Good Looking Loser's Fat Loss Diet
(Diet to Get Down to 8% Body Fat)

Disclaimer: Although I am a certified sports nutritionist, this advice is only for your convenience.
Speak to your doctor before making changes to your diet or activity levels. See our Medical Disclaimer.

This is an installment in our "Good Looking Loser Body" series.

This diet is a weight/fat loss diet.

This diet protocol is for guys (or girls) who want to lose significant amounts of body fat quickly and don't care about how much muscle they preserve. If you are a bodybuilder (or have a lot of lean mass that you want to keep) this diet may not be for you. But you can always use steroids or modify the diet to help keep size on though. 

This diet is intended for an adult who weighs less than 300 pounds and is more than 15% body fat. If you are more than 300lbs. it will work even better for you, but speak to your doctor about it first.

• "What's My Body Fat?" (Helpful pictures so you can tell where you stand)

My simple diet and doable training protocol will make body fat absolutely drip off your body and face.

You will lose 1 to 4 pounds a week if you have a considerable amount of fat to lose. 

This is the exact diet I follow when I want to get totally sliced.

This is the diet is I recommended to all of my weight loss clients when I was a private personal trainer in Hollywood. Trainee dropout is minimal because the diet is easy to follow, the training not particularly demanding and results come quickly. 

It doesn't take long.

If you simply follow this diet by AVOIDING CARBOHYDRATES and EXERCISING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH in the morning for 30-45 minutes on most days of the week - you will get totally ripped.

---

Good Looking Loser Fat Loss Diet Results

Guys and girls have lost tens of thousands of pounds of fat tissue on my diet.

All the meals are interchangeable, the suggested training protocol is very easy and the fat loss results are pretty quick but slowly tremendous which will keep you motivated.

While it's up to you to stick with it as an online trainee, basically 100% of my personal clients achieved their fat loss goals.

Here are some online trainees that have done fantastic -

• PhilTheBread "Lost 31 lbs in ~35 Days" (sign in for pictures)
  update: Phil has lost close over 70 lbs in ~6 months.
• ScumbagJo has lost over 20lbs in 30 days
• Release Da Kraken "Lost 12lbs in 13 Days"
  
• Sharpsky "Lost 32lbs in 10 Weeks"
  
• RippedSmart "Down 30lbs in 2 months"

Before/After pictures from some of our dedicated members -

• YaToast (Natural - Lost 36 Lbs.)
  "36lbs in 3 months" (sign in for log/pictures)

MuzztecAFC (Natural - Lost 66 Lbs.) 
"Low Carb Diet is the Most Amazing Thing - Results After Reading GLL" (sign in for pictures)

Mike via Email (Natural - Lost 65 Lbs.)

Erik The Great (Significant Recomposition, HRT)

My guess is that Erik gained 25lbs of lean mass and lost 15lbs fat. Net is 10lbs.

I don't know Erik's specific recomposition stats.

All I know is that his transformation shows how "the scale" is overrated and untrained athletes (or muscle memory) can definitely build muscle on this diet with very modest amounts of replacement androgens (Testosterone 300mg/wk). 

In 2013, Erik had low testosterone, got on HRT and totally changed his body composition.

Related -

• "Good Looking Loser's Guide to Testosterone, Thyroid and Hormone Replacement Therapy" 

Good Looking Loser (Enhanced - Lost 20 Lbs.)
"Good Looking Loser Gets Ripped (2012)"

Why You Are Fat in the First Place

It is so important to understand how weight loss happens and why you can't lose weight.

A more in-depth explanation can be found here - 

• "How Fat Loss Actually Works"

There is a lot to this subject, so I will try to really simplify and shorten it into the 2 major elements -

#1 You Eat Too Many Calories and Don't Burn Enough Calories Off

You've heard this before.

It's true.

When you eat more calories than you burn - the excess calories get stored as fat.

In order to lose weight - you need to burn off more calories than you eat.

