One of my most valuable lessons?

Getting clear on my values.

Sitting around the firepit 2 days ago reminded me of this lesson.

I’ve spent years trying to copy other people’s vision and lifestyles only to come up empty handed when I had a similar result.

Your values are your guardrails for your vision. 

Without clear values, achieving your vision might not make sense.

It’s the metaphorical lesson of spending your life climbing a ladder only to find you’ve climbed the wrong wall.

This weekend reminded me why I value spending time with those I love.

Family. Friends. Loved ones.

It’s priceless.

You can’t get back time once it’s spent.

You can always make more money.

You can always work more.

You can always do more…

But time spent?

It’s gone.

Which is why creating values has been one of my most important lessons.

It’s what drives my health.

My fitness and strength.

My desire to be healthy and fit for life.

Without my health, I can’t honor my values.

Health is the first and most important wealth.

It impacts everything else you touch.

Including all of your other values.

Focus on the right order of priorities in your life.

Lesson: Clarity on your values can change your life.

Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

1). Step-by-step guide to drop 5 pounds in 5 days

Dropping weight doesn’t need to be hard.

It just needs to follow proven principles.

Part of what I’ve found over the past 10 years of coaching, training, and helping others in their fitness is that weight loss is overcomplicated.

We live in the Age of Information Overwhelm.

This makes things tricky when you’re getting bombarded by 50 different methods in one Instagram scroll.

My intention is to do the exact opposite.

I’m going to walk you step by step the exact methodology we teach ALL of our clients.

(I won’t hold anything back - so you can understand each step of the process).

Using this high performance vegan system, you're guaranteed to drop your first 5 pounds in 5 days or less.

Provided you follow the systems here within 80% accuracy, I’m confident you could drop up to 20-50 pounds (if you have bigger goals).

(you could print this letter out for future reference).

Regardless if you’re a busy vegan or just curious about adding more plants, success with dropping your first 5 pounds comes down to two things:

• Your environment
• Your food choices

This is the foundation for today’s letter.

If you’re interested in crash diets or quick fixes, this won’t be for you.

Even though you can drop your first 5 pounds relatively fast, the goal of this system is to give you PERMANENT and SUSTAINABLE transformation.

Some people do well doing this by themselves.

Others need a bit more support and accountability along the way.

Either way, you’ll have all the tools and systems to create your fitness results in 5 days or less.

Let’s dive in.

Step 1: Optimize Your Environment to Make Healthy Eating Easy

Ever heard the saying, "Out of sight, out of mind."

When it comes to health, it couldn’t be more true.

Willpower is overrated—the real key is setting up your environment so you don’t have to rely on willpower to make healthy choices.

According to research from Dr. Brian Wansink at Cornell University, small changes to your surroundings can significantly impact your eating habits.

Wansink's studies show that people eat more when food is easily accessible, and they tend to make better choices when healthy options are more visible.

Let that sink in.

It’s not about beating yourself up or feeling bad about making poor eating choices.

It’s about creating an environment that breeds success.

Most of us don’t create environments that lead to success.

We do the opposite.

I want you to think about your kitchen for a second.

Is it designed for health & fitness success?

Or do you need to create the systems for success?

Here’s a checklist to start using:

