Slow fat-loss phase
Losing 0.5 to 1 percent of bodyweight a week, or slower, so the diet barely registers
Dieting at a pace that stays livable: a deficit of roughly 20 percent below maintenance, a weekly loss of around half a percent to one percent of bodyweight, and no rush to finish. Adherents keep eating out and having the occasional treat, accept short weight spikes around holidays as noise in the trend, and stop when they reach the lower edge of the body fat range they can hold without hunger, poor sleep and constant food thoughts. At the end they move straight to a maintenance intake rather than dragging out a reverse diet. The trade-off is time: a modest cut can take most of a year.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Jeff NippardDoes it
Natural bodybuilder · Science-based lifting
His own cut ran about 40 weeks for 24 pounds, a little over half a pound a week, and he describes it as ridiculously easy, with restaurants and the odd dessert still in the picture. Afterward he recommends going straight to a new maintenance intake rather than reverse dieting.
Source: jeffnippard.com blog: How To Get Lean & STAY Lean Forever (Using Science)“In fact, on my own current weight loss journey, I’ve lost 24 pounds (11 kilograms) and that journey has taken me 40 weeks or just about nine months. I started my cut at 187 pounds (85 kilograms) and now I’m down to 163 pounds (74 kilograms). That evens out to an average weight loss of just over half a pound per week. Because I’ve taken my sweet time with it, the weight loss itself has felt incredibly easy.”
jeffnippard.com blog: How To Get Lean & STAY Lean Forever (Using Science) (opens in a new tab) · 6 Mar 2023 - Sam SulekDoes it
Bodybuilder and YouTuber · Spring Bulk gym vlogs
Weight comes off at a rate he sets rather than by a deadline. Filming at 241.5 pounds, he said the number was matching the trajectory he was aiming for; that day totaled 2,477 calories with 258 grams of protein.
Source: Fitness Volt: Bodybuilder Sam Sulek Breaks Down His 2,477-Calorie Full Day of Eating for Weight Loss
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under fitness or energy.
- Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Resistance training
Lifting weights 2-4 times a week to build and hold muscle
On record from 43 of 62 tracked people: 37 do it, 4 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Zone 2 cardio
Easy aerobic work you can hold a conversation through, 3+ hours a week
On record from 12 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 5 recommend it, 2 have discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Cycling
Steady riding, outdoors or on a stationary bike, as daily low-intensity cardio
On record from 9 of 62 tracked people: 9 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
High-intensity interval training
Short all-out efforts with full recovery in between, a few times a week
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 1 has discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Running
Regular running, from a short daily loop up to ultramarathon distance
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 1 recommends it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Swimming
Lap swimming as low-impact cardio and a reset for the head
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.