Everyone has an opinion on how to lose weight. Cut carbs. Eat six meals a day. Do fasted cardio. Drink this shake. Take that pill. I never paid attention to any of it. For me it was simple — I listened to my body, figured out what was working against me, cut it out, and ate better. No diet plan, no meal prep, no program. Just the basics.
One thing I want to clear up right away: losing weight and losing fat are not the same thing. The scale can stay the same and your body can completely transform. Or the scale can drop and your body composition gets worse. Know which goal you’re actually chasing before you start.
⚡ Quick Answer
What to do:
- Cut out fast food, pizza, and sugary drinks completely
- Drink water throughout the day — add iced green tea with honey as your go-to
- Eat protein at every meal — start your morning with a whey protein shake and a banana
- Have something from the broccoli family with every dinner — frozen bags are best
- Move more every day — steps add up fast, even small ones
- Build muscle — it burns fat even while you sleep
- Be in a calorie deficit if the scale is your goal — that’s the only mechanism that works
Where it starts — cut what’s killing your progress
I was eating out almost every day. Living in Italy, that means pizza. Good pizza, cheap pizza, pizza on every corner — and I was eating it constantly. Add Sprite or Fanta on top of that, every single day, and you’ve got a recipe for slow invisible weight gain that sneaks up on you before you even notice it.
I didn’t go on a formal diet. I didn’t count a single calorie. I just cut the obvious stuff — completely. No more fast food. No more daily pizza. No more sodas of any kind. Not reduced, not swapped for diet versions. Gone.
That one change alone was significant. Most people underestimate how much damage daily junk food and sugary drinks do — not just in calories, but in how they spike insulin, drive cravings, and keep your body in fat-storage mode. Remove them and the body starts to reset almost immediately.
What I drank instead — and why it mattered
Water throughout the day. That was the foundation. And I mean still water — not sparkling, not flavoured, nothing. Even sparkling water is gassy, and I didn’t want anything gassy near me. Just plain still bottled water, from morning to night. A lot of what people read as hunger is actually thirst — your body sending a signal that gets misinterpreted and answered with food instead of water. And I proved that to myself firsthand. There were times I was genuinely hungry — not just peckish, actually hungry — and instead of reaching for food I just sipped water consistently. Not chugging it down, just small steady sips. The hunger went away. Every time. Try it before you reach for a snack.
Green tea became my other go-to — both hot and cold, depending on the time of day. But during summer, I made it cold. I’d brew it, put it in the fridge, and add a small amount of honey as a natural sweetener. That was it. A cold, refreshing drink I could actually reach for instead of a Sprite or Fanta — without loading up on sugar or gas.
It gave me something different from plain water without going back to sodas. Add lemon if you want. Keep it simple. No sugar-loaded bottled stuff from the supermarket — just real brewed green tea, chilled, with a touch of honey. It doesn’t feel like a health drink. It just feels like a cold drink on a hot day. That’s the point.
Green tea isn’t a magic drink, but the science backs it up. Research shows it acts selectively against excess body fat — supporting your metabolism and helping your body use fat for energy. Make it a consistent daily habit and it works quietly in the background.
The breakfast that changed my waistline — protein shake and a banana
Every morning: a whey protein shake and a banana. That was breakfast. Simple, fast, and one of the most effective things I did.
Now let me be straight with you — this worked for me because I’m naturally a light eater. I’ve never been someone who wakes up and needs a big meal to function. If you’re the type who eats large portions and needs volume to feel full, a shake and a banana alone probably won’t cut it for you. Know yourself.
For me though, it was perfect. The banana gives you natural energy and potassium to start the day. The whey protein keeps you full, feeds your muscles, and — this is what I noticed personally — it completely changed my body composition. I wasn’t dropping kilos dramatically. Two kilos on the scale — but the belt needed a new notch. My body fat dropped significantly. We’re talking lean. Not big and muscular — lean and defined. You couldn’t even pinch a millimetre of fat on the back of my arm, and that’s usually the easiest place on the body to grab stored fat. That tells you everything. The scale barely moved. The body told a completely different story.
