This is what I’d do, methodically .
[1] OWN IT:
About 6-7 years ago, one of my colleagues “ unexpectedly ” dropped about 80 pounds. He was a powerlifter aiming for a BIG squat—800lbs if I recall correctly—but could never get below 260. When he lost that 80 pounds, I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years, so I asked him how he accomplished it .
“It was pretty simple,” he said. “I talked to [a mutual friend] and he said, ‘Dude, you gotta own your sh*t.’ And that was it.”
In other copyright, if you struggle to lose weight, you have to recognize your excuses—those stories and lies you tell yourself—and get rid of them. Change your stories.
[2] GET JUNK FOOD OUT OF THE HOUSE:
I’d go through the pantry and remove all cookies, chips, crackers, and soda. Then I’d hit the freezer and get rid of pizza, ice cream—any high-calorie “binge-y” food. If it’s not there, I can’t eat it, especially not on impulse when I’m stressed .
[3] I'D EAT A "PROTEIN-FIRST" DIET:
The first thing in my mouth each meal is protein. Every meal is focused on it , then comes other stuff: carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice) and, of course, veggies.
Protein:
Stops hunger
Stops cravings for sugary and fatty foods
Increases your metabolism
Accelerates your recovery between workouts
In fact, 2015 research by Dr. Jose Antonio, PhD, et al, stated[1]:
“A high protein diet (3.4 g/kg/d) combined with a heavy resistance training program improves body composition in healthy trained men and women.”
[4] I'D LIFT HEAVY (HIGH FORCE):
I’d use a 4-6RM for my most important lifts, especially if I’d been doing a lot of KB ballistics. Many people who do “lots of Swings” are surprised when they add heavy lifts. Their heart rates shoot up more than during Swings or Snatches, boosting the body’s calorie demands for recovery.
[5] I’d lift with maximum force ( max effort):
I'd make each rep as strong as I can —no more “phoning it in” or just “surviving” my sets. If I’d already been doing “a read more bunch of Swings,” I’d probably double my usual rep ranges (or raise them by 50%). For example, sets of 5 become sets of 10; sets of 10 become sets of 20.
[6] I’d "bias" my training:
Most people do only what they enjoy . But to strip fat off your body like turpentine on an antique chest of drawers, you have to do the thing you suck at most —because it requires you to use more energy.
I love low-rep strength work—that’s my bias. The opposite would be higher-rep KB ballistic work, like sets of 10+. That would gas me , requiring more energy. For someone who does “a lot of Swings,” it’d be the opposite: a lot of heavy strength work. Again, more energy than normal required .
[7] I'd sleep more:
Sleeping more aids fat loss; sleeping less encourages fat storage[2]. Unbelievable, but true. Lack of sleep boosts appetite and makes you lose muscle (“fat-free mass”). I'd make sure I get 7-8 hours every night.
[8] I’d breathe more:
Breathing—specifically diaphragmatic breathing—is a way to reduce stress. Less stress → less circulating cortisol → less belly fat . Diaphragmatic breathing turns on the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) system and counters the sympathetic (“fight, flight, or freeze”) system.
High cortisol also lowers anabolic (muscle-building & fat-burning) hormones like testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH). So, breathing lowers cortisol and restores T and GH levels.
[9] I'd train 4-6x week:
Making your body lose fat is no mean feat. It’s like Scrooge McDuck hoarding his treasure: your body wants to hold on to fat. So you have to force it to burn without caring —by making it do more work. How you organize your training is up to you. I prefer contrasting training:
Hard sessions followed by easy sessions
Heavy sessions followed by light sessions
That style makes the body work without burning it out . I'd keep sessions focused but short —20 to 30 minutes.
[10] My Priority Would Be RECOVERY:
I’d make sure I stayed injury-free by emphasizing restoration/ flexibility work, knowing my body would become tense from extra use. If you’ve ever had an injury from repetitive strain, you know it’s no fun . Better to head that off at the pass .
So, 5 to 15 minutes of restoration work each session. “Yeah, but won’t that take total workout time up to 45 minutes?” Maybe . Or I could switch between hard training days with easy restoration days and do more restoration work instead.
So How Long Would It Take?
As long as it required.
But probably, no more than 12 weeks . Maybe as long as 16, depending on my recovery.