Stop Slashing Your Tires: Jack’s 27lb Transformation
Are you too busy to get fit?
When your schedule is a gauntlet of deadlines and family obligations, fitness is usually the first thing to go. It’s a valid card to play, but it carries a heavy tax. You trade away your energy, your mood, and the confidence that comes from keeping a promise to yourself.
The people who stay in shape despite the chaos don't have superhuman discipline. They’ve identified the "secret sauce."
The secret sauce is 3-4 non-negotiable habits that outweigh every other fitness distraction.
Case Study: Jack
Jack is busy as heck.
He works a high-stress finance job and manages two sons with packed sports schedules. To top it off, he developed a case of tennis elbow so severe that a simple handshake brought him to his knees.
He could have thrown in the towel. He could have waited for summer, waited for his elbow to heal, or waited, waited, waited. But he’s over 50 and has struggled with his weight for decades. He realized he could no longer afford to put his health on the backburner.
And boy oh boy, did he put his money where is mouth is! In six months of working together, Jack has lost 27 pounds.
His "secret sauce" had four ingredients:
1. Non-Negotiable Movement
Jack averaged 10k–12k steps a day for four months straight.
He started with a 30-minute morning walk, took short walks during the workday, and paced the sidelines at his kids’ practices. This consistent activity bought him caloric flexibility and accelerated his fat loss without extra time in the gym.
2. Frictionless Fuel
We ignored restrictive fads like Keto or Whole30.
Instead, Jack identified five or six high-protein meals that he actually enjoyed. By hitting 150g of protein daily, he stayed full enough to kill his 9:00 PM stress-eating habit.
3. Consistency Over Intensity
Before, Jack’s MO was "going hard" with P90X until he ended up burnt out or injured or both.
We swapped that for 3–4 moderate strength sessions per week. Some days he set personal records; other days he just showed up and moved the bare minimum. But he rarely missed sessions. And when he did, he didn’t beat himself up over it.
4. The "Flat Tire" Rule
This was the game-changer. So many people eat two donuts in the office break room on Wednesday, say “screw it!”, and decide to wait until Monday to restart.
Jack realized that if you get a flat tire, you don’t slash the other three. You fix the one and keep driving. When his elbow flared up or he overshot his calories during a football game, he didn’t scrap the week. He simply "fixed the tire" and got back on the road.
Every one of my successful clients - including Rob, Matt, Scott, and Derek - live by this rule.
We don’t always call it the Flat Tire Rule, but they all embrace the idea of “if I mess up, I’ll fix it and keep moving.” Otherwise, it’s impossible to make progress.
The Secret Sauce Isn't Exotic
Most people stress over a thousand variables, mashing them into one giant wall of excuses. They paralyze themselves with questions about:
Logistics: When, where, and how long to work out?
Nutrition: What to eat, what to avoid, and when to eat it?
Biological Noise: Hormones, genetics, gender, and age.
Life: Kids, work, weather, joint pain, and sleep.
These factors are all valid, but they are distractions! When you identify your "secret sauce," you drown out the noise and finally move the needle.
This isn't a closely guarded formula like Coca-Cola.
For almost everyone, the ingredients are the same:
Prioritizing sleep.
Anchoring every meal with protein and fiber.
Consistent strength training.
Daily movement outside the gym.
Stress management and developing the mindset to stay the course for 6 months—and, ideally, the rest of your life.
Developing your specific recipe is individual, and it’s MUCH easier said than done.
The stress of yo-yo dieting, the weight of food guilt, and the frustration of being out of shape vanish.
Ready to Build Your Recipe?
Do you want to lose 27 pounds and reclaim your strength like Jack?
I can’t guarantee his exact results - he worked his tail off to earn them! But I can guarantee you’ll have access to the exact same systems and support that made his transformation possible.
If you’re ready to stop the guesswork and find your secret sauce, take 30 seconds to fill out the application below.
Best,
John
P.S. We got some beautiful pictures from our nephew, and he used “9” in the most creative way I’ve seen.
3 Steps You Can Take
Apply for coaching - If you’re ready to start, you can fill out a coaching application here (it takes 90 seconds or less). Best case, you change your life. Worst case, I’ll help you draw up a road map to get closer to your goals.
Sign up for my newsletter - If you’d like to hear more, sign up for my mailing list here.
Keep learning - You can check out my other articles here. Nobody asked me to, but I’ve spent a ton of time researching everything from artificial sweeteners to saturated fat to testosterone and more, so you don’t have to.
