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Hey Friend,

I hope you’ve been enjoying these Tuesday Deep Dives and that they’ve been a helpful part of your health journey.

I’ve loved putting this newsletter together over the past few months, and I’m committed to keeping it going. That said, I’ll be honest—there are times I worry about repeating myself or running out of new things to say.

But I keep coming back to a quote from one of my favorite mentors:

“We need to be reminded of what we already know more than we need to be taught something new.”

So today’s message might sound familiar, but it’s worth revisiting.

Because this week, we’re diving into one big question:

What does it actually take to lose 100+ pounds in 12 months?

We’ve seen many clients achieve this. And with each success story, we’ve uncovered clear patterns that explain why they succeeded.

So let’s dive in.

What It Takes To Lose 100+ Pounds In 12 Months (Sustainably)

I think we can all agree that losing 100+ pounds in 12 months is an above average result.

And, the thing about above average results, is that they require above average execution.

But if Marsha here can do it, so can you.

My hope for this newsletter is not necessarily that everyone who has 100+ pounds to lose will read this an immediately go lose that 100 pounds in 12 months.

It’s more so to open your eyes to what drives this level of results so that you can FOCUS where you need to focus for the best results that YOU can manage.

And even if you can lose 50 pounds in 12 months (if you have that much to lose anyway), then that’s a huge victory.

The Weight Loss Rate + Consistency

Losing 100 pounds in 12 months means losing an average of 1.92 pounds per week—for a year.

That is absolutely doable for many people. But…

⚠️ It requires above-average consistency and above-average execution.

Again, you don't need to hit exactly this rate to see great progress.

If you lose 1 pound per week you will still lose 52 pounds in a year which is MASSIVE progress.

All of our 100+ pound success stories have one thing in common: consistent execution in the core areas that actually drive fat loss.

🎯 Weight loss is about maintaining a calorie deficit. That’s it.

The bigger and more consistent your deficit, the faster the fat loss.

To lose 2 pounds per week, you need a 7,000-calorie deficit per week—that’s about 1,000 calories per day.

Sounds like a lot, but it’s more manageable than most people think—especially when you understand the three drivers...

The 3 Core Drivers of a Calorie Deficit:

1. Daily activity (steps walked)

2. Food intake (calories in)

3. Strength training (ideally 3x per week)

Yes, things like sleep and hydration matter too. But those three above are directly responsible for creating the deficit.

✅ Our clients who hit big results average 80%+ consistency with these habits—meaning they hit them 6+ days per week.

Take Marsha for example...

Here is a picture of her step tracking graph for her weight loss journey.  

It's clear that she was VERY consisent hitting her step goal with only 2-3 very short periods where she didn't.

The moral of the story...consistency if EVERYTHING.

The Daily / Weekly Step Goal

Most people can lose fat consistently by hitting 8,000–10,000 steps per day.

Some will need more—especially if they’ve got less muscle mass (aka a slower metabolism). For them, 12,000–15,000 steps might be necessary to create that same deficit without unsustainably cutting food intake.  

The key isn’t just the number—it’s the consistency.

Think in weekly step goals:
8k–10k per day = 56,000–70,000 steps per week

Apps like Pedometer++ paired with a wearable fitness tracker (Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin) make tracking this effortless.

Here’s my personal example from Pedometer++ from the last 7 days:

You can see one day I fell REALLY short (injured ankle), but my weekly total including today (it's only 8am) is still at 90% of my 56,000 weekly step goal.

So to meet my 56k weekly average I need a minimum of 5200 steps today. 

Easy peezy.  

Tracking weekly averages helps you zoom out and stay consistent over time—even if one day doesn’t go as planned.

Daily Food Intake Goals

There are two main ways we coach our clients to stay consistent with food:

Option 1: Traditional Calorie Counting (rarely used)

Using an app like MyFitnessPal, aim for:

• 1200–1600 calories/day

• 40% of calories from protein

This works well—if you’re accurate and consistent.

It just isn't sustainable for most people because most do not want to count calories like this for life.

Most clients who do this eventually move to the next method for sustainability. 

Option 2: Our Building Block Method (Most Clients)

For clients in our program, we skip the app and simplify with:

• 3 meals at ~400 calories or less

• 2 protein snacks at ~200 calories or less

It's the same calorie and protein goals—just easier to execute for busy lives.

The main difference is instead of logging everything in an app all the time the clients are just learning how to take each meal and snack one at a time and ensuring they hit the calorie and protein ranges and then moving on.  

This effective combo of...1200 to 1600 calories/day + 40% protein + 8–10k steps/day—yields ~2 lbs/week fat loss for about 80% of our clients.

Another 10% of our clients will lose MORE per week with these goals, and another 10% will lose less per week with these goals and we might need to adjust.

Protein + Strength Training (2–3x/week)

Here’s the trap: You can lose 2 pounds a week, but if you're not eating enough protein or strength training consistently… a big chunk of that might be muscle, not fat.

That’s a problem.

Muscle is what gives you:

• Strength

• Tone

• Function

• A faster metabolism

💡 Lose too much muscle, and you'll feel worse and need to eat even less to lose weight or maintain your new weight.

To protect muscle and metabolism:

• Eat 40% of your calories from protein consistently

• Strength train 2–3x per week (30 minute workouts are good)

This is especially important for women in midlife.

Years of dieting without enough protein or strength training can leave you with lower muscle mass—meaning your body burns fewer calories at rest.

That’s why some women feel like they have to walk 15,000+ steps or eat 1,000 calories or less just to lose weight, and sometimes that is actually their reality. 

It’s not fair, but it’s fixable—with the right strategy and time.

Again, going back to Marsha...

Here is a screenshot of one month of fitness activity tracking from our fitness app showing how consistently she was focused on doing workouts:

The blue dot activities are strength based workouts that Marsha was consistnetly doing to help drive her long term results. 

Build Sustainability Along The Way

None of this works if it isn’t sustainable.

Our most successful clients didn’t start out perfect—but they got better week by week.

They built sustainability by learning how to:

1. Enjoy high-protein meals and snacks they actually liked

2. Eat out without sabotaging progress

3. Make healthy choices convenient (even with busy schedules)

4. Flex their plan for vacations, weekends, and life

🔁 Sustainable weight loss isn’t about having a perfect plan on Day 1.
It’s about building a lifestyle that gets easier the longer you live it.

Bringing It All Together

Here’s the summary you can save:

1. Losing 2 pounds/week = 100 pounds/year

2. That requires a 1,000-calorie daily deficit or 7,000 calories per week

3. Stay 80%+ consistent with steps, food, and strength training

4. Walk 8,000–10,000 steps/day (or 56,000–70,000/week)

5. Our clients do best with 1200–1600 calories/day with 40% from protein

6. Strength train 2–3x/week to preserve muscle + metabolism

7. And most importantly… build sustainability as you go

It’s not magic.

It’s math, consistency, and lifestyle.

Start with consistency.
Layer in sustainability.
And never stop growing.

You’ve got this.

— Coach 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.