# Leanrr DIY Guide

Leanrr is a science-based fat loss app that's helped about 100 people get ripped by using data from their body. The Leanrr DIY Guide is the system behind it which can be used with or without the app.

## Background

My name is Philipp and I created Leanrr with my partner Patricia. Like most people we've experienced significant weight gain at various points in our lives such as when starting college, getting our first jobs, and being overwhelmed with responsibility at various points in our careers.

At the time of writing this guide in September '23 I'm at 12% body fat and my partner Patricia is at 18%. Here are pictures of us on vacation in Athens, Greece and Ibiza, Spain last month in August '23: 

![Athens, Greece](/files/X5ps43TLU48kyUS6qxOh)![Ibiza, Spain](/files/3IS868Vbfod5yacl1ogr)

Here's Patricia and I in Costa Rica December '22 for New Year's. As you can see chronic stress got the best of me in '22 due to a new role at work. In January '23 I fixed my mental health and used Leanrr to lose 40 lbs to reduce my body fat percentage from 26% to 12% by the end of May '23.

![Tamarindo, Costa Rica](/files/EyQKaLKe02gxDyirqST4)![](/files/UeKQquvCzpLmEMXMP48A)

Helping people achieve their dream physique is a shared passion and something that brought Patty and I together when we first met. Patricia got certified for fun as a personal trainer in 2014 and has helped over 50 people. I've personally had success coaching about 40 people who have either been friends, family, or Leanrr users. 

Now let's talk about goals.

## What is lean & healthy?

To maximize jubilant life, meaning the years of life you can actually enjoy, and minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and premature death, research shows there are upper and lower bounds of body fat percentages for men and women.

For men the range is 8% to 24%. For women the range is 15% to 30%.

<details>

<summary>Estimate Your Body Fat Percentage Visually</summary>

## Women

<img src="/files/tMJ62rFf2wsQR6NgCnC7" alt="" data-size="original">

### Men

<img src="/files/mcU1luWM5H5H0v37JQcK" alt="" data-size="original">

</details>

If you're outside this range it's imperative you get inside it for no other reason than your health. It could potentially tack on years to your life and increase the quality of life you experience.

{% hint style="danger" %}
As mentioned above, it's unhealthy for men to go below 8% and for women to dip below 15% for extended periods of time. If you have trouble feeling good at these very low percentages please seek professional help.
{% endhint %}

## What is a dream physique?

Once you're inside the lean & healthy range your dream physique is whatever makes you happy! Patricia likes being between 15% to 18%. Personally I like how I look between 8% to 12% body fat.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/JtAC5ETFqhJbcrlTVzMA" alt="" width="164"><figcaption><p>Patricia at 15% body fat</p></figcaption></figure> <figure><img src="/files/UeZqtKSOw40TruTyqdpz" alt="" width="188"><figcaption><p>Me at 12% body fat</p></figcaption></figure></div>

Beyond how I look I get a sense of personal fulfillment from the work I put in to achieve my dream physique. When I wake up I like seeing someone dedicated in the mirror. It makes me feel a high level of self control. It also makes me feel excellence mentally which I feel flows into my body and everything I do. It's one of my constant sources of confidence.

Externally I've found it easier to interact socially and professionally due to what's called the [Halo effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect). It's a psychological effect where people take your appearance and cross attribute it to your work ethic and personality in a positive light. Of course that only lasts if you truly do have the positive characteristics to back it up. But it's nice to always start off with a positive impression.

## Free vs Paid Subscription

As I said, in this guide I'll show you how to achieve results using the free Leanrr plan. It's what Patricia, myself, and numerous others we've trained used to achieve their dream physique

The benefits of the paid [Leanrr](https://leanrr.com) plan are that it:

* lets you to discuss problems and validate your progress with us (your coaches) through chat,
* algorithmically monitors progress and notifies you, your coach, and optionally a friend of problems,
* leverages your Bluetooth scale, Fitbit sensors, & DEXA scans for high precision feedback,
* is constantly updated based on new scientific research and our experience coaching.

Okay, let's get started!


# Quickstart

Lose \~2 lbs in 1 week. Works for 1 week ONLY.

You're feeling highly motivated. You want to see results 7 days from now. You're willing to take my word for it. No problem. Below is a skeleton version of the program. It'll work for the first week allowing you to get through the rest of the guide yet still see results in the meantime.

## Step 1: Grocery shop, eat two meals a day.

The easiest thing to do for the first 7 days is to eat the same two meals a day. Repetition will make you fast at cooking and it'll eliminate daily decision making around what to eat.&#x20;

**Sausage & Eggs (800 calories >=5'10"; 600 calories <5'9" )**

For one week you'll need:

* 5 packs of [aidells cajun style andouille smoked sausage with pork](https://www.aidells.com/products/dinner-sausage/cajun-andouille/)
* 5 cartons of 32oz. egg whites s.a. [Bob Evans 100% Liquid Egg Whites](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bob-Evans-100-Liquid-Egg-Whites-Carton-32-oz/821371418)
* 7 of each of these: onions, zucchinis, packs of baby bella mushrooms, bell peppers, eggs
* Seasoning: salt, pepper, cajun, cayenne pepper, italian seasoning

Use 2 sausage links per dish if you're at or above 5'10 and 1 sausage link if you're below.

