The High Performance Journal Written By Dan Go - March 31st, 2026

Jeff came to us last April. He got on a Zoom call with 25 pounds to lose and a waistline that kept getting bigger despite everything he'd tried.

"Dan, my friends are telling me to go on Ozempic. What do you think?"

Jeff was a busy guy who had let the years stack up. He didn't need a drug. He needed a system.

So here's what I told him:

"Once you get on a GLP-1, there's a good chance you'll need to stay on it. Getting lean is a skill, and you'll have to learn it whether you're on the drug or not. Let's do it the natural way first."

90 days later, he dropped 27 pounds, lost 50% of his visceral fat, added lean muscle, and got back to his weight as a college freshman:

The funny thing is, people started asking him if he was on the GLP-1, but he was just following a protocol that actually made sense for his life.

So, in this newsletter, I'm going to share with you the protocol we used to help clients drop more than 20+ pounds of fat in 90 days.

We're officially 3 months away from summer, and you'll want to copy this to look and feel at your best by the pool.

If You Want To Lose 20 Pounds Of Fat By The Summer, Copy This:

Step 1: Start With The Bottleneck

Before we changed anything, we asked Jeff one question: What's the thing that's getting in your way?

For him, it was nighttime eating. After 9pm, the wheels came off. He made horrible food decisions, taking in calories he didn't need and barely enjoyed.

That was his bottleneck. So we fixed that first.

The solution had two parts that worked together: In the morning, he started eating a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast within 1 to 2 hours of waking, and we set a hard stop 3 to 5 hours before bed (more on this later). No exceptions.

Eating the right breakfast regulated his appetite at night, making the hard stop easier. Not eating at night also improved his sleep quality, regulating his hunger hormones the next day.

Fix the bottleneck, and you open up the floodgates for fat loss.

Steps 2 and 3: Do The Math And Eat The Right Foods

Before Jeff changed a single food choice, we gave him 3 numbers to hit every day:

1. Calories
2. Protein
3. Fiber

When you have the right numbers, food choices become more obvious.

Protein anchors every meal: lean ground beef, chicken breast, ground turkey, salmon, sardines, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese. High protein foods that keep you full and protect muscle while you're in a deficit.

Volume fillers make the meals satisfying: leafy greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, and asparagus. You can eat large amounts of these without touching your calorie budget.

Smart carbs round it out: potatoes (one of the most satiating foods per calorie), beans, lentils, berries, apples, and oranges.

For drinks: water, coffee, tea. No alcohol. Alcohol doesn't just add empty calories, it actively disrupts fat burning, wrecks your recovery, and reliably triggers overeating the next day.

If you want something to sip on socially, try soda water with lime juice and sea salt. It satisfies the ritual without the damage.

Step 4: Create The Right Meal Structure

When creating the right structure, we want to lock in:

1. Frequency
2. Timing
3. Staples

Frequency is eating the right amount of meals: Jeff ate 3 meals a day, spaced evenly between waking and his cutoff time.

Eat at the right times to influence biology: First meal 1 to 2 hours after waking. Last meal three to five hours before bed. Second meal right in between. This is called the Chrono Eating Protocol, and it aligns with your circadian rhythm, automating your hunger. The best part is that your body learns when food is coming.

Having staples means having similar meals you can rely on: Jeff had one staple, and it was what I call Glop. It's low-fat Greek yogurt, protein powder, psyllium husk, and frozen berries. High protein, high fiber, takes 5 minutes.

Step 5: Train Smart, Not Long

Three full-body strength sessions per week with at least one full day of rest between.

5 to 6 exercises per session with 2 working sets per exercise, taken close to failure.

The goal to build muscle is mechanical tension, not volume. For most middle-aged people, doing 2 hard sets per muscle group 2x a week is the sweet spot. You recover in time to train it again, stack the growth signals, and keep the joints healthy.

We call this the 2X Training Method, and it's simple and effective.

In addition, we had Jeff do 8000 steps/day minimum using walking meetings and an under-the-desk treadmill. It's not enough to exercise in the gym. You need to get steps in to burn calories, reduce stress, improve recovery, and increase energy.

Step 6: Use The ERT Protocol For Better Sleep

I've been drinking a special sleep tea 2 hours before bed and it's changed my life:

It contains chamomile, glycine, and electrolytes.

Chamomile relaxes me, while glycine improves sleep quality.

The electrolytes help me absorb water, so I don't wake up to go pee at night.

— Dan Go (@CoachDanGo) March 26, 2026

Sleep is where the magic happens. If you get poor sleep, your cortisol spikes, hunger hormones go haywire, and you spend the next day fighting cravings and low energy you wouldn't have had otherwise.

Great sleep does the opposite, and it's not that hard to do.

For Jeff and our clients, we use the ERT protocol:

1. Environment: Cool room, blackout shades, white noise machine.
2. Routine: Dimming lights at night, blue-light blockers on, and reading a book before bed.
3. Timing: Getting the right amount of sleep (7-9 hours) and consistent sleep and wake times.

This simple protocol fixes 95% of most people's sleep problems.

For Jeff, we also incorporated something I call Knockout Sleep Tea, which helped them avoid nighttime bathroom trips and get to sleep faster. You can check out The Sleep Tea and the image above.

Step 7: Track what matters

For Jeff, we measured what we managed.

He weighed himself daily, taking a 7-day average because daily weight fluctuates based on water and sodium, while the average shows you the real trend.

He measured his waist around the navel every two weeks. This number is a proxy for visceral fat, and it often moves when the scale doesn't.

We took photos every four weeks. Weight plus measurements plus photos gives you an honest picture that no single number can.

To go deeper, we also did his blood work and DEXA scans to make sure that we are losing weight in the right places and not losing muscle.

You Don't Need To Lose Weight. You Need Systems That Make Them Automatic.

The beauty of all this is that Jeff didn't need to think. He just needed to follow a system and be coachable.

The protocol works. The hard part is staying accountable and doing it long enough to see it through.

Summer is right around the corner. If you're smart, you'll start now and not wait til June.

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help:

1. The Lean Body 90 System: When you’re ready to get in great shape, Lean Body 90 is the obvious choice. You can get in great shape and reach your fitness goals in just 90 minutes a week. Lose weight and build muscle even without hours in the gym or highly restrictive diets. Join 1000+ students here.

2. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape? Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.

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.