F.A.S.T 28 Fat Loss Plan

This plan is for motivated men or women who are 15% body fat (men) or 22% body fat (women) and above, are stuck in a rut and want to maximise fat loss whilst maintaining muscle mass over a 28 day period.

My motto for this plan is ‘train for muscle gain, eat for fat loss’. Whilst I have set you the goal of walking a minimum 10,000 steps per day, I don't expect any additional cardiovascular exercise outside of this and your strength training. However, if you would like to add some additional cardiovascular training then you are welcome to do so. However, I would caution you to utilise non-weight bearing modalities such as cycling, rowing, elliptical etc and to do them separate to your strength sessions.

The goal of the F.A.S.T 28 diet is to provide you with plenty of low energy density foods that will help suppress hunger whilst helping you burn fat by keeping your calorie intake very low. This is why the diet is based around whole foods and minimal liquid calories (1 protein shake per day is allowed). "If individuals adopt a lower-energy-dense eating pattern, they can eat satisfying amounts of food that meet their energy and nutrient needs so that they can avoid weight gain or lose excess weight." Rolls (2017) Studies have shown that when the energy density of a diet is reduced (i.e. we reduce energy dense foods for lower-energy dense foods such as vegetables, fruit and lean protein sources) we spontaneously eat fewer calories (Rolls, 2017).

Your level of adherence to the plan will necessarily dictate the results you can expect to achieve. Whilst I don't expect 100% compliance from every person who undertakes F.A.S.T 28 (life happens!), I would expect levels of compliance at 80% or higher. If you regularly have to eat out at restaurants I provide a guide on "How to dine out and not destroy your diet" which will help you navigate social situations.

No problem! I provide a downloadable guide to making your meals more tasty as part of the plan. Happy cooking!

Luckily the F.A.S.T 28 plan is about simplicity above all else. My job is to simplify things, rather than make them more complicated. "Simplification is one mark of real genius" So the answer is NO! You do not have to take time weighing your food, logging your calories and macros. You do however have to adhere to the 'Food Rules' I lay out in the plan to ensure you make optimal progress.

The diet is an aggressive one that is best done in short stints. I don't advise doing the plan for any longer than 28 days straight before taking a diet break. However, if you still have more weight/fat to lose after the 28 days you are welcome to do another stint until you have reached your target weight. So your schedule might look something like this.... -28 Day F.A.S.T protocol -2 Week diet break eating at caloric maintenance -28 Day F.A.S.T protocol -2 Week diet break eating at caloric maintenance The above schedule can be used until target weight has been achieved.

Whilst it is difficult to give blanket targets, as everyone is starting from a different place, you should expect to lose a minimum of 0.5-1% of your bodyweight per week. I have certainly witnessed people lose a LOT more than this, but this should be a conservative minimum. If you follow the course correctly and you fail to lose at least 4kg body weight over the course of the plan I will continue to work with you until you lose this as a minimum.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, it appears that experiencing early momentum is a huge factor when it comes to long term success. This is something I have also witnessed anecdotally working with clients over the past 15 years. A study by Nackers et al (2010) also illustrates the importance of initial rates of weight loss. In this study participants were divided into 3 groups: Slow, Moderate and Fast weight loss groups Participants who lost weight at a FAST rate during the first 4 weeks of treatment achieved significantly greater weight reductions at 6 months than those who lost at MODERATE and SLOW rates, and those who lost at a MODERATE rate during the first 4 weeks of treatment lost significantly more weight than those who lost at a SLOW rate. Participants in the present study who lost at a greater initial rate did not experience greater amounts of weight regain post-treatment than those who lost at a slower initial rate. “We find evidence to suggest that a greater initial weight loss as the first step of a weight management programme may result in improved sustained weight maintenance.” (Astrup & Rossner, 2001) More evidence to support the use of rapid fat loss phases comes from Seimon et al (2019). In this study 101 post-menopausal women with obesity were split into 2 groups: - Group 1: Moderate energy restriction (25-35% reduction from baseline) for 12 months Group 2: Severe energy restriction (65-75% reduction from baseline) for 4 months followed by 8 months moderate energy energy restriction. The severe energy restriction group had a 2-fold greater weight and fat loss over 12 months. Time and again we see that more rapid fat loss approaches lead to more overall weight loss and better maintenance of this weight loss over the longer-term.