Here's a video of how I cook this meal and clean all the dishes for it in under 8 minutes. Think of this meal as a "skill" you hone. Having this meal as a quick go to will be useful longterm.

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/3DhwCdCKgog>" %}

**Greek Yogurt & Protein Bar (650 calories)**

* 7 [siggi's plain yogurt](https://amzn.to/3sZUB3k) OR 7 [Chobani Greek Yogurt's Non-Fat Plain](https://amzn.to/4509iAr)
* 7 [Pure Protein Bars](https://amzn.to/3ZoQGsG)

Eat them together closer to when you go to sleep.

#### Dealing With Hunger

To get past hunger, try these \~0 calorie drinks and foods:

* Caffeine (morning)
  * drinking coffee black with aspartame or stevia
  * diet coke, coke cherry zero, zero calorie monster
* Caffeine Free (afternoon, evening)
  * water
  * zero calories soda such as: 7-up, ginger ale, sprite
* Almost 0 Calorie Food:
  * sugar free gum (5 cals)
  * low calorie sauerkraut (high sodium)
  * pickles (high sodium)

## Step 2: Weigh in every morning.

First thing every morning. Use the bathroom. Weigh in. Record this number in a [Google Sheet](https://sheets.new). This is how you'll know you're losing weight. Alternatively [Leanrr](https://leanrr.com) provides the tools to track weight manually or with a [Bluetooth](https://amzn.to/3t5vCM5)/[WIFI](https://amzn.to/3ZuzTEX) scale. You should see a drop of \~2 lbs by the end of the first week.

## Cravings

There are two common causes for craving sugar and fat.

### Stress

If you're in a state of chronic stress your body is hit with hundreds of impulses for sugar and fat per day. No one can withstand that. Resolving chronic stress is a pre-requisite to any sort of weight loss journey. Checkout the "Psychological Wellbeing" section if that's the case.

{% content-ref url="/pages/AygjzHSPvze8M9nazrlh" %}
[Psychological Wellbeing](/leanrr-guide/lasting-weight-loss/psychological-wellbeing)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### Microbiome

In our gut are microbes that grow in response to foods you eat and then send signals to our brains to crave more of that food. So if you've been eating a lot of pizza and cheesecakes your gut will send signals for 1 to 3 days make you crave it. By not feeding those microbes for \~1 week they will mostly die and the majority of the impulse will go away. Remember it's temporary and be patient.


# Devices & Services

You can come back to this section after you read the Leanrr guide and decide if you want to DIY or get one of the paid Leanrr plans.

## Critical Devices

* **Digital Scale or** [**Bluetooth**](https://amzn.to/3t5vCM5) **or** [**WIFI**](https://amzn.to/3ZuzTEX) **scale**
  * Allows you to do morning weigh ins and track your average weekly weight.
* [**Food scale**](https://amzn.to/3LxgTQn)
  * To measure out ingredients when you cook.
* [**Fitbit**](https://amzn.to/45ZMB0R)
  * Tracks heart rate, steps, and exercise if you want higher precision feedback on how much more you need to exercise or how much you should eat that day.

## Apps

* **MyFitnessPal**
  * You can create "meals" so tracking the "simple three" or "pizza day" takes seconds.
  * If you decide to eat outside of foods, you can track remaining food and have certainty of mind.
* **Fitbit**
  * Connects to Leanrr, MyFitnessPal, & your Bluetooth/WIFI scale so all your information is utilized in Leanrr to give feedback

## Services

* **Body Fat Measurement: DEXA / BodPod**
  * These are ways to determine body fat percentage
  * You can eyeball this using the visual guide we have in the next section or in Leanrr.
  * Alternatively you can use the bioimpedance most modern scales provide to track this although it's not very accurate.

## Optional Devices

* [**Ninja**](https://amzn.to/46nizUe)
  * Game changer for:
    * speed of chopping vegetables
    * preparing smoothies
    * kneading dough for pizza day
* [**Silicone Spatula**](https://amzn.to/3PoFJD7)
  * cleans in seconds
* [**Bowl / Tupperware**](https://amzn.to/4530ZnH)
  * easy to clean, eat on the go, and meal prep if you want


# Lasting Weight Loss

To achieve your dream physique you need to master your mental state, the mechanics of weight loss, and strategies to execute.

To get lean you must:

* eat less and/or,
* exercise more.

Seems simple enough. So why isn't everyone lean? This question has perplexed me most of my adult life. As a 32 year old I've successfully cut down to \~12% body fat at ages 20, 24, 27, 29, and 32. Before 27 I failed cutting 8 times because I was still learning the mechanics behind weight loss and how to properly execute.

Since 27 I've always succeeded when I decided to cut. I've also stayed at 12% for \~2 year after each cut. Clearly I've cracked the mechanics of how to lose fat and maintain it for a decent while. So what's the missing puzzle piece? Why do I still occasionally gain lots of weight? Why can't I just stay lean forever?

## Three Pillars Of Lasting Weight Loss

![](/files/IMJLjD3Yqzoo7W6gu7OD)

The part it took me longest to understand is lasting weight loss requires lasting **psychological wellbeing**. Food is a vital source of energy. But it can double as a drug. When depression, loneliness, fatigue, anxiety, agitation, anger, chronic stress, or boredom hit our brains seek feel-good neurotransmitters. Food is accessible, time efficient, and socially acceptable. It is the simplest solution. The underlying issue is often a magnitude harder to detect and resolve. If left unchecked for too long, unhealthy amounts of body fat can accumulate as a reflection of a poor mental state. Yet monitoring weight trends over time is one of the simplest ways to monitor your mental wellbeing! This is the newest pillar of Leanrr in 2023.