It's important to know that - you burn 1000-2500 calories just by being alive (depending on your lifestyle), you don't have to burn off all your calories by exercising.

#2 You Are In "Fat Storage Mode" (Elevated Blood Sugar) For the Majority of the Day

"Fat storage mode" is when your body tends to store calories, instead of burning calories.

You enter "fat storage mode" when your blood sugar (insulin) levels are elevated or unstable.

Eating carbohydrates, especially 'simple carbohydrates' (sugar-based foods), are responsible for raising your blood sugar levels.

When your blood sugar levels are elevated, your body stores the majority of calories you eat.

This can be helpful if you are working out and want to store calories (largely protein) to build muscle.

For the average sedentary person, however, this is not a good thing because the calories will be stored as fat.

Aside from any undiagnosed medical (hormonal) problems that keep you fat, people who are overweight or people who can't seem to lose weight are almost always in "fat storage mode" because they have perpetually elevated blood sugar levels. Their blood sugar (insulin levels) aren't chronically as high as someone with diabetes, but high enough to prevent their body from burning fat tissue (instead of glucose/sugar/body fat) for energy or go into "fat loss mode".

People stay in "Fat Storage Mode" for 2 primary reasons:

• They tend to eat a lot of carbohydrates and sugar (often high-fructose corn syrup in the morning, one of the worst compounds that you can consume) which increases blood sugar. 

• Their body has a significantly greater resistance to insulin than the average person. Their bodies cannot “clean up” (burn/metabolize) the calories as energy. When their blood sugar is elevated, a disproportionate amount of calories get stored as fat.

When your blood sugar levels are high, the majority of calories you eat are stored as fat and can't be burned as energy. 

Hence, "fat storage mode".

What you want to do is to keep your blood sugar levels down and stable so you can stay in "fat loss mode'.

"Fat loss mode" is when your body can use your existing body fat (instead of dietary calories, stored glucose/sugar) for energy, it's also known as "ketosis".

When your blood sugar levels are low and stable, your body will use calories (and existing body fat) for energy instead of storing it.

To turn things around, we NEED to get a handle on the blood sugar issue so you can remain in "fat loss mode" for the vast majority of the day.

The best way to do this is to avoid raising your blood sugar in the first place by not eating foods that raise it.

What Foods Raise Blood Sugar and Prevent Me From Entering "Fat Loss Mode"?

It's important to be able to know which foods will raise your blood sugar and which foods will not promote fat storage mode.

In short - 

• Carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates and sugar, raise blood sugar significantly. (fat storage mode)

• Proteins and healthy fats do not raise blood sugar too significantly. (fat loss mode)

When you eat carbohydrates, your body goes into "fat storage mode" instead of "fat loss mode".

So, as you might have guessed, avoiding carbohydrates as much as possible is how dramatic weight loss is done.

This diet is nearly entirely based on avoiding carbohydrates so you are in "fat loss mode" for as long as possible.

That's right -

Sugar and carbohydrates make you fat - not protein or dietary fat.

I recommend that you consume no more than 30 grams of net (non-fibrous, green vegetables) carbohydrates a day. When your body adjusts (usually takes 0-4 weeks) and gets used to burning body fat instead of sugar/glucose for energy, most people can do fairly well on a diet on a very low carbohydrate diet.

If you never followed a zero or very low carbohydrate (<30 grams) diet, you are in for a real surprise.

When you avoid carbohydrates (and I mean REALLY avoid almost all carbohydrates) don’t be surprised if the fat absolutely starts melting off. You will lose body fat like you have never seen.

1 to 4 pounds of body fat a week.

Regardless of your genetics, fat loss (in an ideal very low carbohydrate environment) can be dramatic.

Your body was NEVER supposed to store significant amounts of ugly fat tissue.

The main reason most people store excessive fat is because they consume significant amounts of low-quality, factory-made carbohydrates and processed sugars that keeps their blood sugar high. They are always in "fat storage mode" and store the majority of their calories as fat.

