Over the last few months, I’ve lost about 7-8 lbs of fat without too much effort (I also got a tan).

I talked about how I did it here and here, but I don’t want to discuss tactics as much in this post. The small details don’t matter.

What’ll help you most is my decision-making process during this time. And, fortunately, it might not be what you think.

• I didn’t formally say to myself, “Ok, the cut starts TODAY. No more X, Y, or Z from this moment on.”
• I didn’t follow a diet plan.
• I didn’t count macros or calories.
• I didn’t track much of anything, except my weight a few times per week.

With that said, I’m aware I do this for a living. I’m likely better at guesstimating portions, adapting to social situations, etc., than most of you reading simply because I’ve done it for years.

But that still isn’t the point I’m making. Forget the specifics. Because even with my background, if I asked you to audit your past week you could probably tell me what was and wasn’t conducive to your fat loss.

You don’t need a nutrition degree and years of experience to know you should’ve probably eaten more vegetables and protein, been more consistent with workouts, got better sleep, ate fewer processed food, and walked more than you did in the past week.

What matters most, and why I was able to lose fat with ease, are two things:

1. I got started.

2. Speed.

It’s not fancy. It’s not sexy. But, to me, it’s one of the easiest things to do, yet so many people make it harder than it needs to be.

Let me explain further.

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1. I got started.

This one seems obvious, but there’s a subtle tweak that makes all the difference: I didn’t put much pressure on myself to lose lots of fat quickly.

Like I mentioned above, I didn’t even have a formal plan going into it. Because if I tried to make one beforehand⏤calculate my maintenance calories, figure out my macros, plan my meals, etc.⏤I probably wouldn’t have started for at least another month.

“Messy action” was the idea.

But before messy action required one crucial step: I had to decide to make fat loss a priority in my life.

I decided to accept the tradeoffs that I knew would come with that. And I decided this was now a promise to myself that I’d try my hardest not to break.

No grey area. No more coasting. No ambiguity.

Then I got started.

2. Speed.

This idea is kinda the “yang” to the “yin” of the previous idea. You need both.

My definition of “speed” is failing fast and not judging myself when I messed up.

This one is huge. I know because it’s the number one problem holding back so many of my 1:1 fat loss clients⏤the “all-or-nothing” mentality.

Even you, after reading that, probably thought to yourself, “I don’t struggle with that.” But I’d bet good money you do.

• How many times have you said to yourself after eating an “unhealthy” meal that you’ll “get back on track tomorrow” instead of at your next meal?

• How many times have you messed up your diet on Friday and didn’t wait to get back on track until Monday?

• I’d bet RIGHT NOW you’re saying to yourself, “I’m waiting until things settle down, THEN I’ll start my diet and really get after it,” or “Now’s not the right time, I’m too busy to commit to something like this.”

This is textbook all-or-nothing mentality.

You need the perfect conditions to get started. And when you do get started, it’s an on or off switch. You’re either “on” your diet or “off” your diet. And when you’re off your diet, you’re REALLY off your diet.

Because there’s always tomorrow, right?

This is what I mean by speed.

Because even though I decided to commit to this and made a promise to myself, I’ve still messed up plenty.

But the difference⏤the key difference⏤for why I’m still making consistent progress is because of three things that prevent the all-or-nothing mentality:

1) I don’t judge myself or beat myself up for failing, so I get back on track as quickly as possible,

2) I know one meal or even one weekend “off track” doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, and

3) I’m keeping more promises to myself than I’m breaking.

And lastly, I know that “good enough” most of the time will get me much better results than “perfect” only some of the time.

This is why speed and failing fast is so underrated.

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I wanted to wrap this up with some caveats that might be helpful when implementing this:

• If you want faster fat loss and the best results possible, I’d recommend going ALL-IN with your commitment. Hire a coach or join a 6-week course like my Fat Loss Accelerator (currently waitlisted). You could do it alone, but it will likely take much more time, energy, and money.

• If you’ve never tracked your food before and are more of a beginner, this might be a better place to start.

• I didn’t touch on workouts much, so if you want a free one, I created Ultimate Physique Development just for you.

Remember: whatever you decide matters much less than simply getting started and failing fast.

Hope that helps.

-Matt