Everyone "knows" the last 10 pounds are the hardest.

It's fitness gospel. Every coach repeats it. Every article warns you about it.

Here's the thing: They're all wrong.

And I can prove it with one simple observation from a client call this week.

When Mark started with me at 205 pounds, he told me:

Yesterday, at 197 pounds, he said:

What the fuck happened?

The First 10 Pounds: Easy Actions, Fragile Foundation

Yes, the first 10 pounds come off "easily."

Cut the obvious shit. Skip the fries. Stop drinking calories. Basic swaps.

The scale moves. You feel good. You post about your "journey" on LinkedIn.

But here's what no one tells you: Those first 10 pounds are built on willpower and restriction. You're the "tough guy" pushing through. White-knuckling your way past the bread basket. Suffering through sad desk salads while your colleagues eat pasta.

You know what happens to tough guys under real stress?

They break.

One bad quarter. One family crisis. One business trip from hell.

And suddenly you're ordering room service pizza at midnight because fuck it, you've been "good" for so long.

The first 10 pounds are easy to lose and easier to find again.

The Last 10 Pounds: Different Game, Different Player

But something magical happens when you do this right.

You stop being the guy who "pushes through" and become the guy who understands.

Mark doesn't skip the bun at football games because he's "being good." He understands that the fatty brisket has more calories than a hot dog with a bun. That's not toughness. That's wisdom.

He meal preps on Sunday not because he's hardcore, but because he knows it prevents five shitty decisions during the week. That's not discipline. That's strategy.

You don't gain toughness. You gain wisdom.

And wisdom changes everything:

• You analyze restaurant menus like investment portfolios - ROI on every choice
• You know exactly how much you can indulge without derailing progress
• You stop seeing foods as "good" or "bad" and start seeing them as tools
• You understand YOUR specific levers - what moves the needle for YOUR body

Most importantly: You stop fighting yourself and start working WITH yourself.

The Identity Shift Nobody Talks About

The real transformation isn't in your body. It's in your operating system.

First 10 pounds: "I'm trying to lose weight"
Last 10 pounds: "This is how I operate"

First 10 pounds: "I can't eat that"
Last 10 pounds: "I could, but here's the smarter play"

First 10 pounds: "I hope this works"
Last 10 pounds: "I know exactly what works"

You enter a new realm where weight management becomes an unconscious competence. Like driving a car. You just... do it.

The Practical Reality Check

Here's what this actually looks like in practice:

First 10 Pounds Guy:

• Panics at business dinners
• Either completely abstains or completely blows it
• Lives in fear of "falling off the wagon"
• Counts days since he started his "diet"

Last 10 Pounds Guy:

• Has a system for every situation
• Makes strategic trade-offs without drama
• Knows he can course-correct tomorrow
• Doesn't even think in terms of "on" or "off"

Mark went from "I'll just have protein" (and accidentally ate 1,200 calories of brisket) to understanding that a hot dog might be the smarter play.

That's not a smaller portion of suffering. That's a completely different approach to the game.

The Counterintuitive Truth

The last 10 pounds feel easier because you've become a different person.

Not a tougher person. A wiser person.

Not someone who can restrict harder. Someone who doesn't need to restrict at all.

You've built unconscious systems that execute automatically. You understand the math. You know your body. You've killed the drama.

The first 10 pounds require you to fight against your life. The last 10 pounds happen because you've redesigned your life.

That's why when Mark looks at going from 197 to 190, he says "that's pretty easy, actually."

He's not being cocky. He's being accurate.

He knows the system. He trusts the process. He's done fighting.

The last 10 pounds aren't harder. They're just revealing whether you did the first 10 right.

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Want to build the kind of systems that make the last 10 pounds feel easier than the first 10? Where weight management becomes unconscious competence instead of conscious struggle?

Let's talk.

But first, let me be clear about who this is for:

This is for executives and entrepreneurs ready to make an investment over 6-12 months to permanently solve this problem. Not because I'm greedy, but because transformation at this level requires serious commitment - both from you and from me.

If you're looking for a quick fix, a meal plan PDF, or someone to motivate you, we're not a fit.

If you're ready to build the systems that let you stay lean while crushing steakhouse dinners, traveling 100+ days a year, and actually enjoying your life?

​Book a 30-minute discovery call here →​

We'll talk about:

• Where you are vs. where you want to be
• Why everything else you've tried has failed
• The exact system that would work for YOUR life
• Whether we're a fit to work together

No pressure. No bullshit. Just a straight conversation between two straight shooters who understand that premium results require premium investment.

​Book your call →​

P.S. - Still on the fence? That's fine. Keep reading the newsletter. When you're tired of white-knuckling and ready for wisdom, I'll be here.

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