Although these foods aren't necessarily unhealthy (fruit is healthy but not particularly good for weight loss), stay away from these foods that put you in "fat storage mode" -

While you are losing weight, it is also important that you learn to read 'Nutrition Facts' labels and avoid the foods with more than 4 or 5 grams of carbohydrates and more than 1 or 2 grams of sugar.

What About Calories?

We focus more on carbohydrates (<30g, avoiding them) than calories.

Maintaining a fat loss friendly environment is more important than counting calories.

When you keep your body in "fat loss mode" for the entire day, you can actually eat more calories than if you were to eat carbohydrates. We are going to restrict calories so your fat loss is maximized though.

The diet below is between 1000 and 2000 calories, depending on how many meals you decide to eat.

Fat loss at either amount is pretty easy and there is no reason to actually count them if you don't want.

A Quick Review of How Fat Loss Works

- In order to lose fat, you need to stay in "fat loss mode"

-- In order to stay in "fat loss mode", you need to keep your blood sugar low and stable.

--- In order to keep your blood sugar low and stable, you need to avoid carbohydrates as much as possible. All of your meals should have protein and a small amount of healthy fat. Don't eat any carbohydrates if they aren't green vegetables or fiber.

I am well aware that this is an oversimplification of lipid (fat) metabolism but this is all people need to know.

What Kind of Training Should I Do?

The key to the diet is AVOIDING CARBOHYDRATES.

The key to the training is EXERCISING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH (upon waking).

When you exercise on an empty stomach (and you have been avoiding carbohydrates), you are exercising in "fat loss mode" and your body needs to burn body fat for energy. Your body is literally FORCED to burn your body fat.

When you exercise after feeding (or you haven't been avoiding carbohydrates), your body will burn carbohydrates or stored glucose for energy and not too much body fat.

4 to 6 days of the week - you should train for 30 to 45 minutes on an empty stomach shortly upon waking because it helps you lose fat 300% faster.

Fat loss is considerably harder if you insist on not training on an empty stomach. I do not promise you fast super fast results if you insist on eating or not training on an empty stomach.

Like AVOIDING CARBOHYDRATES, if you have never have never EXERCISED ON AN EMPTY STOMACH consistently, you are in for a real surprise too. Fat will absolutely drip off your body.

The combination of the two is where the magic happens.

You literally force your body to burn your body fat for energy, the entire day.

If you absolutely cannot train on an empty stomach, have a small amount of solid food (only protein) to hold you over and prevent you from getting lightheaded.

Examples: 2 eggs or 1 can of tuna or 1 scoop of protein powder in unsweetened almond milk. Absolutely no carbohydrates, if possible - you will not be lifting heavy weights in this program. 

Whatever you do -

Do not eat a full meal and do not eat carbohydrates.

As for training -

Do anything on an empty stomach.

Just keep your heart rate elevated at 120-140bpm (fat loss zone) for 30 to 45 minutes. I usually just lift weights for 15 minutes (light weights to total failure) and then do 30 minutes of cardiovascular training (jogging, stairs or elliptical). Playing basketball, riding your bike or swimming on an empty stomach for 30 to 45 minutes is fine too.

The idea is to simply stay in "fat loss mode" and keep your heart rate going for 30 to 45 minutes.

Go home after and eat your first meal.

Mandatory Supplements For This Diet

There are 3 supplements required for the diet.

All 3 will cost you about $3/day total. 

• "Mandatory Supplements For Our Fat Loss Diet"

- Good Looking Loser Weight Loss Diet -

A few final notes before we begin -

All the meals are interchangeable.

That's why people do really well on our diet.

You can eat whichever meal you want, whenever you want.

Some days you will eat 3 meals, other days you will eat 5 meals.

The fat burner really knocks off your appetite so you won't be very hungry.

It can take 0-4 weeks to adjust your body to efficiently burn body fat instead of sugar/glucose for energy. This is called 'Ketosis' (I basically live this way). 

