I had a great chat with my friend, John.

I'm proud to say he’s lost 20 pounds of bodyfat and, most importantly, maintained his excellent health.

In our discussion we cover things like why you must follow a proven plan and focus on the fundamentals.

We also talk about the importance of being consistent with your workouts and nutrition.

John is a world-class accountant so it's especially profound when he states that your "health" is actually your number-one investment.

Truth is, prevention is better than cure.

Invest in your health right now, so you can enjoy the best quality of life possible.

Those who invest in themselves are those who continue to grow and get better every year.

They are the kinds of guys who inspire others.

The folks who actually achieve their goals.

Those who sit around and deliberate, thinking that they'll wait for next time, or that they can't afford it, or that the timing isn't right are the ones who get nowhere.

They remain stuck in the same place.

Year after year. Forever. That's no way to live.

Even if you find yourself feeling busy and overwhelmed, never forget to take care of yourself first because you’ll have a tough time helping others if you’re in a hospital bed.

When you are ready to get lean, strong, and slow aging, I’d be honored to help.

How John Lost 20 Pounds

What is the secret to not only losing weight but keeping it off?

Really, it’s all about how you view your journey.

You see, what makes the difference is whether you are trying to change your lifestyle or whether you are just on a diet.

The two are worlds apart.

By its very nature, a diet is temporary.

Usually, people view diets as short-term with a conceivable end in sight.

The whole nature of "diet" is survival to the end—to hold out just a little longer until the diet is finally over and you can get back to your normal life.

This approach is not sustainable and also makes the diet feel like a punishment.

It’s uncomfortable. It’s unpleasant.

And the expected end result is that once the diet has been endured for the prescribed period of time, the weight will come right back on.

A person on a "diet" views a food temptation and talks to herself like this:

“That looks so delicious. I can’t have it now because I am on a diet. But after a few more weeks, I will be able to finally eat that again! I just have to be strong for a little longer.”

A lifestyle, however, is permanent.

When you decide to lose weight by changing your lifestyle, there is no end in sight.

A lifestyle change, as the name suggests, is for life.

The result is that you begin truly adapting your life and behaviors to match your new lifestyle.

Instead of toughing it out and pining away over taboo treats, you find healthier alternatives.

You create ways to enjoy your food and figure out how to adjust every area of your life to your new habits.

Rather than being unpleasant, your day-to-day life becomes agreeable and comfortable.

A person who is changing her lifestyle views a tempting food and talks to herself this way:

“That looks so delicious! But if I ate it, it would throw me off track from the life that I am creating. It would taste good, but it would make me feel horrible. That food is no longer an option for me. I am going to find something to eat that moves me closer to my goals.”

When you achieve this mindset shift, you will not only lose weight, but you will keep it off because this kind of weight loss is sustainable over the long term.

Think about how you view your personal weight loss efforts.

Are you trying to tough it out so that you can finally get back to your normal patterns of eating?

Or are you designing a lifestyle that makes keeping weight off not only possible but also probable?

When it comes to meeting your goals, nutrition is 80% of the battle. Some experts say 90%.

All of the best-selling diet books have several principles in common.

If you follow these principles, you will succeed.

Here's a simplified version of my nutrition recommendations:

Step 1: Determine your calorie requirements

Want to gain muscle? Lose fat?

Both?

First step is to figure out how many calories you need right now.

I explain how to figure this out when you join our results-guaranteed coaching program.

See below for details.

Step 2: Choose your food 

This is way easier than most folks think.

Simply choose fresh, unprocessed, organic foods.

Literally anything that is fresh, unprocessed and organic.

A sample meal could be grilled chicken (lean protein) and roasted asparagus (carbohydrate) with 12 ounces of plain water.

Another meal idea is sauteed ground turkey (lean protein) with grilled avocado and toasted walnuts(healthy fat) plus water.

Protein sources are any lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, etc.

Carbohydrate sources are any fruits and vegetables

Drink filtered water (1/2 to 1 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight per day).

Regarding fats, you will get most essential fats if you eat the things like tuna and salmon and sardines and herring.

You can also use essential fatty acid supplements.

One more thing about fats, like olive oil, beware that 1 tablespoon is over 100 calories.

So measure and account for these "condiment" calories.

Another thing regarding supplements, food is always your best medicine.

Personally I know "organ meats" are good for you, like liver.

But I'll choose to take supplemental liver pills all day long because liver is one of my least favorite foods.

Eat food first.

If you are in a bind, I recommend a meal replacement shake or bars or a scoop or protein powder blended with 1/2 frozen banana (remove peel before freezing), water, and ice.

Just remember to choose fresh, unprocessed, organic foods before supplements.

When it comes to nutrition, you can pay your grocer or pay your doctor.

Step 3: Follow these rules

👉3-4 meals daily (just be mindful of calories no matter how many meals you choose)

👉3 hours between meals

👉16-20 oz water BEFORE each meal

👉Each meal consists of carbs (fresh fruit/vegetables) and a lean protein

👉All food is unprocessed and as close to nature as possible

👉Choose foods that give you the most volume for the least calories (spinach vs. pasta)

👉Prepare meals for entire week ahead of time. At home, we prep on Sundays and Wednesdays

👉Get a food scale that measures calories

👉Get 42 2.5-cup containers for your weekly meals. We use stainless steel containers vs. plastic

👉Get a soft-sided cooler that will hold 3-4 meals

👉Get an ice-pack to keep food fresh in your cooler

👉Get stainless-steel containers to carry your water.

Now, more than ever before, is not the time to let your immune system get weak.

Now is not the time to be sad and depressed.

If you want to help others, you need to help yourself first.

Please note that whatever nutritional habits you follow:

• Paleo
• Keto
• Occasional Fasting
• Gluten free
• Vegan, etc.

You must take imperfect action and actually do.

Give yourself a chance and stay with it for at least 12 weeks.

But follow the nutrition habits that I'm suggesting and just wait to see all of the positive changes.

Step 4: Fail forward

Your failings don’t define you unless you let them.

Never think of yourself as a failure, just because you failed at one thing.

Instead reframe you mindset to think that you are at the beginning or in the middle of a challenge.

Never think that "it’s over and I lost," because you may be five feet from gold.

It's likely you’ll mess some other things up and fail many more times.

But with every forward failure, you'll find a way around or a way to overcome.

You'll re-route your journey.

And each time you'll build more confidence that you can do it the next time a challenge blocks your path.

So whenever you start to feel like you are failing at something, take it as a challenge rather than a defeat.

It’s often an opportunity to build your resolve and come back stronger.

Besides, the world loves a good comeback story, so you need something to come back from, right?

Your actions reveal your priorities.

If you want a true representation of what your priorities, all you have to do is take a look at your actions.​

You can't say that your health is a top priority and then do nothing to make it happen.

You want it? You must go get it because no one will hand it to you.

Need to know the easiest, quickest and most efficient way to get leaner, stronger, and slow aging?

Just apply here to get the ball rolling. ​Your results are guaranteed and the first two weeks are on us.

Feel and look better than you have in years by making your health and happiness a priority - it is way easier than you think.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online personal trainer, or you want to visit the best personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.