It's Boring, But It Destroys Your Body Fat In 30 Days
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
This is the simplest diet where you can eat like a buffet every meal. No calorie tracking, just crazy fat loss results. These four foods were scientifically selected to maximize fullness, calorie burn, and rewire unhealthy habits. Over the next 30 days, testing if this can beat every other diet or backfire.
I'm just not seeing like a huge difference. >> I've just had enough.
Max, personal trainer and train conductor, DEXA scan body fat 19%, pretty jacked. Isabelle, legree coach, body fat 31%, far better than US average. Both already fit but want to lose stubborn fat and tighten up. Tried usual dieting ways.
I think just with the tracking is something that I kind of struggle with mostly with just having a busier schedule. I don't always take the time to kind of, you know, weigh everything out.
Max's workout routine solid, but diet habits include waking up, gym fasted, hitting buffets like sushi, gooie (grill meat), or hot pot 2-3 times a week, eating until sick, affecting sleep. Wants to break this habit.
Well, usually I wake up, I go to the gym fasted, and I hit up a buffet. Usually like a sushi buffet or I go to gooie, which is like you grill meat, or I go to hot pot. Maybe like two or three times a week. >> A week? >> Yeah. I just love eating.
Diet aims to lose fat with unlimited food, no calorie counting, psychologically reset brain to eliminate hunger, cravings, unhealthy habits.
So, please open your covers. >> Oh. Ooh, my favorite. But, uh, you're going to have to put the cover back on. >> Huh? >> What? Unfortunately, the fun ends here. What? >> This is the last day. What? What? that you're going to be able to eat those because for the next 30 days, you are only going to be eating this. >> What? >> Potatoes.
Oh my goodness. >> It's a buffet. It's an all you can eat buffet.
CPB diet: Chicken breast, Potatoes, Broccoli, Carrots.
- Eat as much as you want.
- Olive oil limited to 1 tablespoon per meal.
- No liquid calories, diet sodas, or artificial sweeteners.
I think I can do it, but it's going to be kind of sad. I love eating avocados and chicken for breakfast will be weird. >> I should have went to a buffet yesterday before I came in today.
Rewards: Isabelle gets professional photo shoot for new website after 30 days, must use photos. Max gets 10 fully compensated buffets of choice if sticks to it.
Short reset changes how food feels, stop chasing food for pleasure. Foods scientifically chosen to keep full, brain doesn't want to eat more. Effects strengthen every week.
I meal prepped some food for breakfast. I'm going to have some shredded chicken with some carrots and some mashed potatoes. Hopefully, this is kind of like an easier breakfast to eat. Just a lot of thoughts like I can do it and then you're thinking that you can't but a lot of potatoes and chicken.
Early struggles with cravings, should subside after first week.
Chicken for breakfast. It just makes me feel very trapped. I'm not someone who really likes to eat a lot of meat and I just really want to make sure that I get enough protein in. I noticed that I was starting to lose my appetite every time I did get hungry because I knew what I had to eat.
Think about a buffet: even stuffed, room for new taste lighting up brain's reward system, eating past needs. Simple foods, no switching, reward system less triggered, naturally eat 20-30% fewer calories, lose more fat, keep off easier. Effect strengthens over time. Study: same mac and cheese daily, ate 100 fewer calories per meal by end of week, less exciting. Lean fit people stick to similar go-to meals daily. This experiment takes it to extreme.
Every time I think about food, it just images of a potato just pop in my head. Like potato, like I would be at work, I'd be thinking about what I'm going to eat. That's all like just potatoes. like just images of potatoes just constantly just popping out in my head every time I'm hungry.
1995 study: 240 calorie portions of 38 foods, fullness tracked 2 hours, compared to white bread (100 score). Potatoes crushed rankings, 3x more filling than bread, 8x more than croissants. Preparation matters: frying eliminates advantage, hence 1 tbsp olive oil limit.
Broccoli, carrots, chicken breast boost: fiber-rich veggies, lean protein add volume/fullness for few calories, take more time/energy to digest, burn more calories processing.
Most powerful effects after first week, brain's food reward reset. Hard part is getting there.
We can finally stop eating dry chicken. Sous vide at 62° for 1.5 hours. Made chicken waffles.
Weighing daily, logging in Built with Science Plus app estimates calories from weight trends (accounting initial water drop). Max ~1800 cal/day, Isabelle ~1300 cal/day. Neither complained of hunger, struggled to eat enough.
