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The High Performance Journal - July 8th, 2025

When I first started getting in shape, I felt I was doing everything right, but not seeing any results.

I was eating clean, avoiding carbs, doing cardio, and performing a thousand reps of various ab exercises.

But no matter what I tried, I couldn't shake the fat off.

After a while, I conceded that it's probably my genetics, and maybe I should live with the fact that I'll always have a belly.

But then a little voice inside of me said,

"Screw that, Dan. If someone else has figured this out, then you can too."

The truth was, I wasn't broken. I was doing the WRONG things, and thankfully, I fixed it:

45-year-old Dan would run circles around 25-year-old Dan

So in this newsletter, I want to reveal the 5 mistakes that held me back from losing the belly fat and how to fix them.

You ready? Let's go 🔥

5 Reasons Why I Struggled To Lose Belly Fat (And How I Fixed It)

1. The Calorie Lie

When you ask most fitness professionals about getting lean, they'll automatically mention that you need to be in a calorie deficit, aka eat less.

...And they're right.

But this advice is as effective as telling someone with $100,000 of credit card debt to just spend less. Not useful.

Calories are one part of the equation. The other parts are your hormones and metabolism. 

Hormones determine your hunger and appetite​. If these hormones are dysfunctional, you can eat a big meal and still feel hungry afterwards.

If you lost weight using the wrong methods (ex., low-cal diet + cardio), you can ​slow your metabolism​, forcing you to eat less just to maintain the same weight.

We want to eat in a way that supports the calorie deficit, optimal hormone function, and metabolism.

How I Fixed This:

• I kept myself to a moderate deficit of 500 calories
• I ate ​a single-ingredient diet​ that is ​attuned to my circadian rhythms​. I'm avoiding alcohol and other types of foods (ex., hyper-processed slop) that dysregulate my hormones.
• I got at least .8 to 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight while being in a calorie deficit to maintain/build muscle
• The knot that tied the bow together is getting at least 7 hours of quality sleep to manage my energy and hormones.

A great diet that balances all three of these without being too restrictive will be the optimal diet to lose belly fat.

2. Stop Overdoing Cardio. Focus On These Instead.

I have a beef with people who say you NEED cardio to burn fat.

Here's why: The stimulus you use to lose weight is the stimulus you must maintain to keep it off. 

So if you use cardio to burn off 20 pounds without fixing your diet, you'll have to maintain the same mileage, if not more, to keep that weight off.

Also, excessive cardio combined with a low-calorie diet can be counterproductive, as it could lead to muscle loss and ultimately decrease your metabolic rate.

How I Fixed This:

• I changed all of my torturous cardio sessions to ​walking​ because it does a better job at helping me burn calories while reducing my stress levels.
• I focused on 3 days of weightlifting and focused on getting stronger in my workouts while prioritizing recovery.
• I added ​sprints or HIIT​ once a week, as this has been shown to be the best type of cardio to reduce ​visceral fat​.

Your workouts won't necessarily help you burn belly fat per se, but they will help you maintain if not build, muscle, which will keep your metabolism healthy.

3. Stop Doing Sit-Ups. Seriously.

Instead of sit-ups, do this.

I don't care how many crunches or sit-ups you do; you will not burn belly fat by doing ab exercises.

You cannot spot reduce fat from one area. Your body will release weight in certain areas quicker than others.

Now, if I were to choose a core exercise to do while I was losing fat, it would have to incorporate some form of progressive overload.

Here Are 5 Core Exercises That Don't Suck (Choose 1-2)

1.  ​Cable Ab Crunches​ 
2.  ​Hanging leg/knee raises​ 
3. Side Planks or ​Copenhagen planks​ 
4.  ​Pallof Presses​ 
5.  ​Ab Wheels​ 

What makes these exercises unique is the fact that you can add ​progressive overload​, which will allow you to build muscle in your core.

So when you do burn off all the fat, you'll have something to show for it.

4. Find The Bottleneck

Admittedly, I had a lot of bottlenecks (emotional eating, nighttime binges, weekends, etc) that prevented me from losing the belly fat.

What I realized about losing the fat around my belly is that it's not about the things you do, but rather about removing the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving it.

This is called the ​Bottleneck Method​, and it will change your life.

5 Steps To Fixing Your Bottlenecks:

1. Identify the bottleneck
2. Find the mental and physical reasons why you do it
3. Forget everything and focus on fixing it
4. Find support (education, coaching)
5. Target the next bottleneck

Ask yourself, what is the one thing that holds me back? And be honest. Once you create awareness around that, focus all your attention on eliminating it.

5. The Upper Limit Problem

A while ago, I had a client who had dropped 30+ pounds in 12 weeks and was feeling amazing.

Then, out of nowhere, he started skipping coaching calls, reverting to old habits, and taking his foot off the gas pedal, which caused him to regain half his weight.

His life was just as busy as before, but something had tripped psychologically.

This is an example of the Upper Limit Problem.

The Upper Limit Problem is the subconscious barrier that prevents people from achieving their goals.

This comes from feeling uncomfortable with change or success, which leads them to revert to old habits.

How To Fix The Upper Limit Problem

1. Identify the self-sabotage patterns
2. Fix the vocabulary you have around these beliefs (ex. I always get bored, I can never stick to X, etc.)
3. Set new belief patterns and ways to speak to yourself that counteract the old self-image
4. Visualize yourself as the 2.0 version of you
5. Celebrate progress and reaffirm that you are acting like you

To achieve something you've never achieved, you have to turn into someone that you are currently not.

Focus on fixing your upper limit problems, and you break the glass ceilings of what you feel you can accomplish.

Don't Set Goals. Identify Systems.

Getting in shape is a combination of both mental and physical processes.

While goals are nice, they won't move the needle to achieving what you want. They only set the destination.

When it comes to getting lean, don't focus on the goal; focus on setting up the right systems and commit to showing up every day.

This will eventually turn you into the person you're meant to be.

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

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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.