Read this on Healthyandwholeyou.com
Read Time:  12.8 Minutes

Hey friend,

Quick note before we dive into today’s Deep Dive…

As I sit here writing this at 7:54am, I feel like a total zombie.

I went to bed at 9:00 p.m. and got plenty of sleep, then woke up at 5:00 a.m. like I always do on Monday mornings.  So sleep isn’t the issue.

What’s different today?

I’ve got my mid-year fasted blood draw appointment with Function Health at 9:30am, which means no hydration cocktail and no coffee this morning.

Normally, I start every day with 40 oz. of water mixed with 1,000 mg sodium and 400 mg potassium (plus flavoring).

But today...just plain water. 😫

And wow...I feel it. My brain, my fingers, even typing this is taking twice the effort.

You might think it’s the lack of caffeine, but honestly, I’ve had plenty of mornings where I skipped coffee but still had my hydration cocktail, and felt great.

That’s the point: once I started prioritizing electrolytes in the morning, coffee became a want, not a need.

So let this be your friendly reminder: hydration and electrolytes together are non-negotiable if you want real energy and cognitive clarity.

I’ll be chugging my premixed cocktail the second I leave the lab. 💪

Alright, on to today’s topic...

7 Rules I Follow To Stay Under 12% Body Fat Year Round (Sustainably)

These aren’t just rules I follow. They’re the foundation of how I live, and how we coach others to create real, lasting results without burnout, obsession, or “internet guru” extremes.

Let’s dive in.

The 80/20 Rule (Not The 57% Rule)

This is my golden rule, and the filter for every other rule.

As an Enneagram Type 1 (The Perfectionist), I used to believe I had to be 100% on point to be successful. But I’ve learned through coaching hundreds of clients, and from personal experience, that striving for 100% often leads to 0% very quickly.

All-or-nothing thinking leads to burnout, overanalysis, fear of mistakes, and eventually...giving up.

That’s why I aim for 80% consistency.

• 80% of my meals and snacks are “on plan.”

• I hit my step goal 80% of days.

• I strength train, hydrate, and hit other habits 80% of the time.

Consistent 80% execution gets consistently great results, which is why it is the basis of the 10-Point Daily Habit System we use with our clients at Healthy & Whole

It works because it’s both effective and forgiving.

Most people get caught up living the 57% rule and don't even realize it. 

The 57% rule is where you are "on track" Monday thru Thursday, and then you switch over to "weekend mode" Friday thru Sunday and sabotage all the great work you did in the first part of the week.  

But, if you've ever done that you know that the 57% rule usually gets 0% results, so I invite you to strive for 80% like me and I promise the results are way better.  

The Decade Rule

If you wouldn’t do it for a decade, why do it for a day?

This wisdom comes from one of my past coaches + mentors, Alex Hormozi.

It’s also the backbone of everything we teach at Healthy & Whole.

If you want to get results, and keep them, you have to enjoy the process.

Period.

So if I don’t like something? I either:

1. Don’t do it, or

2. Find a way to make it enjoyable enough that I’ll want to.

That’s why I don’t follow fads, extreme fasting, insane workouts, or restrictive diets. I don’t waste time on “unsustainable.”

Instead, I’ve built a giant menu of high-protein meals and snacks I love, at home and on the go, and I've found workouts and activity that I enjoy.

It’s easy to be 80% “on plan” when your plan tastes freaking awesome, like the Protein Garlic Bread Pizzas pictured above do. 

A recipe I'll be sharing in this Friday's Feel Good Friday edition of the newsletter. 🤤

You deserve the same. Your results should come from a lifestyle that makes you feel alive, not punished.

So do yourself a favor and strive for a solid 80%, and let the rest go.  

The Daily Weigh In Rule

Every morning at 5 a.m., I get up, head to the bathroom, and step on my Withings Wi-Fi scale. It measures weight, body fat, muscle tissue, waking heart rate, etc. and syncs with my phone to track long-term trends.

And I'm REALLY excited about my progress this last month adding muscle and losing body fat at the same time 💪🏻

In reality, I’ve consistently maintained a very lean body between 150–160 lbs. since 2018, and daily weigh-ins are a big reason why.

Because here’s the truth:
If you stop tracking something, you stop controlling it.

I don’t get emotional about the day-to-day number. I use the data trends to make smart, non-emotional decisions:

• If I’m cutting and the trend stalls, I reduce food or increase activity.

• If I’m at the low end of my maintenance range, I indulge more.

• If I’m pushing the top of the maintenance range, I tighten things up.

What I never do? Avoid the scale out of fear and self judgment.

Avoiding data leads to denial, and denial leads to drift.

We teach our clients to view the scale as a dashboard, not a judgment. It’s just feedback, like traffic signals for your health. And you don’t want to drive with your eyes closed.

Again, this is an 80/20 rule.  The 20% here for me is when I am traveling.  I don't bring a scale when I travel, but anytime I am home I weigh every day no matter what.  

The 2 Day Rule

Miss once? That’s fine. Miss twice in a row? That’s a trend.

I first heard this rule from YouTuber Matt D’Avella, and I’ve been using it ever since.

The idea is simple: never miss a habit or planned action two days in a row.

I aim for:

• 8,000+ steps/day

• 3 strength training sessions/week

• Food “on plan” 80% of the time

• 2 hydration cocktails a day minimum

Life happens. Schedules change. Plans get disrupted.

But if I miss a workout or step goal today, tomorrow is non-negotiable. I’ll get it done, even if it means walking at 10 p.m., doing a “no excuses” workout at home, or completely rearranging plans.