Many of these meals call for "1 or 2" servings. 1 or 2 is for males and 1 for is females.

Cook food (eggs, fish, vegetables) in extra virgin olive oil. You can substitute another oil, but make sure it is 'extra virgin' and that you know the smoke point so the oil doesn't turn to trans fat. 

Like most diets, it's important to find some spices, sugar-free sauces, low-calorie condiments that you like so the meals don't get boring. There are tons of meal combinations though.

The important thing is to EXERCISE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH (upon waking) and AVOID CARBOHYDRATES as much as possible. 

Good Looking Loser Fat Protein Shake (Fat Loss)

Here's the protein shake.

You can drink it after your workout or anytime you like.

• 1 or 2 cups of Unsweetened Almond Milk or Water
• 1 or 2 scoops of Zero-Carb Isopure Protein (Any Flavor)
• 1 or 2 scoops of Barleans Chocolate Silk Greens Formula (great taste, minimal carbohydrates)
• 1 or 2 servings of Psyllium Husk Fiber Powder
• 5 B-17 Bitter Apricot B17 Anti-Cancer Seeds (optional)
• Stevia (for increased sweetness, optional)
• Ice (optional)

Like all the meals, the key is to avoid carbohydrates (especially sugar). There should be NO milk, fruit, high calorie nuts or protein powder that has a lot of carbohydrates.

If you are light-headed and absolutely need sugar, put a banana or 1 scoop of natural peanut butter in there. I will add a banana/peanut butter if the fat burner has me too jittery. Try to avoid this though, carbohydrates are your worst enemy if your goal is to lose as much fat as possible.

Isopure Zero Carb Protein Nutrition Facts
(All Protein, No Sugar)

Good Looking Loser Egg Scramble

This one is easy. 

Use a small amount of extra virgin olive oil on your pan, cook with slightly over medium-high heat and scramble it up.

• 3 to 5 Omega-3 Eggs 
• 1/2 cup of Low-fat Mozzarella Cheese (use sparingly)
• 1 serving of Green Vegetables or Barleans Green Formula (optional)

Comments

Feel free to add 1 or 2 cups of vegetables and some seasoning - diced tomatoes, tomatoes, spinach, squash, mushrooms, hot sauce, sugar-free BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, paprika. No potatoes, ketchup, sour cream or any other carbohydrate-based foods.

I suggest using Omega-3 eggs, they have more protein, but regular eggs are fine too.

You can use egg whites instead, but use 2 whites for every 1 egg. Dietary cholesterol is NOT bad for you unless you have naturally high cholesterol. 

You can make it into an omelet if you have the skills or you can do hard boiled eggs instead.

Organic is more healthful, but it won't affect your fat loss.

Frozen food (especially frozen organic) isn't a bad option. 

If you don't want the hassle of preparing the vegetables, buy microwave-ready (steamed) broccoli, spinach or brussels sprouts.

Good Looking Loser Grilled Chicken 

• 1 or 2 Chicken Breasts (or gross canned chicken)
• 1/2 cup of Low-fat Mozzarella Cheese 2% Fat Cheese
• 1 serving of Green Vegetables or Barleans Green Formula

Comments

Feel free to add hot sauce, sugar-free BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, spices, etc.

I picked mozzarella cheese because it usually has the lowest amount of fat. Swiss cheese is good too. Just use cheese that is under 3 grams of fat per slice/serving. You can get the totally fat-free cheese, but that is nasty in my opinion.

I cook the chicken on the George Foreman Grill and put it in the microwave after to melt the cheese. Every diet conscious Loser should consider getting a Foreman. The key to making good (frozen) chicken is to not close the lid and just flip it over a couple of times until it's totally defrosted. Then you can close the lid.

Good Looking Loser Fish

• 1 or 2 Filets of Baked Wild Salmon or Tuna (or canned salmon, tuna, sardines, any fish in water)
• 1 or 2 servings of Green Vegetables or Barlean's Greens Supplement  

Comments

ANY kind of fish is acceptable.