Next is the **mechanics** of eating & lifting. You could be in a good state of mind but be unaware that some of the food you habitually eat is unnecessarily high density. Or your microbiome feedback loop could be forcing you to crave sugar & fatty foods but could be fixed in a matter of days. With this guide and Leanrr in general the goal is for you to be able to make informed decisions about your nutrition and exercise so you can stay in control of your body. There's a lot of misinformation about this everywhere so I had to read raw scientific research for two years to crack this part for myself. In general Leanrr is designed to show you weekly progress. Even if you trust you should always, always, always verify.

Last is **execution**. A healthy mindset and plan that minimizes time & effort is necessary. Showing up daily is difficult. If you improvise you'll have have to make a significant number of decisions every day. Decisions are draining. When work or life hits you with a surprise you probably won't have the mental space. You're much more likely to succeed if you dedicate time to create a plan when you're feeling highly motivated so execution will require minimal thought and effort when motivation is low. Leanrr helps you create such a plan: meals you'll eat, groceries you'll need, daily adjustments based on exercise, and weekly adjustments based on your body's response.&#x20;

## Staying On Track With Leanrr

Leanrr is built to monitor trends, detects problems, and help you diagnose the root cause either yourself, with a friend, or with your coach. It's done using an event driven approach to ensure minimal effort and consistency.&#x20;

All you have to do is weigh in every morning. By averaging daily weigh-ins over the calendar week you can remove the noise that exists in day to day measurements such as hormones, water, carb retention, & meal timing. Then, by subtracting last week's average from the current week you can see the delta and observe trends.

![](/files/QRKSUR3nfrvcxEzDFK1a)

If there's significant weight gain week over week, especially for multiple weeks in a row, Leanrr knows to fire off a notification so you can introspect about what's going on and talk to a coach. If you are losing weight Leanrr is able to tell you how much weight you're losing and whether you're exceeding a healthy amount for your body type. If you're maintaining it'll give you feedback on how whether you're staying within good boundaries. I'll teach you how to do all of this manually in the Mechanics section coming up.

You can track your average weekly weight in a Google Sheets every morning when you weigh in. Create a row for weeks and a column for each day of the week. Then average each row to come up with your weekly average weight. Here's an example setup:

![](/files/Tw7OC3WUIkp5QiJSLlNQ)

In the Leanrr app you can manually track your weight every morning or connect to your [Bluetooth](https://amzn.to/3t5vCM5) / [WIFI](https://amzn.to/3ZuzTEX) scale to track it automatically. Another benefit of using Leanrr is it will notify you of trends by email, text message, and allows enlisting a close friend or a coach to be alerted. Whether you've stopped weighing in or are experiencing dramatic weight gain or loss Leanrr helps you setup an intervention plan that will alert you, a friend of your choice, and your coach.

Next let's dive into the details of each pillar.


# Psychological Wellbeing

Your weight is often a reflection of your mental state.

Let's say you're tracking your average weekly weight and see it trending up. What are the most probable and common mental culprits?

* Chronic stress
* Boredom
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Loneliness
* Burnout
* Trauma

There are many more.&#x20;

## Chronic Stress

The one Leanrr is squarely focused on currently is chronic stress. It has the most significant researched link to rapid weight gain. [\[1\]](https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1611)&#x20;

{% content-ref url="/pages/BrA9voimmXGwU6kvfhC4" %}
[Chronic Stress](/leanrr-guide/lasting-weight-loss/psychological-wellbeing/chronic-stress)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## Boredom

The second one we're exploring is boredom. We encourage you to discuss it with your Leanrr coach in chat or with a friend. This one is fairly new to us so we'd be learning and growing together about strategies to resolve this.

## Professional Help

If you need help with any of the items on this list you should also consult with a medical professional or a licensed therapist. While we've had some limited success with chronic stress and boredom it's fairly new and experimental for us. Professional help is much more comprehensive as well while we're solely focused on fixing those issue to the point which helps you make progress achieving your dream physique.


# Chronic Stress

A multi-faceted reason why you might be craving sugar and fat.

### **Physiology**

Short-term stress can block hunger. But longer bouts of stress, those lasting more than four to seven days, can trigger hunger, particularly for comfort foods like sugar and fatty foods. This is because stress can affect the release of hormones like ghrelin, which can make you feel hungry.

Body fat itself can receive signals to release certain hormones such as cortisol when stressed. This can also contribute to the desire for more sugar and fatty foods.&#x20;

When adrenal glands are taxed due to stress, they can affect the thyroid, decreasing its function and leading to a slower metabolism.

Lastly, cortisol production utilizes the same building blocks as testosterone, DHEA, and estrogen which means it can contribute to weight gain due to hormonal imbalances.

### **Treatment**

All that said, it's clearly not a state you want to be in. No matter how much willpower or mental energy you have, you can't beat an impulse your brain fires off 1000 times per day, weeks on end. So the question is what can you do to exit this state?