End of week 1 positive effects:
I feel a lot better. I feel like I've kind of settled down all my emotions, and I'm focused now. I have mental clarity, good energy, consistent energy, and no crashes throughout the day. >> I have mentally accepted this challenge. Initially, I was honestly very frustrated and irritated because like I said, I had no idea what to expect for this experiment. My body, I think on a physical level, has also started to accept this diet.
Physical: bodies visually tightened. Measurements: Max waist down over 3 cm, lost ~5 lbs. Isabelle waist down 1.5 cm.
It's down over 3 cm. Well, I did lose like what a bit like 5 lbs or something. Holy. Or something like that. What do you mean something like that? 5 lbs is crazy for a week. Isabelle is also down 1.5 cm on the waist. >> Okay. >> Which is good. >> Which is crazy. Um >> the chicken. >> I've been tracking my weight. I feel like it's not consistently going down, but it's um it's like up a pound, down a pound, up a pound, down 2 lb. Like it's just like fluctuates every day. And girls are have learned the weight scale is uh time of the month and everything, but your waist definitely went down.
Goal not extreme diet forever, but reset brain response to food, then flexible long-term approach. Later: apply fraction for easier fat loss.
Isabelle adds one of: eggs, Greek yogurt, protein powder (can't handle chicken breakfast).
Oh >> yeah, that would have helped a lot. We have eggs, we have Greek yogurt, and we have protein powder. >> Think I'll do eggs >> next. I don't need it. I think I'm going to keep going. I'm seeing good results with what I got. And then I'm really curious about what's going to happen in 30 days. >> I admire your choice. I am a little scared for you, but >> keep going. >> I believe in you.
Max sticks original, Isabelle adds eggs.
Hardest: missing out during holidays (FOMO).
I've been feeling a lot of FOMO lately, so the fear of missing out here. Um, I was invited to a potluck, a birthday potluck social, and me and my wife couldn't go. I went to this grand opening of my friend's bakery, Isaac's Bakery, um, baking factory. So, I went and then I realized I couldn't even sample anything. I can't even try it. Uh, just a lot of missing out on stuff. We had family lunch today and I also missed out on that cuz would almost be no point of me going and just watching them eat, right? Oh, for dinner. What do you got? >> Broccoli. Yum.
Max replaces with tea, reading books, non-eating activities with friends, eliminates bad habit, replaces with good.
Benefits: fewer food decisions daily (where/what/how much draining), repeat 3-4 meals frees mental energy/willpower for resisting junk, work, workouts.
Given Built with Science Plus app for weekly workouts. Important: rapid loss without training = muscle loss.
After 2 weeks, no breaks. Max waist down another 3 cm (fastest seen). Cravings minimal.
What about cravings at this point? No, like maybe here and there if I start chatting about it, but then it goes away after. >> How have the cravings changed since day one? >> It's changed a lot. Like I haven't been really craving too much things. Like it's kind of been a habit now that I wake up, go to the gym, that's the first thing I do. >> Yeah. >> And then when I do feel hungry, I eat my chicken and potatoes that I've prepared and then there's no craving. So, it's really weird how it's just like become a habit and that that's all I ate. It's really weird. >> Last time you were at 71 cm and she's down she's down to 70 cm. >> Okay. >> I don't think you realize a centimeter a week is like >> that's a lot.
Isabelle adds: orange, tomato, avocado, Greek yogurt, bok choy.
Oh, I'm very excited. >> I find it so weird though. She's so excited for this. >> Oh my gosh, >> I love it. >> Yeah.
Chosen for nutrients/color. Oranges most filling fruit in satiety study. Bok choy low cal, Isabelle favorite. Greek yogurt lean protein.
Fats: half avocado instead of 1 tbsp olive oil.
Add 1 treat meal/week (planned hedonic deviation): deliberate break, keeps social life, mental/physical boost, better long-term results vs strict daily.
Oh, sushi.
After weeks same foods, body reaction? Could trigger cravings?
I think it would make it harder cuz it would distract you from your habits because then you'd be like, "Oh, this is so good. Let's just why not get another day of this?" >> I definitely thought it would spike like more cravings. So, I was a little worried to have it. But honestly, I feel totally fine. I feel like it's been easy just to kind of get back into routine again today.
Max declines additions again, committed, no more treat meals, strict rest of experiment.
Max micronutrients lacking per app: supplement recommended.
