Commandment 3
 
FOCUS

Picking Up Where Commandment 1 Leaves Off

 

In Commandment 1, we locked in what to eat—real, whole foods that fuel your body without wrecking it.

Now, it’s time to control how much you eat.

 

Even healthy foods can stall your progress if you’re consistently eating more than your body needs.

The fix? Find your number—your calorie target for fat loss, maintenance, or muscle gain.

 

When you eat mostly whole foods, this becomes much easier—because real food keeps you full, steadies your energy, and helps you naturally hit your target without constant hunger.

 

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Calories: The Math That Always Works

 

Your body runs on energy measured in calories. Think of it like a bank account:

• Spend more than you deposit (calorie deficit) → Lose weight

• Spend exactly what you deposit (maintenance) → Stay the same

• Deposit more than you spend (calorie surplus) → Gain weight

 

The trick is knowing how much your body needs at each stage of your journey.

 

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The Skinny-Fat “Dad Bod” Conundrum

 

Many men over 40 land here:

• Not much muscle mass (arms, chest, and shoulders look soft)

• Noticeable belly fat that hides the shape they want

 

On one hand, the lack of muscle suggests eating in a surplus to grow.

On the other, the belly fat says it’s time to cut calories and lean out.

 

The answer? Cut first.

Drop to a healthy waist size while still eating enough to keep or even build muscle (we’ll cover how in other commandments).

Why?

• You’ll look and feel leaner faster

• Cutting fat first improves hormone health, making future muscle gain easier

• It’s far more motivating to “reveal” muscle than to bulk with fat still covering it

 

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Step-by-Step: Find Your Calorie Targets

 

1. Find Your Goal Weight

Choose a target based on desired body fat:

• Good (25%) – Noticeably leaner than now

• Better (20%) – Athletic and healthy

• Beast (15% or less) – Defined and muscular

 

Example: Current weight = 200 lbs at ~25% body fat (150 lbs lean mass)

Targeting 15% → 150 ÷ 0.85 = ~176 lbs goal weight

 

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2. Find Your Maintenance Calories

Multiply your goal weight by 14–16:

• Lower number (14) for less active lifestyles

• Higher number (16) for very active men

 

Example: 176 × 15 = 2,640 calories/day to maintain goal weight

 

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3. Set Your Deficit for Fat Loss

Subtract 500–1,000 calories from maintenance:

• 500 deficit = ~1 lb/week loss

• 1,000 deficit = ~2 lbs/week loss

 

Example: 2,640 – 500 = 2,140 calories/day for steady loss

 

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4. Set Your Surplus for Lean Mass Gain

Once at your goal body fat, add 250–500 calories/day above maintenance to slowly add muscle without piling on fat.

 

Example: 2,640 + 300 = 2,940 calories/day for lean growth

 

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Why the Scale Isn’t the Whole Story

 

Two things can happen at the same time:

1. Fat goes down

2. Muscle goes up

 

This can keep your body weight the same even as your waist shrinks and definition improves.

 

Also, fat loss isn’t always a straight line—some guys drop quickly then plateau, others start slow then suddenly see big drops around week 4–5. That’s your body adjusting.

 

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The 10 Strong Way: Progress Over Perfection

 

We don’t chase fad diets or starve ourselves. We learn the numbers, make them work for us, and adjust as we go.