1. **Mindfulness and meditation**: Regular practice of mindfulness and meditation can help reduce stress levels. They help train your mind to focus on the present, reduce the frequency of negative thought patterns, and enhance mental clarity and calmness.
2. **Exercise**: Regular physical activity produces endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. It also improves sleep quality, which can often be negatively impacted by stress.
3. **Healthy eating**: Certain foods can provide a soothing effect. Complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and omega-3 fatty acids have been found to moderate stress levels.
4. **Adequate sleep**: Lack of sleep can amplify the body's stress reactions. Ensuring you get a good night's sleep can help regulate your body's stress responses.
5. **Social support**: Connecting with others can help you manage stress levels. This can include talking about your problems with friends or loved ones, seeking professional counseling, or joining a support group.
6. **Relaxation techniques**: Techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, tai chi, or progressive muscle relaxation can help you activate the body's relaxation response, a state of rest that can help reduce stress levels.
7. **Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)**: This form of therapy can help you manage stress by changing negative thought patterns, improving problem-solving skills, and learning coping mechanisms.
8. **Time management**: Effective time management can help you reduce feelings of stress by helping you manage workloads and other commitments, leading to a better work-life balance.

These are some ideas what you can do. You can discuss with your Leanrr coach or your therapist to see what works best for you.


# Mechanics

Modelling your body and where fat comes from.

{% hint style="info" %}
Before reading this section I recommend projecting the maximum speed at which you could physiologically lose fat, according to science, using [this free Leanrr widget](https://www.leanrr.com/app/max-speed-fat-loss/).

* A reasonable sub-goal is cutting 1% of fat which is how the result is laid out.
* Note how may pounds you could lose in \~30 days by adding up the duration column.
  {% endhint %}

## The Mechanics Of Fat

Your body needs a certain amount of fuel aka food to function daily. It also needs materials to build and repair with. It prefers that your fuel consists of carbohydrates (e.g.: potatoes) and fats (e.g.: avocados) while structural materials primarily consist of protein (e.g.: chicken).

Fuel is converted to energy to power moving, thinking, pumping blood, processing toxins in the liver, and much more. The unit of measure for energy is a calorie. Food is labeled with the amount of energy it contains:

`pure protein bar = 200 calories`

`egg = 80 calories`

### Energy Excess

If you ingest more than the necessary amount of fuel and structural material for the day the excess gets stored in fat cells. Specifically, excess carbs/proteins in the bloodstream are converted to fat. And excess fat in the bloodstream is then stored inside fat cells. The key conversion is then:

> **3500 calories = 1 lb of fat**

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you're under the influence of alcohol, any fat in the food you eat is immediately stored because your body prioritizes processing the toxins from alcohol rather than utilizing fat. Try to avoid fatty foods in those cases.
{% endhint %}

### Energy Deficit

If you consume less than the necessary amount of fuel for the day your body taps into your fat stores to mobilize energy. This is fat loss. If your body can't get energy quickly enough from your fat it starts breaking down your muscle and converting it into energy. You don't want that as it gives the infamous skinny fat look and is generally not good for your body as it perceives it as stress.

Even if there is enough fuel but not enough structural material aka protein your body will break down muscle to use it in other places like your brain. That's why it's important to ensure your deficit never exceeds the amount of fuel your body can mobilize from fat and to always eat at least 1g of protein per pound of weight at a minimum. We'll walk through how to calculate the maximum amount of fat your body can utilize in a later section.

Lastly, if you're in a perfect caloric deficit so only fat stores are utilized as energy, eventually your body can decide to preserve fat and switch to using muscle as fuel instead. This is evolutionary biology. When your body senses a deficit of energy for prolonged periods of time and a lack of heavy exertion, it decides you'd have a higher likelihood of survival if you lost some of your muscle. It's able to leverage muscle as fuel while storing extra fat. On top of that, it takes extra energy to maintain muscle so it kills two birds with one stone by eliminating it. To avoid this fate you need to lift regularly to signal to your body not to down-regulate muscle.

### Takeaways

* Create a deficit to lose fat.
* Lose 1 lb of fat per 3500 calorie deficit.
* Make sure the deficit is not big enough to result in muscle loss.
* Lift to signal to your body during prolonged deficits that you still need your muscle.

## Approximating Fat Loss

Let's say you evaluate your body fat percentage and decide your goal is to lose 40 lbs of fat to hit your goal body fat percentage. That means you have to burn:\
`40 lbs * 3500 calories per lb = 140,000 calories`

So you'll need to create a 140k calorie deficit in your body over some period of time for your body to mobilize this energy from your fat stores and utilize it.&#x20;

### Cutting Too Fast

As mentioned before, your body can only mobilize a limited amount of fat per day. I'll use a gross oversimplification to explain the intuition behind this. Let's say you have 100 fat cells. Then your body can mobilize about 100 units of fat for energy. But let's say you only have 10 fat cells. Then your body can only mobilize 10 units of fat.&#x20;

The pounds of fat you have in your body roughly correlates with the number of fat cells you have. The more fat you have the more fat your body can mobilize in a day. So the higher your body fat percentage is the faster you can lose fat. The leaner you are the less fat you can lose per day.

