Protocols / BODY COMPOSITION

Fat Loss Protocol

Lose fat on the foods you like, without keto.

Low-fat and low-carb diets lose similar weight when people stick to them, so this protocol lets you keep the foods you like. Set a deficit you can hold, protect your muscle with protein and training, build meals that keep you full, and get past plateaus, with every number traced to a cited study.

€9 · one-time payment · instant PDF · by Anthony Falcone

What's included

  • Your calorie, protein and weekly-loss targets
  • A plate that keeps you full, and why ultra-processed food makes it harder
  • Eating patterns compared honestly, including 16:8
  • Your first 4 weeks, plateaus and keeping it off
  • 25 peer-reviewed references

Built for

Lose Fat · More Energy

Inside the PDF: 11 chapters

  1. Before You Start: Eating less is safe for most adults with weight to lose. A few groups need a doctor first, and a few should not diet at all.
  2. What Actually Drives Fat Loss: Every diet that works does the same thing: you eat less energy than you use. The type of diet matters far less than whether you can keep it up.
  3. Set Your Targets: Three numbers: your calories, your protein and your weekly rate of loss. Set them once, then adjust by results, not by feel.
  4. Protein: Your Muscle Insurance: When you eat less, protein decides whether the weight you lose is fat or muscle. It is also the most filling part of a meal.
  5. Build a Plate That Keeps You Full: The easiest deficit is one you barely notice. Whole foods, fibre and protein make the same calories feel like more food.
  6. Pick Your Eating Pattern: Three meals, two meals, a shorter eating window: all can work. The pattern only matters if it helps you eat less without feeling deprived.
  7. Move: Keep Muscle, Burn More: Diet creates the deficit. Training decides what you lose. Daily movement makes the deficit bigger without eating less.
  8. Sleep and Stress: Short sleep quietly turns fat loss into muscle loss. It is part of the plan, not an extra.
  9. Your First 4 Weeks: Change one thing at a time. By week 4 you have a plan that runs without willpower.
  10. Plateaus and Keeping It Off: Weight loss slows as you get lighter. That isn't your metabolism breaking; a smaller body needs less energy.
  11. Questions & Answers: Short answers to what people ask most.

Safety notes

  • Eating too little for weeks can disrupt periods, mood, bone health and training (Mountjoy et al., 2018). If your period becomes irregular or stops, eat more and see your doctor.
  • If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor before raising your protein intake.
  • If you lose weight without trying, or feel unwell, dizzy or exhausted while dieting, stop and see a doctor.

References (25)

  1. Mountjoy, M. et al. (2018). IOC consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S): 2018 update. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(11), 687-697. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-099193
  2. Gardner, C.D. et al. (2018). Effect of Low-Fat vs Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults and the Association With Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion: The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA, 319(7), 667-679. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.0245
  3. Hall, K.D. et al. (2016). Energy expenditure and body composition changes after an isocaloric ketogenic diet in overweight and obese men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 104(2), 324-333. doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.116.133561
  4. Johnston, B.C. et al. (2014). Comparison of Weight Loss Among Named Diet Programs in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Meta-analysis. JAMA, 312(9), 923-933. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.10397
  5. Dansinger, M.L. et al. (2005). Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction: A Randomized Trial. JAMA, 293(1), 43-53. doi.org/10.1001/jama.293.1.43
  6. Mifflin, M.D. et al. (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51(2), 241-247. doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241
  7. Helms, E.R., Aragon, A.A. & Fitschen, P.J. (2014). Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(1), 20. doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
  8. Garthe, I. et al. (2011). Effect of Two Different Weight-Loss Rates on Body Composition and Strength and Power-Related Performance in Elite Athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 21(2), 97-104. doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.21.2.97
  9. Leidy, H.J. et al. (2015). The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 101(6), 1320S-1329S. doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.084038
  10. Morton, R.W. et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(6), 376-384. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
  11. Jäger, R. et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1), 20. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
  12. Longland, T.M. et al. (2016). Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 103(3), 738-746. doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.115.119339
  13. Hall, K.D. et al. (2019). Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67-77.e3. doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008
  14. Reynolds, A. et al. (2019). Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The Lancet, 393(10170), 434-445. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9
  15. Shukla, A.P. et al. (2015). Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels. Diabetes Care, 38(7), e98-e99. doi.org/10.2337/dc15-0429
  16. Lowe, D.A. et al. (2020). Effects of Time-Restricted Eating on Weight Loss and Other Metabolic Parameters in Women and Men With Overweight and Obesity: The TREAT Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(11), 1491-1499. doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.4153
  17. Liu, D. et al. (2022). Calorie Restriction with or without Time-Restricted Eating in Weight Loss. New England Journal of Medicine, 386(16), 1495-1504. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2114833
  18. Byrne, N.M. et al. (2018). Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study. International Journal of Obesity, 42(2), 129-138. doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.206
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General education, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before you start.