• Kitchen Detox: The first step is to clear out the junk. If it’s in your pantry, it’s going to be tempting—especially when you’re stressed or tired. Go through your kitchen and eliminate anything that doesn’t serve your health goals.
  • Think about highly processed snacks, sugary cereals, or "accidental" vegan junk foods. Pro tip: Replace these with whole-food options like nuts, seeds, whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and plant proteins.
  • Keep these items within easy reach—whether that’s a bowl of fruit on the counter or pre-chopped veggies in the fridge. Research shows you're far more likely to grab the convenient option, so make healthy options the default.
• Batch Prep for Success: Planning your meals ahead of time is one of the best ways to ensure you stick to your goals. On Sunday (or whatever day works best for you), spend an hour or two batch-prepping meals. Think roasted veggies, quinoa, tofu, or tempeh that you can throw together during the week.
  • Here's an example: On Sunday, roast a tray of sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower. Cook up a big batch of lentils or chickpeas. Add some tofu or tempeh for the protein punch.
  • Now, you’ve got the foundation for several quick meals—just throw them in a bowl with greens and a simple tahini dressing for a nutritious, balanced lunch.
• Healthy Grab-and-Go Snacks: Keep healthy snacks readily available. Think nuts, seeds, energy balls (made from oats, peanut butter, dates, and protein powder), or hummus with chopped veggies.
  • When you’re busy and need a quick bite, these will be your go-to instead of vending machine snacks or takeout.

Step 2: How to Choose the Right Foods for Fat Loss

If you’re reading this, you might already know that eating whole foods plant based is incredible for weight loss.

But which foods do you prioritize for maximum fat-burning results?

Here’s where we get into caloric density.

This concept, popularized by Dr. Michael Greger, is simple:

Eat foods that fill you up but don’t pack in too many calories.

Whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are naturally lower in calories per volume, meaning you can eat a lot of them without consuming too many calories.

Paired with strategic plant proteins and you’ve got a winning formula to drop body fat and get lean.

Here’s how to apply this:

• Fill Half Your Plate with Veggies: Vegetables are high in fiber and water, which means they fill you up for fewer calories.
  • Start each meal by filling half your plate with veggies—think leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and bell peppers. They’re nutrient-dense, high in fiber, and provide the bulk you need to feel full. Pro tip: Try adding a variety of colors to your plate. Each color provides different phytonutrients, and the more diverse your veggie intake, the better your overall nutrition.
• Choose Whole Grains Over Processed Carbs: Swap refined grains (white bread, white rice, etc.) for whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, or oats. These complex carbs provide steady energy and help you avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes. Plus, they’re packed with fiber, which keeps you full for longer.
  • Why fiber matters: Studies show that diets high in fiber are associated with greater weight loss and better long-term weight management. Fiber slows digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and keeps you full—so aim for at least 25-30g per day. Foods like lentils, beans, oats, and vegetables are fiber superstars.
• Lean Protein, Vegan Style: When you’re trying to drop fat while maintaining muscle, protein is key. Plant proteins like seitan, tofu, tempeh, protein powder, and edamame are excellent sources of plant-based protein.
  • According to Dr. T. Colin Campbell, plant-based proteins are not only sufficient for building muscle, but they also come with the added benefits of fiber and antioxidants. How much protein do you need? For fat-loss, aim for at least 1.0g of protein per pound of your body weight daily.
    • For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you’ll want to consume around 150g of protein each day.
    • You can hit this target by incorporating protein-rich foods into each meal.
    • This higher amount will preserve lean muscle while prioritizing dropping body fat (paired with a strategic strength strategy).

Step 3: Smart Swaps That Make a Big Difference

Want to see faster results?

Making small swaps in your meals can lead to big changes in how you feel and how quickly you see progress.

Here are a few ideas:

• Swap sugary drinks for water or herbal tea: Liquid calories are sneaky—they don’t fill you up, but they add to your daily intake. Stick to water (add lemon or cucumber for flavor) or herbal teas.
• Use herbs and spices for flavor instead of heavy sauces: Sauces can add hidden calories and sugar. Instead, experiment with herbs, spices, and vinegars to flavor your food. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast can elevate any meal.
• Replace oil with broth or water when sautéing: Oil is calorie-dense (around 120 calories per tablespoon), so it can add up fast. Try sautéing veggies in vegetable broth or water instead.

Step 4: How to Stay Consistent, Even When Life Gets Hectic

Life will get busy—it’s inevitable.

The key to success is having simple systems in place that allow you to stay on track no matter how hectic things get.