If you exceed the amount of fat your body can mobilize as energy it works through a couple of other energy sources and eventually starts tapping into your muscle looking for fuel. You don't want that. This should only be a concern when you're in the lean and healthy ranges of <20% bf for men and <30% bf for women. Above that your body can usually generate enough energy for the day even if you didn't eat.

{% hint style="info" %}
We don't use unconventional methods for losing weight such as fasting more than 16 hours a day in the Leanrr methodology since the idea is to make losing or maintaining weight indistinguishable from regular eating.

But a famous example of only using fat stores as fuel for a prolonged period of time is [Angus Barbieri's 392 day fast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast#:~:text=Scottish%20man%20Angus%20Barbieri%20\(1939,Maryfield%20Hospital%20for%20medical%20evaluation.). He had a really high body fat percentage so his body was able to cover his daily energy needs using his fat stores. Obviously I'm not recommending doing this but it's an interesting case study.
{% endhint %}

### Cutting Too Slow

On the flip side, if you don't cut as much fat as possible per day you'll be unnecessarily prolonging the amount of time you have to eat in a deficit which is not fun. The results you have weekly will also not be as noticeable meaning you won't have an important positive feedback signal. It's the same amount of work to cut at 50% speed in one day and 100% speed. So if you have to do 100 days of work cooking and maintaining a deficit versus 50 days why not just go at max speed?

{% hint style="info" %}
You can approximate the max amount of fat you can lose using the equations in the following sections or you can use [Leanrr](https://leanrr.com) which combines Bluetooth scale weigh ins, bioimpedance measurements, Fitbit sensor data, and any available DEXA scans to calculate exactly what the tipping point for you is on a daily and weekly basis.
{% endhint %}

### Cutting Just Right

You can project how fast you could go from your current body fat to a goal bf% using [this free Leanrr widget](https://www.leanrr.com/app/max-speed-fat-loss/). The math to calculate this yourself is covered in the next section:

{% content-ref url="/pages/un0tiRWQSHDF3cV7ROpY" %}
[Nutrition](/leanrr-guide/lasting-weight-loss/mechanics/nutrition)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is all the energy you use in one day to stay alive and move around expressed in calories. You breath out the byproducts of that energy after it's used when you exhale.

![](/files/gEIM5Q7Rq9v0R0BKSB0Q)

Everything you consume in excess of your TDEE is stored as fat in your body. If you don't eat enough energy to power your day you end up in a deficit and your body "eats" your fat to generate additional energy to compensate. Your TDEE can vary greatly day to day depending on how active you are that day. Estimating TDEE is tricky business but we'll cover the best methods to do this.

A clear differentiator of using the Leanrr app versus this guide is there's a powerful algorithm that's constantly calibrating your daily TDEE by processing all incoming streams of data from your weigh ins, Fitbit sensors, and food you track. This allows for realtime feedback so you can make decisions about how much more to exercise or how much you need to eat to hit max fat loss that day. Obviously this is not something I can show you how to recreate in this guide because it required machine learning, data science, and programming to create but it is available in the app.


# Nutrition

The math behind fat loss.

## Overeating

Let's express overeating using a few simple equations. Given `1 lb of fat = 3500 calories` if `calories in > TDEE` you store the remainder as fat. So if your TDEE is 2000 calories but you eat 2500 calories a day you'll have 500 extra calories that your body needs to store as fat.&#x20;

`500 calories excess * 7 days = 3500 calories excess in a week = +1 lb of fat a week`

#### **Example**

You're stressed and binge eat a pizza every evening for a week. If one pizza is 2000 calories excess that's `2000 calories excess * 7 days = 14,000 calories excess`&#x20;

`14,000 calories / 3,500 calories = +4 lbs` of fat a week.&#x20;

That means you would gain 4 lbs of fat that week by overeating by a pizza every night! This is an example I've unintentionally validated in my life before.

## Undereating

If `TDEE > calories in` your body taps into fat storage to come up with the extra energy. Up to a point! Then it starts using your body's muscle aka protein as energy as discussed before.&#x20;

So if you want to lose 1 lb of fat in a week you would need to under eat by 500 calories a day:&#x20;

`7 days * 500 calorie deficit = 3500 calorie deficit = 1 lb of fat used`

You can calculate the maximum amount of fat your body can mobilize using this equation. That effectively puts a cap on how fast you can lose fat. Here's the equation:

`body fat % / 20 * current weight * 7 = maximal lbs you can lose per week`

e.g.: For someone who is 25% body fat and weighs 200 lbs:

`0.25 / 20 * 200 lbs = -2.5 lbs a week maximum`

## The Protein Trick

As we discussed, eating at least 1g of protein per lb of weight is crucial so your body doesn't start breaking down your muscle to use in other places. It's also critical to lift 2-3 times a week to signal to your body you still want your muscle. But there's a really cool trick when it comes to protein we can exploit.

Your body knows how to use protein as fuel if necessary. This can be bad if it's breaking down your muscles to get protein to use as fuel. But it's totally fine if there's excess protein in your bloodstream after eating and your body has finished building/repairing itself with it.

Your body doesn't like using protein as fuel because it has to expand a lot of energy to convert it to energy. That means every 10 calories of protein you eat about 3 calories are needed just to convert it to energy. This can be exploited with a high protein diet. If you eat 1000 calories of protein a day only 700 calories of energy are left after processing it. That means you get to feel like you ate more while not incurring the caloric cost.

