lose weight because you'd burn more than that, but how healthy you would be is more to the question.
I stick to a daily intake of 2,000 calories, which aligns well with my maintenance calories of 2,500 calories (BMR). I've cut 500 calories, which is standard for managing my intake. But for me, it's not just counting calories. My target is 2.2 grams of Protein per kilogram of weight, so I hit around 175 grams of Protein every day.
Then, for two of the three main meals, I try for an even split of all three macros in each meal with slightly lower fat, i.e. 35–40% Carbs, 35% Protein and 25% Fat.
Generally, dietitians and medical experts advise a macronutrient breakdown of 20%- 30% fat, 30% protein, and 40%- 50% carbohydrates because this balances all three energy sources.
It works incredibly well for me and is easily tracked on MyFitnessPal.
My simple activity plan.
Focusing solely on daily calories might not tell the whole story, but it's akin to keeping an eye on the fuel gauge—it gives you a general sense of where things stand.
It's a start.
Sure, it won't clue me in on the water, oil, or brake fluid levels, but it nails down the crucial bit — fuel. At least I know how much juice I've got left to burn.
When I get my nutrition right, I feel like I have excess energy despite my deficit. I also avoid those afternoon slumps with match sticks holding my eyes open.
Once I slashed 500 calories daily and followed a simple workout routine, I was down on the weekly by 3,500 calories and was shedding about half a pound to a full pound every seven days.
My weekly activity schedule is as simple as tying your shoes with Velcro
Here's what it includes.
10,000 daily steps
Three, 5KM runs
The secret of a quality diet is simpler than you think.
I eat around 500 calories per meal.
It's simply easier to add up with a nice round figure, and as a meal, it hits the spot just enough.
I've got a system where I cap my three main meals at 500 calories each—1,500 total. This leaves me with 500 calories for my snacks. Most days, I'll grab a cappuccino from the family-run spot down the street, which I walk to, and I either have a Grenade bar or a protein shake.
Here's the lowdown on my daily meals— nothing fancy, but it does the trick for me.
Breakfast:
Egg and Bagel Sandwich: Two large eggs, scrambled or fried, are served on a whole wheat bagel with a slice of low-fat cheese (approximately 350 calories). I add a slice of tomato and some spinach leaves for extra flavour and nutrients.
Morning Snack:
Half a Grenade Bar: (110 calories).
Lunch:
Turkey and Avocado Wrap: I use 150 grams of sliced turkey breast wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with slices of avocado and a sprinkle of shredded lettuce. Add a light spread of mustard or a dab of light mayo (around 400 calories total).
Afternoon Snack:
The other half of the Grenade Bar: Finish the other half of the protein bar (110 calories).
Cappuccino: A medium cappuccino made with skimmed milk (130 calories).
Dinner:
Grilled Chicken Salad: Grilled chicken breast (150 grams), served over a bed of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber, dressed with a tablespoon of olive oil and balsamic vinegar (about 350 calories).
Forget about losing weight and focus on having a better system instead.
If you were to dig deep into the far corner of my brain to discover the one thing that made all the difference, it's this.
Have a better system in place.
For six years, each time I took a big running jump and dived both feet into a fitness regime, I couldn't sustain it, purely because I tried to draw my results from willpower.
It was way too stressful.
Setting fitness goals often doesn't work because there's no definitive endpoint—it's about adopting a lifestyle for the long haul, an ongoing commitment rather than a temporary fix.
James Clear says in his international best-seller Atomic Habits:
“Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the process that lead to those results. If you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your system would you still succeed? I think you would. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Or, in the words of three-time Super Bowl winner Bill Walsh, "The score takes care of itself".
When I was still wet behind the ears with fitness, I lacked trust in the process or questioned whether it would work, so I always advocated for using an expert like an online fitness coach.
I had to fit into their system, which eliminated any guesswork. All that mental arithmetic of wondering if this would work for me melted into thin air.
Effective technology is like using a compass to guide you.
It can also expose the heck out of you, which isn't bad.
I went through the rigmarole of paying someone $40 for an in-person gym session three times a week for three months until I realised I didn't have a bottomless pit of money.
We never discussed nutrition or had a shared dashboard monitoring my daily steps and gym workouts.
Finding an online coach who maximises the use of technology can help you cover every angle and expose you to more.
There is no escaping accountability when both of you look at a dashboard of the below metrics.
I log my water intake
I weigh myself every day.
I take progress pics monthly.
My phone tracks my step count.
I tape-measure every part of my body weekly.
I scan my food to track my macros and calories.
Walk slowly but never backward.
This one was tough for me to get my noggin around.
I always wanted to take on the world with my fitness regime, and anything less felt like a failure.
Setbacks have defined my fitness journey for as long as I can remember. But once I got this mindset hack of epic proportions, everything changed.
You only need to move the needle forward — by how much is irrelevant.
Whenever I'd have a bad day eating, I'd hit what coach Chris calls the "F*ck it button"— excuse the French. It's that psychological self-destruct button we all have that says — bugger it, I've messed up, so there's no point heading to the gym, or I've eaten poorly, so I might as well keep going and start again next week.
This kicking the can down the road is how I went backwards for as long as I can remember working in that god-forsaken office job.
It's how I stayed obese and unhappy.
It comes down to one simple reason: You must value the compounding effects of small actions that would lead to enormous changes in your life.
When I did, everything changed.
Final Thoughts
When I write something absurdly simple, people tend to dismiss it as too good to be true.
It's undeniable, and I'm living proof.
Don't get caught up too much with a calorie-denial crowd—understand there is a nuance: If your goal is to lose weight, calorie restriction with good nutrition (macros) is worth a try.
Simple daily activities you enjoy usually become the thing you repeat.
I follow a simple diet plan and rotate a few dishes. The simplicity removes the decision-making, and then the consistency flows.
Losing weight is not the target — finding a system you can repeat blindfolded is, and if you can't borrow someone else's system.
Tracking via the use of technology is an underrated truth of fitness.
Keep jabbing at progress — speed doesn't matter. Just make sure you're always nudging that needle forward.
It worked for me, so why not you?
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