If I had to lose fat, build muscle and start from zero again, these are the 10 things I'd do. I spent years yo-yo dieting, doing random workouts and weighing myself twice a day, and none of it worked until I changed the way I approached it. This is everything I wish I'd known at the start. We cover why discipline beats motivation, prioritizing whole foods without being restrictive, strength training four days a week, progressive overload, tracking macros for the first three months, building a small deficit instead of slashing calories, keeping carbs in, throwing the scale away, changing your environment, and why six months is the number that actually matters. Products I use that you will love: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Samcfit?tab=posts TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:20 - The activewear brands I actually wear 2:42 - What I'd do if I had to start my fitness journey over 3:12 - The years I spent yo-yo dieting and never sticking to it 4:03 - Why results take longer than anyone tells you 4:28 - Everyone starts at a different point 5:44 - The 10 things I'd do to lose fat and build muscle from zero 6:41 - 1. Build the mindset before you build anything else 7:03 - Discipline vs motivation, and why motivation always runs out 8:27 - The days I still don't want to train 9:31 - Affirmations and feeding yourself positivity 10:18 - The first taste of change, and why it keeps you going 11:04 - Give any program three months before you judge it 12:24 - 2. Prioritize whole foods 12:50 - Why food quality matters more than perfect macros 13:25 - Why processed foods leave you hungry and over your calories 14:30 - Eating more volume and snacking less 15:01 - Protein sources, fiber and vegetables 15:34 - The carbs I actually eat 15:57 - My 90/10 lifestyle and why restriction never lasted 16:27 - The Happy Meal rule 17:08 - Meal prep and my 3-2 rule 17:54 - Using sauces so meal prep isn't boring 19:03 - 3. Strength train four days a week 19:35 - If you want to look toned, it is not through more cardio 20:18 - How to split your four days based on your goals 21:08 - Recovery, and the 24 to 48 hour rule 22:28 - Where cardio actually fits in 23:28 - 4. Focus on progressive overload 23:48 - Your body adapts to what you repeatedly ask it to do 24:15 - What progressive overload actually means 25:28 - The goblet squat example, week one to week five 26:43 - Why random workouts kept me stuck for years 27:30 - Nail your form before you add weight 29:20 - 5. Track your macros for the first three months 29:46 - Why the long term goal is intuitive eating 30:13 - What 30g of protein actually looks like 30:32 - How quickly fats add up 31:02 - How tracking showed me I was over and under eating 32:30 - 6. Create a small deficit, don't slash your calories 33:13 - Adjusting based on energy, hunger and recovery 34:15 - How to tell if you're at maintenance, deficit or surplus 34:56 - 7. Keep the carbs in 35:26 - The low carb years and how miserable I was 36:21 - Timing your carbs around your workout 37:08 - Do you need to eat before a 5am workout 38:35 - Blood sugar, and what to eat if you feel dizzy 39:09 - 8. Stop weighing yourself every day 39:34 - Weighing myself multiple times a day 40:37 - Everything that moves the number on the scale 41:19 - What to measure instead of body weight 42:09 - Throwing the scale away 42:44 - Why your own body is the best scale you have 44:42 - Take your before photos 45:36 - 9. Change your environment sooner 45:52 - What's quietly pulling you away from your goals 47:34 - Setting boundaries around your time and energy 49:54 - 10. Give yourself six months 50:48 - The biggest mistake I see women make 52:00 - The restart cycle that kept me stuck 52:33 - A true body recomposition took me a full year 53:24 - What changed beyond the physical transformation 56:05 - Write these down where you'll see them 57:58 - Wrapping up THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JUST THRIVE: Spore based probiotic that survives stomach acid and reaches the gut alive. https://get.justthrivehealth.com/pages/samcfit for a FREE 90 day supply of Digestive Bitters, a $90 value, with your first 90 day subscription, plus a 100% money back guarantee even if the bottle is empty! CARAWAY: Premium ceramic coated cookware with a naturally non stick surface. https://www.carawayhome.com with code: SAMCFIT for an extra 10% off, plus save up to $230 on the 12 piece set and enter to win a dream kitchen or $100,000 in cash! 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