I’d like to congratulate my friend Craig for a job well done.

He lost 36 pounds of body fat in 20 short weeks.

He also lost nine inches from his waist.

Heck, he hasn’t been at his current weight since college (over 20 years ago).

Another married professional guy with many, many grownup responsibilities.

Spouse. Dad. Teacher. Coach. Leader.

Life started to get too busy and his health suffered.

He was no longer leading by example.

So Craig reached out to me and we formulated a plan.

How Craig Lost 36 Pounds In 20 Weeks

The journey can look daunting when you look at the end from where you are standing, and it is easy to think, “Where do I even begin? There is no way I can do this.”

Start where you are and go one day at a time.

Focus on the process at hand, and the goal will come.

It may take you longer than you once thought, but if you stick with it long enough, you will reach your goal.

As a coach, with over 25+ years of coaching experience, I’ve observed several common traits that all successful client-athletes have mastered.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Being on time for a coaching session
2. Having a strong work ethic
3. Giving consistent effort
4. Demonstrating high energy levels
5. Maintaining a positive mindset
6. Living with passion
7. Being coachable
8. Following the research-proven nutrition plan
9. Being prepared (meal prep, getting to bed on time, etc.)
10. Having fun

Without a doubt, Craig has exemplified each and every one of these traits.

If you ever talk to Craig, he'll tell you that I have some strong opinions about nutrition for fat loss.

It doesn't matter if you are following intermittent fasting, keto, or some other nutrition strategy.

If you want to lose fat, you must reduce your calories.

Now you can reduce calories through diet or exercise, or through a combination of both diet and exercise.

But you must reduce calories to reduce body fat.

Notice I didn’t say, “reduce bodyweight.”

That’s because bodyweight isn’t as important as bodyfat if your goal is getting athletically lean.

So focus on achieving athletic levels of bodyfat, which is around 12 to 14% for men over the age of 40.

Women over 40 should keep your bodyfat under 20%.

Of course there are other reasons why your diet isn't working.

One more thing to think about.

So many people are thinking small.

Just trying to get through things.

So I'm suggesting that you hit the proverbial "reset" button.

No excuses.

“He that is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

So think about what you really want and then follow these three simple steps:

Step 1: Decide

There's a huge difference between thinking about doing something and deciding that it's going to happen.

The people that decide succeed.

The others, well, they just keep getting what they've always gotten.

Step 2: Prepare

Once you've decided what you really want - you need to see who's already gone where you want to go and accomplished what you want to achieve.

You need to find the people, education and resources you need to bridge the gap from where you are to where you want to be.

Step 3: Start

Any goal of real magnitude isn't going to get completed today; however, you can take a step toward it.

The people who have been where you want to go didn't get there overnight and neither will you.

But they made progress consistently.

And that starts with a step.

So do yourself a favor and embrace the fact that you still have the opportunity to build the leanest, strongest, and happiest version of you (your ideal body).

And then maintain your best body and health for life.

The clock is ticking.

Time is going to pass either way and, at the end, you're going to either have left a legacy or you're going to have just gotten by.

Which will it be?

Today is the day.

Be present.

Live in the moment and enjoy the small things.

Even if you’re experiencing challenges.

And maybe you are and you’re not fully out of the woods yet; but today is still a good day.

Like any challenge in life, you come out stronger on the other side.

Be grateful for today.

In life there will always be some uncertainty.

But today is the day.

A good lesson for all of us.

One more thing.

Do you have at least 10 pounds to lose?

Are you ready to make a change?

Are you coachable? In other words, will you take imperfect action and do the work with a good attitude?

Especially the good attitude part.

If you're ready to lose fat, get strong, and slow aging, then I'm willing to help you rebuild your body starting today.

We'll do this either one-on-one or in one of my private coaching groups.

I’ve opened up a few spots in what I consider my "Inner Circle," and you can apply here if you're interested.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online personal trainer, or you want to visit the best personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.