The 2-Day Rule gives grace...but also forces me to plan better. Because staying up late walking off steps I could’ve hit earlier? Not fun, and not something I want to become the norm.  

This rule has helped me stay consistent, even in chaotic seasons, and helped clients do the same.

It's the perfect combination of grace and flexibility where I need it, but also self accountability so that my grace and flexibility don't turn into daily excuses.

The 15-Minute Rule

It doesn't matter how well something works to get results, if it takes to long you'll never actually stick to it.

I like to make sure that most of the habits I need to be successful can be completed in no more than 15 minutes at a time if necessary. 

Especially when it comes to food, but I also like to have options for strength training and activity like walking that allow me to be successful with very small time commitments.

Sure, I do sometimes take longer than 15 minutes to make a meal, but 90% of my meal and snack options take 15 minutes or less.

I even have ultra convenient options that take 3 minutes or less and still taste amazing.

I prefer to strength train for 45 minutes to an hour when time and schedule allow, but I also have 15 minute “no excuses” workouts that I can do anywhere, anytime, with no equipment to check the box when I need a faster option.

When it comes to daily steps, I really like to take 45 minutes to an hour very early in the morning time to walk or run 2-3 miles at the start of the day, because I feel amazing the entire rest of the day, and I never have to worry about hitting my step goal.

But some days I can’t do that, so I also know that if I do 3 shorter 15 minute walks a day I can still hit my step goal most days when combined with my other natural steps.

With this rule, I have bare bones options if I need them, and I've set myself up for success in any condition.  

I have meal and snack options inside and outside of the home, strength training options, and activity plans that can allow me to be successful even in the busiest of seasons.

And, I enjoy them all.

No excuses left. 💪🏻

I won’t even put a recipe into my cookbook if it takes more than 15 minutes prep time.

That’s how important this rule is.

If you want some quick and very tasty recipe samples from my cookbook, I have a bunch for free here in our 7 Day Kickstart Course.

The 40% Rule

40% protein per meal or snack. Always.

This is the rule I follow for 80% of my meals and snacks.

Whether I’m eating from our cookbook, meal prepping, eating out, or grabbing a snack, it’s usually 40% protein or more unless it’s a planned indulgence.

This ensures:

• I build and preserve lean muscle even in a calorie deficit

• I stay full and satisfied

• I support a strong metabolism

Bonus: digesting protein burns more calories than carbs or fats, so eating more of it subtly boosts your metabolism.

People think hitting protein goals is hard, but it’s not when you know what you’re doing.

That’s why we teach our clients exactly how to do it simply and deliciously, using a combination of real food and modern convenience. That Ghost PB Cereal recipe I shared last week? Perfect example.

The Nothing Else Matters Rule 🤘

This one’s my favorite, because it cuts through all the internet nonsense.

If you’re eating the right number of calories and enough protein… nothing else really matters all that much for sustainable weight loss and health.

You don’t need to worry about:

• Eating only whole foods

• Eliminating any foods entirely

• Eating every 2–3 hours to "stoke your metabolism"

• Avoiding food after 6 p.m.

• Fasted workouts

• Biohacking bullcrap

These rules suck the enjoyment out of life and give minimal to zero actual benefit at the end of the day beyond the benefit you already get from eating the right amount of calories and eating enough protein every day. 

So I build my eating pattern around what fits my life.

I skip breakfast because I’m not hungry in the morning. I save those calories for a big dinner and bedtime snack (usually a pint of protein ice cream with mix-ins) with my family, because that’s what I enjoy.

No guilt. No guru-science. Just results.

At Healthy & Whole, we encourage our clients to do the same:
Eat in a way that supports your goals and your lifestyle.

Matt's Get Lean + Stay Lean Rules For Life Summary:

1. The 80/20 Rule combats perfectionism and allows you to be human and to enjoy things like social life, holidays, etc. without unnecessary restriction or black and white, pass or fail thinking.
2. The Decade Rule helps you focus on building a lifestyle that gets you the results you want, but without your lifestyle feeling like a prison or like something you have to push yourself to adhere to.
3. The Daily Weigh In Rule makes sure you keep your eye on the ball and stay in control of your results. It gives you the data to know if what you are doing is working, and if not, gives you the opportunity you need to fix it instead of waking up one day in a deep hole you now have to dig yourself out of.
4. The 2 Day Rule allows you to be flexible and adaptable if life throws you curve balls, but prevents you from slipping into a cycle of excuses. It gives grace where it’s healthy, but forces you to get your crap together where necessary.
5. The 15-Minute Rule helps you build a necessary amount of efficiency and convenience into your lifestyle and makes sure you have back-up plans that allow you to be successful even in the most chaotic and busy seasons of life.
6. The 40% Rule makes sure you get enough protein in your every day meals and snacks to feel full and satiated, maintain muscle and metabolism, etc. It also forces you to learn how to get your protein intake up in ways that don’t require eating massive amounts of chicken.
7. The Nothing Else Matters Rule allows you to focus on what matters for excellent results and health, without unnecessarily getting stressed or depriving yourself of simple pleasures just because a guru told you it was “better”.

You don’t need to be perfect.

You just need to be consistent with the right things, and create a lifestyle you actually enjoy.

That’s how I stay under 12% body fat year-round…with a family, a business, and a full life.

And if I can do it, you can too.

- Matt

When you're ready, here's how I can help:

If you're looking to lose weight sustainably while building a flexible lifestyle that you enjoy, I can help.   Apply for coaching here in the Healthy & Whole Mentorship Program.  

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.