I exploit this property of protein myself by eating 300g of protein a day. 1g of protein contains 4 calories according to the label. That means I get 1200 calories of energy daily from protein. But because it takes 30% of energy just to convert protein to calories, 300g of protein is actually only 300g\*3 calories=900 calories. That's an extra 300 calories I get to eat a day. 🤤

{% hint style="warning" %}
There is a maximum amount of protein you can consume per day before it becomes harmful but it's usually well beyond what a typical person consumes. For me, a 175 lb, 5'11" male the max is 360g of protein a day. I struggle to consume 300g of protein most days though because I feel so full even though I'm in a maximal deficit cutting.
{% endhint %}


# Activity

Intentional and non-intentional exercise is usually a small part of weight loss. But it is key to lift to ensure your body preserves muscle.

## Dissecting TDEE

If we break TDEE down into it's components we get the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and physical activity levels (PAL):

![](/files/SeCfCrSvbMrkzp9BBaEv)

### Basal Metabolic Rate: BMR (\~80%)

Daily BMR is practically the same for an individual day after day. It's quite static. The majority of the calories you burn that factor into BMR are due to liver, brain, heart, and kidney normally operating.

BMR is different for different people based on their weight, height, body fat percentage, and thyroid activity however.&#x20;

What's important is to recognize a significant amount of calories are burnt even if you don't ever get out of your bed that day. It's energy to simply keep you alive.

### Physical Activity Levels: PAL (\~20%)

Unless you're an athlete or have a very active job PAL probably won't make up much of your daily energy expenditure. PAL consists of two main components:

* NEAT = Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis a.k.a. non-intentional activity
  * brushing your teeth
  * walking around the house
  * fidgeting your leg
  * typing
* EAT = Exercise Activity Thermogenesis a.k.a. intentional activity
  * going for a run
  * lifting
  * swimming
  * jogging

If you don't exercise in a given day your `TDEE = BMR + NEAT`. A common estimate for NEAT is 20% of your BMR. For example, if your BMR is 1800 calories your NEAT is likely about 360 calories. That's because:

`1800 calories * 120% = 2160 TDEE`&#x20;

`2160 - 1800 = 360 calories NEAT`

On the days you do exercise, EAT usually contributes between 250 to 500 calories a day per hour of intense exercise. That's actually not that much for a whole hour of work! About a protein bar or several eggs extra a day. So if your BMR + NEAT is 2160 calories, on the days you lift for an hour your TDEE would be about 2,160 + 250 = 2,410 calories total.

You can estimate your TDEE for free by [creating a Leanrr account here](https://www.leanrr.com/app/signup/). This will also generate your starter meal plan and grocery list for a week for the Execution section. There I'll show you how to recalibrate your TDEE weekly to get a more accurate estimate. As mentioned before, with the Leanrr app you can get a realtime TDEE readout so you can make live decision on how much more/less you need to eat or lift that day.


# Execution

Time for action.

Congrats! You've gotten to the last section of this guide. Hopefully you have a solid understanding of what's involved mentally and physically. For this last section of the Leanrr guide I'm going to lay out practical, battle tested tips and tools you need to get going like meal plans.

It's important to formulate a solid plan for how to think and act when motivation is low. The best time to do that is when motivation is high. It ensures you can continue executing even when things go wrong. It's also important to bake in optionality to minimize damage when things go wrong.

That's what this section is all about. Let's get started!


# Mindset

## **Losing weight is a percentage game.**&#x20;

* Losing weight is not a perfection game.
* If you cut on 70% of days but overeat on 30% of days you'll still lose weight.
* If you eat at maintenance/overeat for a week it'll push you back a week. It's not a big deal.
* e.g.: I overate for three weeks while traveling Europe.
  * Here's how my stats looked:
    * My average weekly weight (AWW) was 172.8 lbs when I left on 8/10.&#x20;
    * When I came back on 8/31 my AWW was 178.1 lbs.&#x20;
    * I gained 5.3 lbs.&#x20;
  * It took me 2 weeks to get back into my routine. (9/4: 178.1; 9/11: 178.0)&#x20;
  * Then it was a matter of 3 weeks to get back to pre-Europe weight.
    * ![](/files/sDKu3dZ843JXw2bvrfjK)

## **The first two to three weeks are the hardest.**&#x20;

* Think of these first 2-3 weeks as an investment for life.
* In the beginning tracking what you eat, fighting impulses & cravings due to your microbiome adjusting, and learning strategies that don't involve eating for dealing with boredom and stress will be hard.
* If you struggle avoiding boredom or stress and use food as a means of escape then you'll need to discover new habits and avenues of entertainment.
  * This is arguably the hardest part and differs the most for different people.
  * Enlist your friends, therapist, and coach to help you here if you can.

