I lost 28kg/62lb with this weight loss protocol, the goal with this video is to share what I have learned, so you can have a healthier and easier weight loss, I also wanted to give athletes an understanding of the benefits of finding your optimal calorie intake.
Calorie Calculator: https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
The studies
– Walking: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19952806/
– Protein intake: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38118410/#:~:text=The%20anabolic%20response%20to%20protein,%3B4(12)%3A101324.
– Metabolism: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8370708/
– Fasting: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38812084/
– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18573184/
– Nutrition timing: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23360586/
– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24299050/
– Low-fat diet: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33741447/
– Body recomposition: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28630601/
– Aggressive deficit: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20443094/
46 Comments
That hero energy ! 🔥
Thanks for sharing this Eric! So you were hitting all your macronutrient targets, including 140g protein, in one meal per day (@ 11:42)?
Sick video man, really interesting to see how much research you put in to this. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Eric, I am going to be taking notes lol, found out I’ve been just eating too many carbs. Currently 190 @ 6 feet tall, trying to get down to 180 for the climbing season.
Super incredible video man. This is exactly what I needed
who is waymen
ngl, i've been stuck around 18% bf for a while. my main issue is that with the amount of exercise i do, any kind of limitation on the food really did a number to my energy during exercise, and i didn't feel like "nerfing" the exercise to get a bit leaner was worth it (especially in the middle of winter). you've given me a couple possible pathways to explore 😉
One meal a day and keto has been my cheat code for repeated weight loss periods over the years. I’m in my early 40s now and mid 2025 I lost 15lbs/7kg in about a month with zero exercise, just diet. OMAD also helps with caloric deficit since there’s really only so much you can eat before feeling full in a single sitting.
Did anyone else completely miss what Eric was saying @ 17:49 when that dude climbs that obscene stem to the ledge?
Every single nutrition study we have on climber intakes says climbers are not eating enough. Not a single one (there are 16 to date, and I can provide citations if you would like).
In a landscape where the vast majority of climbers are already not eating enough for their activity level, often underfueling by as much as 30-50%, how do you reconcile making this style of content?
Diet coke did it for me. I love to drink two to three glasses of caffeine free diet coke over the day. It really helped to satisfy the urge to eat.
Great point with the metabolism though.
For the algo!
Can you tell me more about your training program. I did not really get it.
Ive been trying to loose weight almost 2 months ago. I started at around 84kg and im at 81.5 right now. Been wight training 2 times a week and climbing 2-3 times a week i also play badminton once a week. My average calorie intake is roughly around 2700 with days ranging from 2200 to 3400. I do move alot through my day and dont always have a phone or a watch on me so i dont know my daily average steps but id say i do 8k for sure. Counting calories is the most annoying part, i dont weight all my food i do rough estimates on some stuff and im sure im within 20% accuracy each day. A few weeks ago ive started to take creatine so my weight loss feels a bit stagnant. Im happy with the results so far, a few friends commented how Im looking a bit leaner. The progress is slow but steady and im fine with that, the lowest id go is around 70kg as Im around 177cm and feel like thats a good weight for climing and general health. Sorry for rambling I just felt obliged to share my journey with yall :).
I appreciate the thorough research and breakdown. Your videos were the for me when I started climbing 10 years ago, and I'm very grateful they're still here. I'm going to give your protocol a serious attempt. Thank you again!
Thanks so much for this brother, this is all great information 🙏
I like 'nerdy' Eric 😎. Glad you included the section about undereating. It's a big issue in a lot of different sports.
Its crazy how visceral Fat tears you down over time. There are so many secretive food hacks people don't try ( I cut acidity like tomato sauces and sugar after 22:00. This already propelled me miles forward regarding recovery and sleep alone. And besides walking way more 10-15K a day, incorporating short HIT sessions also helps build more capacity.
Came here expecting some fad diet but this info is bang on. Great video man. Very well made with great information.
Thanks for sharing Eric!
Since a couple of years I have been doing a very similar protocol before the season starts. It took a lot of reading and trial and error to get it right. Really well presented video! BUT
there are two important things missing imo:
1. The mental side and sustainability. Once you start counting calories and planning every meal, it can trigger something that is hard to stop. Since I started, I feel like I cannot fully step back anymore. This also affects your family a lot. I often end up cooking two meals, one for me and one for everyone else. I also started to feel guilty when I could not stick to the plan. Honestly, this can be a step toward disordered eating. And kids see this too and may start overthinking food in situations that should be relaxed and enjoyable (family dinner, birthday cake, etc.).
2. Food quality. To hit strict targets, many people rely on highly processed low calorie foods full of additives and sweeteners. Not necessarily bad, but not great either compared to whole foods.
You are clearly very disciplined and can jump from one extreme to the next. Most viewers are simply not mentally prepared for that. In my opinion, until your late 20s you should not be standing on a scale trying to optimize everything.
I would even go as far as saying it might be better to take this video down. If out of 10 people, 9 lose weight but 1 develops a serious eating disorder, that is still a very high price to pay.
Thank you for sharing your story I gained like 5 kg after I quit smoking, and staring to climb again after a 20 year break.
I am exactly the 40year old 80kg guy.
I will use your tips to get back to my normal
Just a comment for any women, who might be watching and feeling inspired..
