Welcome to Down 10
This page is your home base for the next 12 weeks. Set your numbers, record where you're starting, then run a simple weekly rhythm. Work through the checklist below in order.
Six quick tasks. Most take a few minutes.
Everything in this program comes back to five things. Keep it simple and do them consistently. The last two, steps and sleep, are the ones people skip, and they quietly drive your results.
Small enough to stick with, big enough to see progress. Roughly 1 to 2 lbs per week is the range most guidelines call sustainable.
Higher protein while dieting helps protect muscle and keeps you fuller between meals.
Lifting in a deficit helps you hold on to muscle, so more of what you lose is fat.
The easiest calories you'll ever burn. Steps add to your daily burn without the recovery cost of extra workouts, and they keep working on rest days. You get a personal step goal that builds every two weeks.
Sleep is when hunger and recovery get regulated. In one small controlled study, dieters sleeping 5.5 hours lost less fat and more muscle than those sleeping 8.5 hours. Aim for 7 or more hours every night.
Two habits, tracked every week alongside your weight. Small changes here add up faster than you'd expect.
Not complicated. This is what you actually do.
Where you are, and what each phase is for.
Step 1
Enter your numbers in the blue boxes to find your daily calorie deficit, then see how many calories to eat to reach your goal. Pick your activity level to lock in your daily targets.
Your daily calorie deficit is the gap between what you burn and what you eat that moves you toward your goal.
That pace is faster than the 1 to 2 lbs per week generally considered safe and sustainable. Consider giving yourself more time.
Your goal weight is higher than your starting weight, so this shows a calorie surplus instead of a deficit.
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the calories your body burns at rest, estimated with the Harris-Benedict equation.
In order to achieve my weight loss goals. Tap the activity level that best matches your typical week.
Your four daily numbers. Screenshot this or come back to it any time.
Step 2
You can't measure progress without a starting line. Do this once now, then again at Week 6 and Week 12. Everything you enter stays on your own device.
Take these measurements first thing in the morning, before eating.
The scale isn't the only score. Track your waist, steps, sleep and energy too. Re-check in Weeks 6 and 12.
| Measure | Start | Week 6 | Week 12 |
|---|
How to measure. Waist: tape measure level with your belly button, relaxed, after a normal exhale. Steps and sleep: open your phone's health app (or your watch or ring) and read your daily average for the past 7 days. No device? Estimate your typical sleep from your bedtime and wake time. Energy: 1 is drained, 5 is great, on a typical day. Your Start steps also set your step goal in My Numbers.
Take front, side and back photos in the same lighting, same clothes, same spot. Photos often show changes the scale misses.
A quick safety check. This isn't a diagnosis. It helps Dr. Brad adjust your plan.
Because you checked at least one box, please check with your healthcare provider before starting, and let Dr. Brad know so he can adjust your plan.
Stop exercising and seek medical care right away if you have chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or fainting.
Every day and every week
Log your weight each morning and your check-in each week. Judge yourself by the 7-day average, not by any single day.
Log a few weigh-ins to see how you're trending.
Daily weigh-ins, 7-day average, and your planned pace.
The two habits that quietly drive your results.
Log both in your weekly check-in below. Change the week there to look back.
Same time each morning, after the bathroom, before eating or drinking.
Fill this out once a week. It saves as you type, and you can copy it to send to Dr. Brad.
Your progress at a glance.
| Week | Avg weight | Steps | Protein days | Workouts | Sleep |
|---|
When progress slows
Progress is never a straight line. Here's exactly what to do when the scale stalls, so you're not guessing or panicking.
Daily weight can swing 1 to 4 lbs from water, salt, digestion and hormones. Use your 7-day average, and don't change anything until you have two full weeks of data.
Before touching your calories, ask: Did you weigh in consistently? Did you hit your protein at least 5 days a week? Did you average 7+ hours of sleep and hit your step goal? What happened on weekends? Is everything you eat actually being tracked? People commonly underestimate how much they eat, so this is the most likely fix.
If your 7-day average has been flat for 2 weeks and you followed the plan about 80% of the time, pick one: lower your calories by about 100 to 150 per day, or add about 1,000 to 2,000 steps per day. Wait two weeks before changing anything else.
Faster isn't better. Add about 100 to 200 calories per day, keep your protein high, and keep lifting to protect muscle. If you feel dizzy, weak or run down, message Dr. Brad.
Don't just push harder. Check your sleep, protein and steps first. Some people do better with a planned week at maintenance calories. Talk it over with Dr. Brad before you try it.
You have pain that doesn't settle, you miss two weeks in a row, you feel unwell, or you're just unsure what to do. Stop exercising and seek medical care for chest pain, fainting or severe shortness of breath.
Week 12
See how far you've come, then plan how to keep it. The habits you built are the point, not just the number on the scale.
Calculated from what you've logged in the tracker and baseline.
Once you reach your goal weight, these are the calories that hold it, with no deficit.
The 12 weeks are the start. Talk to Dr. Brad about the best next step for your goals.