## Cut at 100% speed.

* You have the equation for the maximum amount of fat you can cut in a day. Try to get as close to that amount every day as you can. (Covered in Mechanics section.)
* If you go as close to 100% speed as you can it'll feel like the same amount of work but take less overall time.
  * We're instant gratification creatures. If you go close to 100% speed you'll see a noticeable difference every week. That's rewarding and will encourage you to keep going.
* Keep in mind, the leaner you get, the more you'll need to eat and the less you'll need to exercise.&#x20;
  * e.g.: It took me 6 days to lose 1% when going from 26% to 25%. But it takes me 14 days to cut from 12% to 11% currently. This was explained in the Mechanics section.&#x20;

## Always go for protein.

* Avoid binges, sugar, carbs, and sauces when dining out. Always go for protein.
* If you're craving sweets, there's a smoothie recipe that tastes like ice cream but is actually protein, chocolate protein bars that taste like chocolate, and 0 calorie foods and drinks.
* You will have days you dine out and you'll have no idea how much you ate. That's okay. Your AWW will still capture the change and you can build an intuition. Try to get the protein dish.
* Traveling tends to be short so it's okay to relax. Just make sure to not have massive binges.&#x20;
  * Unlimited cheese cakes at the buffet or snickers at the airport might be tempting but remember, you can always buy those once you hit your goals. Sugar is cheap.&#x20;
  * Once you get back you have your AWW to see how you did.&#x20;

## The leaner you get the more you get to eat.

* Once you're done cutting you'll be eating a whole another meal a day!
* It's a common misconception that it's harder to maintain weight when you're really lean.&#x20;
  * The truth is maintenance will be some X amount of calories.
  * For me it's 2400 calories to maintain at 8% body fat or 17% body fat.
* After prolonged periods of cutting, aka once your "debt" is paid off, you'll feel like what you eat daily is a lot.&#x20;
  * Psychologically your mind can tell when you're maintaining so any sort of hunger feeling disappears.


# Meal Plan

A lot of people who try to cut fat (including my younger self) try to just cook chicken & broccoli for six months straight. This is miserable and unsustainable. The food I'll recommend is three daily meals which are delicious and easy to prepare. You can swap out the vegetables, spices, fruits, and flavors to constantly keep things fresh. By making it repetitive you remove the decision making and planning component of cutting weight.

## Meal Plan

In order to estimate your body's TDEE and get a meal plan personalized to that you'll need to [create a Leanrr account here](https://www.leanrr.com/app/signup/).

### The Simple Three

This uses six science backed principles that maximize satiety and minimize cravings. If cooked right it's also delicious.

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Sausage &#x26; Eggs</strong></td><td>Between 600 to 900 calories.</td><td></td><td><a href="/files/0DBayK8I78G62fntELL8">/files/0DBayK8I78G62fntELL8</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Protein Smoothie</strong></td><td>Between 400 to 600 calories.</td><td></td><td><a href="/files/iJNXgXTbBO7oPkDiWIsI">/files/iJNXgXTbBO7oPkDiWIsI</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>24oz Yogurt + Pure Protein Bar</strong></td><td>Protein bar is 200 calories and yogurt is 400 calories.</td><td></td><td><a href="/files/MQfIL707HklCuZwVHwhW">/files/MQfIL707HklCuZwVHwhW</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

### Pizza Day

Once every so often treat yourself to some pizza while still losing maximal fat.

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Sausage &#x26; Eggs</strong></td><td>Between 600 to 900 calories.</td><td></td><td><a href="/files/0DBayK8I78G62fntELL8">/files/0DBayK8I78G62fntELL8</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Protein Pizza</strong></td><td>Between 800 to 1200 calories.</td><td></td><td><a href="/files/0ncxqAk0Jk4TzGyxL6Pu">/files/0ncxqAk0Jk4TzGyxL6Pu</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

The only problem with the sausage & eggs + pizza meal combo is the feeling of hunger the next day. That's because:

* there's less protein so you feel more hungry,
* without casein and yogurt in your system for a long time,
* there's more volume of food.

Pizza doesn't have any of these properties hence why you'll feel hungrier the next day.

Personally I like to pick a day or two maximum per week for pizza day. Also, having it coincide with lifting or more exercise is good as there's more overall carbohydrate content.

## Dealing With Hunger

If you feel hunger try these \~0 calorie drinks and foods:

* Caffeine (morning)
  * drinking coffee black with aspartame or Stevia
  * diet coke, coke cherry zero, zero calorie Monster
* Caffeine Free (afternoon, evening)
  * water
  * zero calories soda such as: 7-UP, ginger ale, Sprite
* Food Like
  * sugar free gum
  * low calorie sauerkraut
  * pickles


# Lifting

Lifting signals to your body to preserve muscle.

I want to dispel one myth right off the bat. Whether you're a man or woman you will not get too big if you lift unless you do steroids. Steroids are terrible for your health. Please don't do them.

Here's what being really lean and lifting for over a decade looks like without steroids. A very natural and healthy look.

![](/files/ygl7evyUsaTR7sREX9qw)![](/files/C23l2NNWjeD3KRSmpJMV)

## Stages Of Lifting

There are multiple stages of lifting.

* **Untrained**
  * You've never played sports before or lifted
  * Gain the ability to lift 5 lbs more every 48 hours after lifting.
  * Lasts for about 3 months when done right.
* **Novice**
  * You've played sports but never focused on weight lifting.
  * Gain the ability to lift 5 lbs more every 48 hours after lifting heavy.
  * You'll gain strength because your central nervous system adapts to more weight.
  * Lasts for about 3 months.
* **Intermediate**
  * Your muscles are growing in size.
  * Takes 1 week to increase your ability to lift 5 more lbs of weight.
  * Most visible aesthetic changes in this stage.
* **Advanced**
  * Same as intermediate but it now takes 1 month.
  * Most people won't get here.