WILD - not farm raised.

Season the fish however you like. Use spices, herbs or sugar-free sauces - salt, pepper, vinegar, hot sauce, pickles, horseradish, relish, peppers, etc.

You can cook the vegetables in the microwave and top them with extra virgin olive oil afterward.

Good Looking Loser Burger or Sandwich

It's a burger or sandwich without the bread.

You can lettuce or a large chard leaf if you want to wrap it.

• 1 or 2 Salmon, Tuna, Mahi Mahi burgers 
  or
• 4 or 6 oz. of Sandwich Meat (roast beef, ham, turkey, chicken, etc.)
• 1/2 cup of Low-fat Mozzarella Cheese 2% Fat Cheese

Top the burger or sandwich just as you would normally - tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, mustard etc.

No bread, bun or roll. No red meat.

Keep the mayonnaise to a minimum. 

Create Your Own Meals

While there's only 4 concrete meals above, they are all interchangeable and you have a variety of options - any kind of fish, any kind of vegetable, any low-carbohydrate protein flavor, any kind of herb/spice or sugar-free condiment.

Here is a comprehensive list of acceptable options -

• "The Best Foods to Eat for Weight Loss"

Some of these specialty foods are good too -

• "The Best Specialty Foods and Why"

The diet allows a lot of leeway and is ultimately why most people do not dropout.

The idea is to build very low carbohydrate meals that have 1 or 2 servings or lean protein (chicken, fish, eggs, etc.) and 1 serving of vegetables that will keep you in "fat loss mode" and not raise your blood sugar.

The "Good Looking Loser Fat Loss Diet" is ultimately a lifestyle. Since I don't work out too often anymore, this is basically what I eat on a regular basis and it keeps unwanted fat away very easily. 

 #1 Tip for Our Fat Loss Diet

Learn to spot carbohydrates.

A lot of my former trainees thought that they were following my diet but they weren't.

You have to look at EVERYTHING you put in your mouth.

If you make the protein shake with dairy milk (use these instead, unsweetened for weight loss) - you are not following the diet. If you dump sugar in your coffee - you are not following the diet. If you are eating rice, bread, cookies, regular soda, cereal, fruit juice, sports drinks, etc. If you are using some random "supplement" that has a bunch of carbohydrates in it - YOU ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE DIET.

You really have to look at EVERYTHING that you eat.

Have a look at this too -

• "35 More Specific Tips For Our Fat Loss Diet"

Realistic Expectations for Our Fat Loss Diet

If you legitimately FOLLOW THE DIET and EXERCISE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH you will lose 1 to 4 pounds a week.

If you legitimately FOLLOW THE DIET and EXERCISE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH you will lose 1/4 to 1 inch on your waist a week. 

In the first week, you may lose 5 or 10 pounds, a lot of it will be water weight - but you are on your way.

Unless you have an undiagnosed medical problem, it is physiologically impossible to retain excess body fat on this diet. 

Like I said -

Your body does not want to be fat and gross. When you keep your blood sugar stable or stay in "fat loss mode", it will be more than happy to burn your body fat for energy.

Not everyone does great on a very low carbohydrate diet. I can pick it up anytime I want with no side effects whatsoever. For some, it's hard to adjust to and their body never quite gets the hang of using existing body fat as the primary energy supply. You'll know after about 3 or 4 weeks. Just try your best.

Every once in a while, you'll want to have some carbohydrates. That's fine. Have a small low-fat meal with carbohydrates as your LAST meal of the day or have a 'carb day' (don't go crazy, stay under 250 grams) every 10 or 14 days.

Remember though, try to stay in "fat loss mode" as much as possible. Although the training is very doable, you will be burning body fat 24/7 if you avoid carbohydrates. That is why this works so well. 

Comments are open below, but I may or may not be able to answer you (I'm super busy), I encourage you to ask all of your questions or start a fitness log in our health and fitness forum.