The Cut

It's simple to follow. Forget diets that insist you consume special shakes or prepackaged meals, or require you to eat five or six times a day. Some even ask you to follow a liquid diet for a period of time. You'll eat real food—nutritious, filling food—on our program, with most of your calories coming from vegetables, lean protein, fruit, healthy fats, and whole grains.

It's based on the 80/20 rule. Most strict diets fail because they force you to follow the same rigid rules day after day. If you have one off day or choose to indulge for a special occasion, you've fallen off the program. But The Cut uses the 80/20 diet formula, which means you'll eat healthy and clean 80 percent of the time, indulging in not-so-healthy or cheat meals the other 20 percent of the time. This makes it easier to stick with the diet part of the program—and easier to make a healthy diet like The Cut fit into the real world. After all, what fun is life without the occasional celebration or treat?

It's designed to blast through plateaus. On most plans you lose weight quickly for a period of time, then—just when you start to feel like the program is really working—bam, you hit a wall. All of a sudden the number on the scale won't budge. The Cut is designed to outsmart your metabolism so that you don't plateau. Yes, you'll lose weight fast during the first three or four weeks on The Cut—but you won't plateau. That's because the Cut program adjusts your daily caloric goal every four weeks to take your new, lower weight into account and to keep the pounds falling off. At the same time, the program is designed to help you build lean muscle from the beginning, which means you burn more calories even as you lose weight (more on how this works in chapter 3). You avoid the dreaded diet plateau where your scale gets stuck for weeks—you'll hit your goal weight more quickly, and you won't get frustrated or lose motivation on the way.

It's balanced. Ever tried a low-carb or low-fat diet? The rationale behind them is that eliminating a macronutrient like carbs or fat encourages weight loss. (Calories from food come from three macronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat, which we'll explain more here.) Sure, those diets work in the short term, but they're impossible to stick with over time, and even worse, they may be imbalanced so you aren't getting all the nutrients you need. Our program is based on consuming the right balance of carbs, protein, and fat, so you won't have to limit or restrict any of the three macronutrients. That means the program is easier to follow, especially over the long term—and that it's a healthier and more balanced approach to weight loss.

It's customized to you. This isn't a one-size-fits-all program like many other diets. The number of calories you'll consume depends on your current body weight, and the exercise program is dependent on your current fitness level. Beginners will start doing a more moderate program of strength training and cardio three days a week, while intermediate and advanced exercisers will train more often. Because you can tailor the program to your body and your needs, it will work that much more effectively.

It's designed to build lean muscle. Many diets focus on food and forget about (or downplay) exercise. That's a huge problem because if you lose weight without exercising, you tend to lose the muscle that keeps your metabolism fired up. That means your metabolism drops, and you need fewer calories than you did before, which often makes for a rebound weight gain. The Cut is based on the latest exercise science and what Obi's learned firsthand training thousands of people. It includes the right amount of exercise in the right order—you'll do weight training first, followed by cardio, which will help you build more lean muscle. Research also shows that this type of exercise helps you maintain your lower, healthier weight after losing extra fat.

It's the right level of intensity. Our interval-based cardio workouts mean you burn more calories during the workout—and more afterward as well. Unlike some exercise programs that focus on volume or amount of exercise, our program will have you exercising for shorter periods but at higher intensity—for more results in less time!

It's based on your lifestyle. Do you hate the idea of joining a gym? Or do you travel a lot, so you need flexibility in how to get a workout in? If so, this program is designed with you in mind! You'll find exercise moves you can do at home using your body weight or dumbbells. If you'd rather work out at the gym or health club, you'll find moves that use gym machines and other equipment. Or maybe you want to do both, depending on the day. We've made it easy to fit the plan into your life.

It's not a deprivation diet—you'll get sufficient calories and nutrients. In order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume. But too many programs are far too restrictive, which will have you cheating (or quitting) in no time! Our program is different. Because the number of calories you'll consume is determined by your starting body weight, you won't starve. The Cut is based on reasonable caloric restriction, which prevents your metabolism from plummeting. It also means you won't suffer from hunger pangs all day—you'll feel satisfied on the healthy foods The Cut contains.

Beginning exercisers. Don't know your delts from your pecs? You know there's a gym nearby your home or office—but you've never actually set foot in it? Or has it been so long since you worked out that your sneakers have gathered dust? Then you're a beginning exerciser. You will strength-train and do cardio three times a week.

Intermediate exercisers. If you know you prefer the elliptical to the treadmill, or have a favorite exercise instructor, you're probably already working out several times a week. If that sounds like you, you're an intermediate exerciser on this program. As an intermediate exerciser, you will strength-train and do cardio four times a week.

Advanced exercisers. Split routines? Tabata training? Power yoga? You've tried it all—or at least you know what those terms mean. If you exercise four times or more a week, you're an advanced exerciser and you will strength-train and do cardio five times a week.