• Meal Prepping: If you’re not able to cook from scratch every day, batch prep healthy meals ahead of time. Have 3-4 go-to recipes that you can cook in bulk on weekends and portion out for the week.
  • Some examples could be a lentil seitan stew, a tempeh and veggie stir-fry, or a tofu chickpea salad.
• Have Healthy Snacks Ready: Keep healthy snacks on hand for those times when you need something fast. Pre-portion your plant proteins or make energy balls ahead of time so you’re not tempted to grab junk food when you’re starving.
• Stick to Simple Meals: There’s no need to get fancy with your meals. In fact, keeping it simple can make it easier to stick with healthy eating. A basic meal of roasted veggies, a grain, and a protein (like tofu or tempeh) can be just as satisfying as a complex recipe.

Action Steps Recap:

To create a successful weight loss environment:

• Clean out your kitchen and get rid of processed, high-calorie junk food.
• Stock up on whole, plant-based foods like veggies, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.
• Batch prep meals for the week so you always have something healthy on hand.
• Focus on caloric density by filling your plate with low-calorie, high-fiber foods like vegetables and legumes.
• Choose plant protein rich options to help with fullness and muscle preservation (e.g. tofu, tempeh, seitan, edamame)
• Make small, smart swaps that support your goals, like drinking more water, avoiding oil, and using herbs for flavor.

By setting up your environment for success and choosing the right foods, you’ll drop your first 5 pounds with ease.

Create an environment that breeds success.

Reap the results.

Client of the Week

Crystal is a busy mom and wife.

Taking care of her two boys keeps her days busy.

Yet, losing confidence in her body and health as she aged felt uncomfortable.

She no longer had the strength or stamina to do things she loved and she felt like her eating habits weren’t creating a positive example for her sons.

So we got to work.

Strategy: Our first order of priority was getting her workouts dialed in. Although she was resistant to lifting weights (especially heavy ones) early on, we started to ramp up.

Starting with a minimum standard of 3 strength workout we later scaled to 4 workouts paired with 2-3 days of cardio (which she enjoyed and we did for HEALTH benefits; not fat-loss).

We then started to analyze her nutrition and work on the key priority areas including her protein and carbohydrate intake.

Having done multiple diets and fitness programs in the past our main goal was sustainability and KEEPING her results vs quick fixes.

Tracking her food was her first action step and doing this for 4-5 days a week kept this sustainable.

We also discussed mental fortitude and the importance of self-care even as a busy mother leading her family (which she sometimes forgot to do).

Wins: Net loss of 12 pounds of body fat, 4 inches off her waist, confident with her eating choices, and more energetic than she felt in years.

She also started to look forward to her workouts and feel more confident with her body which rippled into a new career which gave her joy.

Even in the midst of several big family trips (one to Arizona and a solo trip to England), she stayed on track with her goals and made significant progress.

Testimony of her commitment to her health.

If you're a busy vegan, plant-based human, or plant-curious and want to get in the best shape of your life while leading by example, ​apply here to get lean, strong, and healthy in 2024. ​ 

(2-week waiting list and capped at 5 new spots per month)

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Been playing Scrabble with the family.

Ton of fun.

Apparently, ​‘Jo’ is a word. ​ 

Who would have known?

- Gabriel

P.S. Doors close on Monday night for our October special. ​Apply here if you want​ to secure your spot before prices rise.

Whenever you're ready, there are three ways I can help you:

#1 ​Join our free high-performance fitness FB group​ to get access to dozens of live trainings recorded along with a tight-knit group of leaders who want to get healthy, lean, and strong.

#2 Are you a high achiever who wants to be lean, strong, and lead by example? ​Apply for private 1:1 coaching​ and get in the best shape of your life (2-week waiting list).

#3 Want to fuel your fitness curiosity and follow along with the latest findings, insights, and evidence-based practices? Let's be friends on ​Facebook ​and ​Instagram​. :)

(feel free to DM me anytime - I love connecting with new friends worldwide).