I wish I knew this 12 years ago.

Over the past 12+ years, I've learned a lot about fat loss and weight loss.

If I could go back in a time machine, I would share these 10 things with my prior self to help avoid all the mistakes I've made.

Years of headaches.

Frustration.

Annoyance.

And letting myself down.

Here's 10 things I know now that I wish I knew 12 years ago:

#1 Create a healthy nutrition environment

What's around you, you'll eventually eat.

Instead of forcing success, create success.

Stop fighting temptations and breaking down your willpower.

Rather, focus on creating an environment that's built to WIN.

Remove offending foods that are processed, harmful, and don't serve you.

And add in healthy foods like whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and lean plant protein to fill in.

You can still enjoy your favorite foods in moderation.

But make sure the main bulk of your nutrition comes from the right foods.

#2 Eat less and slowly

Slow down when you eat.

30% of your digestive process happens when you chew slowly.

Also, leave a portion of your food on your plate or choose smaller portions.

Most of us eat too fast and too much.

Slow down.

Eat less.

And enjoy your meals.

#3 Track weekly body measurements, weight, and photos

Every week, make this a standard.

If you want to SEE results, you need to track results.

Track multiple metrics.

Your bodyweight.

Your body measurements (ideally hips, waist, and thighs are a good place to start).

Your progress photos.

Do this every week.

Make this a standard and non-negotiable.

This leads to:

#4 Use a nutrition tracker AFTER eating slowly and changing the nutrition environment

What you track improves.

What you measure can be improved.

While tracking nutrition does NOT need to be permanent, it can give IMMEDIATE feedback on what's happening.

And there are many great free tools to do this:

• Chronometer
• MyFitnessPal
• VFR App (our app)
• MacroFactor

The list goes on.

What's more important than accuracy when tracking is consistency.

Every great body, business, and project has KPI's.

So should we.

But you'll also need to:

#5 Aim for a 500 negative caloric deficit each day mainly from nutrition (not exercise)

Once you're tracking, this is vital.

Tracking alone breeds awareness.

Tracking and using a proper caloric deficit creates results.

Make sure this comes predominantly from food intake vs exercise output.

Most of us overestimate how many calories we burn.

And underestimate how many calories we eat.

Reverse the formula.

Use exercise to build strength and muscle.

And tracking nutrition to shred fat and pounds.

That's the formula for plant-based fitness success.

#6 Lift weights 3-4x weekly to retain lean muscle tone

Eating less and tracking your food does nothing to keep muscle tone.

It just ensures you'll drop pounds.

But if you want those dropped pounds to be fat-tissue and not precious muscle mass, lifting weights is non-negotiable.

It needs to happen.

Every week.

When you're in a fat-loss phase, your body doesn't care what it needs to drop.

Lifting weights gives your body a signal to KEEP muscle tone and strength.

Do this consistently paired with caloric deficit, and you'll craft a lean, sculpted body.

#7 Sleep more and destress more

Studies show that athletes who sleep more (8-10 hrs per night) vs those who slept less than 6 hrs per night - got stronger, leaner, and faster.

Sleep matters.

And more is better when you're getting quality sleep.

In tandem, releasing stress is important.

Deep breathing.

Decompressing.

Meditation.

These can all help convert negative stress into relaxation.

Sleep and relax more.

#8 Walk 10,000 steps per day

As you go deeper into a fat-loss phase, your body will resist losing fat and pounds.

Your metabolism will slow down.

And your fat-loss rate will get slower.

Unless you move more.

Your body isn't keen on change.

Challenging yourself to move more, especially during fat-loss phases when you feel 'hangry' and lazy, is important to keep seeing results.

Aim to walk more.

Stand more.

And move around more often.

Don't slow down.

#9 Get feedback on results (create a positive feedback loop)

Mentorship is important on any journey.

And having feedback on your progress can be a helpful asset.

The best results I've seen in my fat-loss efforts have ALWAYS been with a mentor.

Years ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of having support and guidance.

Now, I can't live without it.

If it weren't for my mentor and coach when I was prepping for my 1st men's physique competition, I would have never reached 4% body fat.

I would have stayed stuck and unable to get through tricky plateaus that left me confused (even with my 10 years of fitness expertise).

Get feedback.

And go in the right direction.

A plane is off course 99% of the time.

That's why you have a pilot (a mentor) to help guide you.

#10 Celebrate progress and NSV (non scale victories)

Celebrate all progress.

Whether it's a behavior or outcome, celebrate it.

You're becoming a new person.

You're creating new habits.

And you're taking ownership of your life.

Non-scale victories can also be a great way to acknowledge your growth.

While pounds down is a solid metric, so are inches, progress photos, clothes fitting better, more energy, more strength and endurance, and getting leaner.

The list goes on.

Acknowlege your growth.

Acknowlege your progress.

Acknowlege who you're becoming.

Commit to one action step at a time.

- Gabriel

Whenever you're ready, here's one way I can help:

This is the LAST week for our VFR End of Year Special. ​

Since it's our last week, I thought I'd share a special bonus before we close the doors for our 1:1 Accelerator Coaching Program in 2023.

1). If you apply by December 30th (this Saturday), we'll bonus a FULL extra month (4 weeks) of coaching in 2024 on us.

That means if you apply and are accepted into one of these 3 spots I'm opening for this special, your 4-month Accelerator Program would be upgraded into a 5-month program ($899 value)

2). We'll also give you a FREE ticket to our Inspire Retreat ($999 value) with our Lv2 Inspire students this April.

You'll get in-person access to a high-level mastermind of plant-based leaders and aspiring leaders positively impacting the world.

3). Finally, if you apply and are accepted into one of these last 3 spots, you'll also get a FREE FitBit watch as our gift to help you track your steps, calories, and metrics.

Plus, get leaner, stronger, and more toned using our 1:1 coaching systems.

Spots will go first come, first serve to those who qualify.

Enjoy your New Year's!