Much respect to you, your disciplin and your wish to inspire and motivate people, Eric. I just really want to make the disclaimer that – even without any professional education in nutrition or medicine myself, from my knowledge and experience I don't believe this protocol would be beneficial or even healthy for women (or otherwise identifying people with ovaries/uterus).. Women have vastly different metabolic and hormonal systems from men, and being in that large a caloric deficit (for 1 kg per week. Meaning less than 1200 kcal for me personally according to the website you linked to), would potentially lead to loss of menstrual cycle and generally pretty severe risks regarding future reproduction and such. And this is not even mentioning the psychological long term effects of calculated restricting and compensation by walking/exercising, which someone else has pointed out in another comment, as a general concern…
I would really advice any woman who wants to lose weight/fat for whatever reason to talk to a specialist not just in nutrition, but maybe even more specifically in women's health. Women are not small men.
Eric! Awesome video. I am on a path to try to lose 40 lbs this year and I will try this protocol. One thing, I would love to see a follow up video from you of some of your favorite meals that you ate that helped you to make these macros. For me the hardest part is always the meal planning.
you have been so inspirational! you and my own hiking adventures inspired me to take my weight loss seriously. I am down 8kg since november (~95kg to ~87kg). still a lot to go to achieve my goal of 72-75kg but motivation is as high as ever and im enjoying the journey.
Which camera and lens did you use in this? Some of the cinematography is beautiful!
Just wanna chime in and say your last video about the weight loss journey was the last drop in the bucket that got me started on a cut after 10years of slacking on the diet part, iam not doing it exactly like you(I still climb but keep session shorter) but loved that video!
I've also used chatgpt for summarizing and gotten me up to date on some stuff that I either had forgotten or is new science(was into lifting and the whole leangains idea back then) and it's actually and amazing "free" coaching tool.
Thank you again, and great work.
I thank you for stressing the need for activity. I personal believe movement is medicine, and have the benefit of having a job where I am on my feet most of the day.
Anyways, please keep up the solid work. Don’t stress about bulk/cutting every year. It’s a big stress, and you should be fair to yourself and decide each year if it’s necessary. Love from NE Georgia, USA #jackwillfall #breaktheheart
Fascinating thank you
Another fantastic video, Eric!! Great breakdown that’s easy to follow. One of the key hard parts for weight loss for myself is I have a 1 hr commute in the morning and 1.5-2 hour commute in the evening in my car – gotta love the US… makes it hard to have the time to walk but working on it!
Great video Eric as always! It motivates me to get stronger. I’m currently 169cm and 67kg around 18% bodyfat. I’m trying to lose a bit of fat. Will try walking more!
Nice video Eric! I’ve never counted calories but I can agree adding long walks and cycling has allowed me to maintain weight and it requires no recovery. One mention for calories is we shouldn’t treat those from processed foods the same as whole foods though! 😊
Thanks for sharing!
I weigh around 78-86 kg year-round at a height of 179 cm. I take creatine, so I actually weigh 2 kg less, between 76-84 kg. I often try to lose weight, but then there comes a time when I have more work-related stress, so to maintain my fitness level, I consciously eat more again. Unconsciously, this puts me in the typical bulk-cut cycle. I'm going to try your method to get down to 70 kg. So that I end up at 72 kg when I start eating again and then resume my lifestyle with the unconscious, stress-induced bulk-cut, so that I end up at 72-78 kg (with creatine). And then I can see again if it's beneficial to reduce the weight further.
Better than 99% of fitness influencer content 🙂
Thanks again… This is really really useful.
I very much enjoy the referenced papers, and that you highlighted that women should aim for higher body fat percentages.
Well presented, but this video needs to feature 4 qualified health professionals: dietitian, exercise professional, psychologist, and physician.
Thanks for the amazing advice on training. Everybody (mostly) just talks about how to train technique and stuff but this… I will definetly do some experiments.
I will say that if you don't like walking that much and don't want to walk 10k+ per day, you don't have to. It's just an accelerator but not actually required (though it is very healthy to do!). The key thing is that you're in a calorie deficit for a long period of time.
I lost from 255lb down to 190lb now and for a lot of that just did climbing or weight training and minimal walking. The key thing is have that 500+ calorie deficit per day for months. The weight will go.
I use macrofactor to track calories and get a rough idea of calorie expenditure to target. As a 6'3" male I need to eat 1800 or 1900 calories to lose at a good rate, which is fairly low compared to the calculator shown in the video. That's why it's important to experiment on yourself, and keep lowering until you find a level of calories that works for you.
Thank you for the very informative video, Eric! How much was controlling your cholesterol a factor in your diet? How much has your cholesterol lowered from this weight loss?
!!!Attention for anyone with a history or susceptibility to disordered eating: work with a dietician for this sort of thing! Same results but much safer than DIY.
Eric did a great job with this info, but it is very advanced and anyone with any doubt about doing it self guided should seek professional guidance for intensive weight loss programming.
Hi Eric, great video. I've been watching your channel for years and recently underwent a similar weight loss effort. I took a very literature/evidence-based approach and did many, if not all of the same things as you. My weight loss was a bit more staggered. The first few weeks of tracking and being in a deficit, I actually didn't lose any weight at all, and then all of a sudden, it plummeted. The cycle would repeat itself, and there's some literature on why this happens.
Such a great input. Thank you for all the info, it helps a lot. Now a days there is so much misinformation or just unprecise food protocols for active people, it is really frustrating to find a trustful data.
This type of information is common in normal gym culture, but not usually talked about by climbers. It's great that you're bringing up this kind of periodization in the climbing community
Great video Eric, such a brilliant clinic and comprehensive breakdown. You missed out on a huge and easy addition for weight loss 'Rucking' is the military term which just means adding weight to a backpack and walking briskly you burn 50-100% more calories. start with 10% then up to 30% of your body weight as you wish.