As you can see, the more you lift, the more the diminishing returns.

## Lifts You'll Want To Do

The core lifts for full body health are:

* **Squat**: core, glutes, legs
* **Overhead Press**: shoulders
* **Bench Press**: pecs
* **Deadlift**: core, hamstrings

And the key assistance exercises are:

* **Pull Ups**: lats
* **Lateral Raises**: side shoulders
* **Rear Delt Raises**: back of shoulders
* **Barbell Glute Bridge**: glutes

As a woman it's common to de-emphasize bench press and emphasize barbell glute bridge. The opposite for a man to get the v-taper look.

## Progression

### Untrained/Novice

In the untrained/novice stages you'll want to alternate squat/press, bench/deadlift every other day. Learn proper form and increase them by 5 lbs every time you workout.

### Intermediate

In the intermediate stage you'll want to alternate squat/press heavy for 5x5 reps on Monday, then do a light bench/deadlift day on Wednesday, and try to hit your 5 rep maximum on Fridays.

Then do the same but with bench/deadlift heavy on Monday, light squat/press day on Wednesday, and try to hit your 5 rep max on Friday for bench/deadlift.

That should have you progressing for 2-4 years.

When you have time try to do one or two of the assistance exercises as well.

## Lifting With A Paid Plan

As part of the paid plan your coach will design tailored lifting plans unique to you, critique videos of your form, and provide advice if you have lagging pain or injuries.


# Average Weekly Weight (AWW)

Top level metric to detect changes, diagnose problems, and evaluate progress.

As discussed in the "Mechanics" section your AWW is the key metric Leanrr uses to track your progress. This simple to track number can help you, your coach, and optionally a friend to:

* evaluate how close to 100% fat loss you're achieving,
* detect weight trends and diagnose problems,
* calibrate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE),
* evaluate if you're eating the right amount in maintenance mode.

## Manual Tracking

If you only have a digital scale you'll have to manually track weight every morning in the app. That's done by weighing in every morning and typing your weight in in the Dashboard screen.

![](/files/y6kPmGWMHzqRimy2O5dR)

## Automatic Tracking

If you have a [Bluetooth](https://amzn.to/3t5vCM5) or [WIFI](https://amzn.to/3ZuzTEX) scale you can set Leanrr up to automatically sync your weight and body fat percentage. The steps to get it setup:

<details>

<summary>Connect Leanrr To Scale</summary>

1. Install Fitbit app, even if you don't have a Fitbit.
2. Use your scale's app to connect to Fitbit. If you're not sure how simply Google "connect Etekcity scale to fitbit" where you swap in your scale name for Etekcity.
3. Go to Leanrr and click "Integrations" in the settings menu. Or follow [this link](https://www.leanrr.com/app/manage-integrations/).\
   ![](/files/tOM2yZxjcAq03Ik7FU0c)
4. Hit "Connect Fitbit".\
   ![](/files/uEnYOLep2noKKhVmjIkE)
5. Sign into your Fitbit account.\
   ![](/files/cQDFYkmXvAT14rafGXAF)
6. Click "Allow All" and "Next".
7. It'll take 1 to 5 minutes for your data to sync depending on how much history there is.

</details>

Once you'll be able to see your average weekly weight in this screen in the dashboard from then on:

![](/files/pyVF3aSDSMsQDA0bt0xY)

#### **SCALE LIMITATIONS**

There are some things out of Leanrr's control unfortunately for how data syncs. Make sure to read applicable sections carefully.

**WIFI Scales**

The benefit of WIFI scales is you don't need your phone when you weigh in. The downside is in order for the data to sync you need to at some point open your scale app and sync your weight. I know that kind of defeats the point.

**Bluetooth & WIFI Scale**

For Fitbit to pull the weight data in from the scale you'll also need to sync the Fitbit app. Fitbit does this to preserve its battery and it's also something Leanrr has no control over.

## Calendar Week Average

* A calendar week average starts with the Monday morning weigh in and ends with the Sunday morning weigh in.
  * Notice technically that means the calendar week average factors in the work you do starting Sunday morning and ending Saturday night.&#x20;
* Example:
  * Yesterday morning when I weighed in my average for the week came out to be 175.7 lbs. It was Sunday which means the calendar week was over and my average was locked in.
  * This week I only have one weigh in so far on Monday: 174.4 lbs.&#x20;
  * 175.7 lbs - 174.4 lbs = -1.3 lbs change from last calendar week so far.
  * As I weigh in this week my delta will change either up or down until it locks in Sunday.
* By clicking on the 3 dots next to the title you can see AWW history:
  * ![](/files/GXl1nLrHpNAaKVgghoyW)

## Last 7 Day Average

It's also useful to compare the last 7 day average with the previous 7 day average as it's a more realtime measure. The calendar week average in this screenshot is based on last week versus just Monday's measurement. This could change a lot as the week goes on. Because we operate on a week by week basis it can be motivational to look at this measure.

![](/files/pyVF3aSDSMsQDA0bt0xY)

The last 7 day average is based on a whole week and is not very sensitive to new data points. As you can see this 7 day vs last 7 day average is only a -0.9 lbs change. This is a more realistic measure of the pace I'm going at. When I weigh in tomorrow it won't change much as again it will be 7 data points compared to 7 more.