Yeah, I honestly was not expecting this. I am rooting for you.
Isabelle enjoys new foods, weight trending down. Challenge: menstrual cycle ramps hunger/cravings. No strong evidence to change diet/workouts; keep structure, listen to body. Isabelle: more potatoes volume, tea/gum for cravings.
Max breaking point:
I just can't take this anymore. Just this chicken breast and potato diet, I just had enough. I got to the gym yesterday. I just laid on the mat for a solid 15 minutes. It's mostly the thoughts. Every time I stop and think about something, I spiral down this deep hole. Am I making progress? Am I getting leaner? I don't know. I can't really tell. I think I am. People are saying you're getting smaller, but then you're like, I'm getting smaller. That's not good.
Max losing weight nearly double recommended rate, muscle loss concern. Research: short diet, high protein, hard training maintains muscle even rapid loss.
All right, everybody. I just finished my last workout, and we're going to demolish our last couple chicken breasts before the DEXA scan. And we are done. We are done with this challenge. Here's some progress. The last little push here. Just get that little push. I'm actually finding the last few days quite challenging to be honest. Mostly because I am also in the end part of my cycle, which tends to make me feel more bloated, more puffy. Feeling like I'm comparing that versus day one. I'm just not seeing like a huge difference.
First plans post-diet:
Okay, so I have your Dexus scan results. Well, first off, before I show you the Dexus Scan results, what's the first thing that you're gonna eat after this? I think I'll have a steak and a fruit cuz I haven't had fruit in a very long time. What about you? Some eggs. >> Some blueberry pancakes. >> Blueberry pancakes. That's when Sounds like you had that plan for a while. >> Yeah.
Isabelle: lost 5 lbs fat, body fat 31% to 28%, gained 0.5 lb lean mass (built muscle). Huge: 3% body fat drop + muscle + 5 lbs fat loss in 30 days (typical 1-2% drop/month).
Isabelle, in the last 30 days, you lost 5 lbs of fat. Oh, okay. >> And your body fat went from 31% down to 28%. >> And you gained about half a pound of lean mass. >> Oh, really? >> Which means you built some muscle >> Oh. >> in the process as well. Like that's crazy. I don't think you you realize for 30 days, especially uh for a woman at your at your body weight body size, like that's a huge change. Typically, we see maybe 1% or a 2% drop in in body fat percentage per month. So, the fact that you got a 3% drop plus built muscle plus lost 5 lbs of fat. >> No, with that, that's really cool. >> That's amazing.
Max: lost 14 lbs fat, muscle same, body fat 19.3% to 12.9%.
In the last 30 days, you lost 14 lbs of fat. >> Wow. Wo. >> Wo. That's lb of fat. >> Of fat. >> Wow. >> In 30 days. >> That's crazy. What? >> That is insane. >> Yeah, >> that's not even something I recommend, but you did it. Holy crap. >> That's crazy. >> And your muscle stayed the same. >> Oh, wow. >> Wow. >> That's awesome. >> Based on the scans, it doesn't seem like you lost any muscle. >> Wow. Now, your body fat percentage, you started at 19.3% and today you were at 12.9%. Wo, >> I didn't expect that. >> Wow. How did >> Dude, it's your special diet. >> 12.9%. >> You've discovered something. >> That's insane. >> This is a breakthrough in science. >> No, I don't think you realize 14 lbs of fat and going from 19 to 12.9 in 30 days. In 30 days. I didn't I honestly did not think that was possible. >> I don't think that was possible either.
Worried about buffets post-challenge, but Max treated friends/family, made up missed moments.
My sleep was actually better. I felt like I was sleeping more and having better quality sleep. >> I felt really proud after hearing my Dexter results just because I mean I can't compare my progress to Max because obviously a guy versus a girl like it's so different just everything. So comparing to where I was before to now, I feel really proud of like losing 5 lbs of fat and I've never been on like a weight loss journey or tried to, you know, intentionally lose like weight.
Apply basic principles for solid results. Personally planning full diet next fat loss phase.
Free 30-day guides: CPB Strict (Max's diet), CPB Flex (gradual flexibility weekly). Get via free 2-week trial Built with Science Plus app: personalized workouts, daily weight tracking. Opt into experiment: test vs calorie counting with anonymous data. Link/QR code in description, guides emailed instantly forever.
Check next video for sustainable plan meshing principles.
Keep Jeremy Ethier in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
