This Man Walked 13,000 Steps Daily and Lost 12 Pounds Without Changing His Diet

Everyone wants to get lean while maintaining muscle, but most people struggle with hunger and low energy during a cut. Will Tennyson, fitness enthusiast and author of Strip Down and Get Cooking cookbook, shares how he dropped 12 pounds in 30 days while maintaining strength and actually enjoying his diet. Here's his proven approach that you can start using today.

Understanding the Importance of Body Transformation

According to a 2004 study in Current Opinion In Clinical Nutrition And Metabolic Care, muscle mass decreases approximately 3-8% per decade after age 30. This makes maintaining muscle while losing fat particularly crucial.

Setting Realistic Transformation Goals

"This is definitely the easiest cut I've ever done. Strength's going up, rarely hungry," Will explains in his post, reflecting on his journey from 201 pounds to 189 pounds in just 30 days. His experience aligns with research showing that sustainable transformations are the most successful.

The Science Behind Daily Movement

A 2015 study in the British Journal Of Sports Medicine found a 5% increased risk of premature death with each additional hour of inactivity. Will's approach directly addresses this: "The first thing I do every morning is some light fasted cardio, then I walk to get my coffee, which is around 6,000 steps."

Structuring Your Daily Activity

"I try to space out the steps as much as I can so it doesn't really feel like I'm doing too much cardio right now," Will shares.

Dr. Richard Pulsford, senior lecturer at Exeter University, supports this approach. "Movement's an important component of healthy aging… moving little and often during otherwise inactive days is beneficial," he says in a conversation with BBC Science Focus.

Smart Training During Weight Loss

"When you're cutting, you have less food, which means less recovery. So why do the same amount of work?" Will says. He structures workouts with primary movements, secondary movements, and assistance work.

Maintaining Strength While Cutting

"My priority when I'm in the gym is to maintain the strength that I had when I was bulking. If I do a lot of sets, I'm going to burn out faster," Will says. This approach aligns with current research on maintaining muscle mass during weight loss.

Overcoming Motivation Challenges

"When you're on a cut deeper into the cut, you get more days where you don't really want to be here. Motivation's kind of hard to come by, but you have two options: get it done or regret it later," Will says.

Tracking Progress Effectively

"Here's what I'm looking at, 189 pounds right now. Definitely getting a lot leaner. Overall, pretty happy," Will shares. "I think the leanest I was when I first started YouTube, I was 175 pounds, so still a long way to go, but for the first four and a half, five weeks, very proud of the progress so far."

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The Role of Nutrition in Transformation

A 2019 Lancet study involving "135-million person-years of data" showed that proper fiber intake alone reduced chances of type 2 diabetes and decreased strokes by 15-50%. Peter Cronin, an expert on gut health at the University of Limerick, recommends: "Go for porridge oats, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables. Fibers come in many forms, so mixing up different sources is best for gut bacteria health."

Developing Sustainable Eating Habits

Will's approach focuses on satisfying, high-protein meals rather than constant snacking. "I used to always just want to graze all day long… now I've spaced my meals out, have bigger, less consistent meals. So I do three big meals and a snack, and I feel like my hunger is just a lot more at bay."

The Importance of Sleep and Recovery

Professor Shona Halson from Australian Catholic University tells BBC that poor sleep "lowers your immune system and is detrimental to mood and cognitive ability." Will structures his eating schedule to support better sleep, including a small 200-calorie snack before bed.

Making Strategic Adjustments

Will's approach to plateaus is methodical: "When I need to adjust my cut, I'll increase my minimum step count from 13,000 up to 15,000 and keep my food the same. Once that plateaus, then I'll probably make an adjustment to the food."

Mental Health and Social Support

Research in the American Journal Of Lifestyle Medicine proves that "Social connection is a pillar of lifestyle medicine" and can help "maintain a healthy body mass index, control blood sugars, improve cancer survival, decrease cardiovascular mortality, decrease depressive symptoms."

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Keys to Long-Term Success

According to research in Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, "people who had higher levels of optimism had a longer lifespan and were likelier to live past 85 in a healthy, joyous state." Will's balanced approach to transformation exemplifies this mindset of sustainable, long-term health improvement. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.