Protein in the morning also sets the tone for the rest of the day. You’re less likely to reach for junk, less likely to overeat at lunch, and your body has the raw material it needs to build and preserve muscle. The key is whey protein — not plant-based, not pea protein, not any of the trendy alternatives. Whey absorbs fast, tastes good, and works. The brand I use is Dymatize — specifically their ISO100 or Elite Whey. Clean, quality protein without the nonsense.
What I use: Dymatize Whey Protein — ISO100 or Elite Whey. Fast-absorbing, clean ingredients, no unnecessary fillers. If you’re going to add one supplement to your routine, make it a quality whey protein. (Affiliate link — I earn a small commission if you purchase, at no extra cost to you.)
If a shake and banana isn’t enough for you, I’ve got two breakfast articles worth reading: Why Eggs Beat Most Meals — Any Time of Day and The Best Quick Breakfasts for Energy, Fullness, and Real Results. Both are built around high protein, real food, and keeping it simple.
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What to eat — meat and the broccoli family, every dinner
Every dinner had two things on the plate: meat and something from the broccoli family. Red meat, chicken — whatever it was, there was always protein. And always a vegetable from the cruciferous family alongside it. Not just broccoli — the whole family. Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage. Any of them work.
The easiest way to get this done consistently? Frozen mixed bags. Not fresh. Frozen. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but think about it: frozen vegetables are picked and packaged at peak nutrition, then sealed. What’s sitting in your supermarket labeled “fresh” has been shipped across borders, sitting in warehouses and on store shelves for days — sometimes longer. Nobody knows how long it’s been since it was picked or what temperature it’s been exposed to. Frozen is easier, cheaper, and genuinely more nutritious. Don’t overthink it.
These aren’t just filler on your plate either. Research consistently shows that cruciferous vegetables support fat loss — high in fiber, low in calories, and they keep you full long after the meal. Fiber slows digestion, reduces cravings, and supports your gut. Eat them every night and they become a silent weapon in your results.
Weight loss vs fat loss — know the difference before you start
This is where most people waste years of effort chasing the wrong target.
The scale is a liar. Or at least, it only tells you half the story. You can weigh 100 kilos of muscle and 100 kilos of fat — same number on the scale, completely different body, completely different health. So when people say “I want to lose weight,” what they usually mean — whether they know it or not — is “I want to lose fat.” Those are not the same goal, and they don’t require the same approach.
Here’s a quick test. Guys — if you’re in the shower and look down and can’t see your thing… that can only mean two things. Either you’re seriously overweight — or you’ve got a gut. A beer belly. Skinny-fat. I was the second one. Never fat in my life. But in my late forties, that belly showed up like an uninvited guest and decided to stay. Same weight on the scale. But the body composition had quietly shifted. That’s the one that sneaks up on you.
What I actually lost wasn’t dramatic weight — it was two kilos and a waistline. My body composition changed. Less fat, more lean muscle, and a stomach that finally sat where it was supposed to. That’s the real win. And to achieve it — especially if the scale matters to you — you need to be in a calorie deficit. That means burning more than you consume. It doesn’t have to be extreme. Even a modest daily deficit adds up over weeks. Use the BMM369 Calorie Calculator to find your baseline and set a realistic direction.
Why building muscle beats cardio — and the cookie problem
Here’s something nobody talks about honestly: cardio alone is one of the least efficient fat loss strategies out there. Fifteen minutes of steady-state cardio burns roughly the calories of one small cookie. One cookie.
Are you joking me? I could eat ten cookies without blinking. That’s two and a half hours of walking just to break even on a snack. That’s not a fat loss strategy — that’s punishment with no payoff. So you’ve either got to stop eating the cookies, or know exactly how many of them you’re eating and factor it in. Once you know your calorie baseline, eating a chocolate bar or having an ice cream isn’t going to derail you. Doing it every day will. Know your numbers. Don’t obsess over them. Start with the BMM369 Calorie Calculator to find out where you stand.
Muscle is the real answer. Muscle tissue burns calories at rest — sitting down, sleeping, watching TV. The more lean muscle you carry, the more your body burns around the clock without any extra effort. That’s the compound interest of fitness. Strength training doesn’t have to mean hours in the gym. Consistent resistance work — even at home — builds and maintains lean muscle over time, and that muscle works for you on the days you do absolutely nothing.
Move more — realistically
I walked a lot. My job required it — 10,000+ steps a day wasn’t a fitness goal, it was just the reality of what I did for work. And it made a difference. But I want to be straight with you: 10,000 steps is not achievable for everyone. Real jobs, families, long commutes, sitting at a desk all day — life gets in the way. That’s not an excuse, it’s just reality.
The goal isn’t a specific number. The goal is to move more than you currently do. Park a bit further away — those extra steps add up more than you think over a week. Take the stairs when it’s an option. Walk after dinner — the ideal window is anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes after your meal. Keep the walk itself to 10 to 15 minutes. That’s enough to kickstart digestion, burn a little extra, and build the habit. Small consistent additions to daily movement compound fast. You don’t need a step counter or a fitness tracker to do this. You just need to be slightly more deliberate about it every day.
Use summer to your advantage
If you’re reading this during the warmer months, you’re sitting on a natural advantage most people completely ignore. Heat naturally kills your appetite for heavy food. You sweat more, drink more water without thinking about it, and your body is already in a lighter mode. Small consistent efforts in summer show results faster than any other time of year — your body is primed for it.
I cover exactly how to make the most of this in The Summer Pump — short sessions, practical movements, and the right nutrition for the season. Worth reading if you want to pair this approach with a training structure that fits the heat.
The bottom line — how to lose weight and keep it off
Everyone is different. Bodies respond differently to food, to training, to stress, to sleep. There is no one-size-fits-all answer and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. What I’m giving you here is what worked for me and the principles behind why they work. Apply them to your reality and adjust as you go.
- Cut out fast food, pizza, and sugary drinks completely. Not reduced. Not swapped for diet versions. Gone. This single change removes the biggest source of hidden calories and insulin spikes in most people’s diets.
- Drink water throughout the day. Make it your default. A lot of what feels like hunger is actually dehydration. Replace sodas — Cola, Sprite, Fanta, all of it — with water as your baseline.
- Add iced green tea with honey. Brew it, chill it, add a touch of honey and lemon if you want. Drink it cold. It supports fat metabolism, keeps you hydrated, and gives you something flavourful without loading you up with sugar. Two to three cups a day — don’t go overboard, the caffeine adds up.
- Start every morning with a whey protein shake and a banana. Works best if you’re a light eater. The protein feeds your muscles, drops body fat noticeably, and tightens your waistline — not just your weight. Use a quality whey protein — not plant-based.
- Eat meat and something from the broccoli family every dinner. Red meat, chicken — any protein source. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale — any cruciferous vegetable. Buy frozen mixed bags. They’re more nutritious than most “fresh” supermarket vegetables and far easier to prepare.
- Build muscle with resistance training. Cardio has its place but muscle is the real fat-burning engine. Lean muscle burns calories at rest, around the clock. You don’t need to be in a gym every day — just consistent.
- Move more every day. Park further away. Take the stairs. Walk after meals. You don’t need 10,000 steps if your lifestyle doesn’t allow it — just more than yesterday.
- Be in a calorie deficit if the scale is your goal. This is the only mechanism that moves the number down. Use the BMM369 Calorie Calculator to find your baseline. You don’t have to obsess — just know where you stand.
- Use summer as a weapon. The heat, the lifestyle, the natural appetite reset — use all of it. Results come faster in summer when you’re consistent. Read The Summer Pump to pair this with a seasonal training plan.
Want to go deeper on the mindset that makes all of this stick long-term? Read: Manifestation Mindset: 5 Powerful Ways to Elevate Your Reality
Dream. Act. Elevate.
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