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The best way to lose 5 pounds of body fat is a question that I get almost every day. People want to know if burpees are the best exercise for getting the job done. Others want to know if battle ropes or even jump rope are better at burning calories and burning fat. While all of them are at the top of the list for the most calories burned on a minute per minute basis, they still are not the best way to lose five pounds of body fat the fastest.

In this video, I show you how you can never outtrain a bad diet. If you refuse to pay attention to the quality of your nutrition and the foods you put in your mouth you are never going to have the low levels of body fat that you desire long term. Sure, anyone can follow a short term diet that allows them to lose fat for a few weeks however if you can’t keep it up then you will never be satisfied with your body fat levels over the course of the year.

Mistakenly, people look to exercises as the best way to drop body fat. While you definitely need to train, achieving fat loss is and always will be better accomplished via the right nutrition plan. This goes back to the comment about never being able to outtrain a bad diet. You simply cannot make up enough calorie burn via exercise (even the most intense) to overcome bad food choices. For instance, our very own Jesse is a big sugar fanatic and a worshiper of gummy bears. Just 17 measly gummy bears has 150 calories. Even if Jesse were to do 10 minutes straight of high effort high intensity burpees, he would only burn 120 calories and he would lose that battle with a net calorie gain of 30.

Now Jesse, being a hardgainer, is not concerned at the moment with his body fat levels. He was the only one wiling to do the burpees while I talked during the video being the good sport that he is. If you are looking to burn 5 lbs of fat however, you need to be sure that you are paying attention to what really matters. Your nutrition will always be at the top of the priority list for getting that job done.

Now, does that mean that conditioning exercises like burpees, jump rope, battle ropes and split squat jumps don’t have a place in your workout program if you need to lose fat? Not at all. In fact, with a good nutrition approach in place these exercises become even more effective since they compliment the losses that you are already making because of your improved diet. Not just that, each of these exercises helps to improve your stamina, work capacity, endurance, power endurance and your heart.

If you are looking for a way to improve your nutrition and get it locked in almost effortlessly 365 days a year, then head to and get one of the ATHLEAN-X Training Systems that best fits your goals. If pure fat loss is at the top of your list then you should opt for Max Shred. If, like Jesse, muscle gain is your priority but you don’t want to gain fat in the process then look for the Max Size program.

If you are looking for more videos on how to eat to burn fat and the best fat burning workouts, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at


    40 replies to "The Best Way to Lose 5 LBS of Body Fat (AND FASTEST!)"

    • Huckleberry Sinn

      I’ve been consistently losing 10lbs a month for the past 7 months. I still have another 70lbs to go, but I wanted to thank Jeff for motivating me enough to get started on this path.

      • Maximus

        That’s some sick commitment

      • Jemma S

        Hi! Update?

      • Precision Sound Works

        👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🔥🔥🔥🔥

      • Marcus Patterson

        Watch your sugar intake and watch how fast the pounds disappear!

      • Peter Mapp

        You are making your mirror look good….keep at it.

    • HeliRy

      I lost 20 pounds in 5 months without lifting a single weight, purely through nutrition. Not “diet”… but nutrition. I overhauled how I eat and what I eat, for life. Started working out a month ago, lost another 5 pounds and I’m now at a weight I’ve not been at for close to two decades. Not stopping till I hit my goal either… another 30 pounds to go!
      Yeah, I was obese. Now I’m just chubby lol. A year from now… I’ll be shredded. Feels good!
      ONE YEAR UPDATE:
      First off, thanks to all the words of encouragement in the comment below. You’ve now idea how much it means, honestly. Thank you all.
      So, my progress. Yeah…
      I’ll spare everyone the long version. Short story is my back is fucked… big time. Nerve damage and whatnot, and severe muscle spasms now rule my days. Physio is helping but it’s a slow recovery. I’ve not been able to exercise at all for about 8 months. Hell, my lifting weight max is about 10 pounds lol. There is a plus side though… my wife is now on garbage bag duty rofl.
      Had a recumbent stationary bicycle delivered a few days ago so I can start getting some kind of cardio going safely. Also doing lots of yoga. Super exciting stuff eh!
      On top of the physio I’m also being referred to a pain clinic to help manage things. Probably get steroid or lidocaine injections into my spine and/or hips.
      I’m down, but I’m not out. And I’m not giving up 💪

      • Andy Liu

        major props to you for not giving up

      • Encry

        How’s you ruin your back

      • HeliRy

        @Encry
        Compression fracture of the T11 vertebrae as a teen. Never gave me any trouble till about 5 years ago. Getting old sucks haha.

    • Kon

      “You will never be able to out-train a bad diet”

      • Lexoka

        Technically, you can, but it takes hours of exercise per day.

      • S. Moose

        @one two “eating a lot” doesn’t equal to “bad diet”. As long as you eat as much or less than you burn, include vegetables, you’re eating healthy.

      • Chuck Mangione

        @Kon we do. lots big boy and subway after practice, and pancheros, pot belly, and burger king after meets. swimming about 17,500 yards per day in about 4 hours + the occasional dryland and lifting…it’s amazing how much you can stave off when you workout like that 6 days a week.

        of course now that i’m 31, and no longer doing that much cardio for a team sport, out training a bad diet has become much more difficult, still somewhat possible though. working from home, i’ve way upped my intensity and time spent working out per day, sometimes 3 workouts per day… i have been able to out train a lot of beer and fried foods to an extent… like you can see my abs poking through and i dont have a beer gut… but at the same time, no, im not going to outtrain it that much to where i can shred to 10% bodyfat and have a ripped 8 pack while drinking beer and eating pizza a few times a weekish

      • Nemanja

        Say that to Dan Bailey CrossFit dude…he is ripped 360 days a year and eats Snickers and trash food often

    • Cat Games

      Fasting + avoiding sugar and junk food + eating fresh veggies and protein + no mental stress + a solid workout = a very satisfying result

      • Joey Mo

        @unkown honestly its the opposite for me. If i eat sugar i then crave it for the next few days. Since I started intermittent fasting my sugar cravings disappeared. On weekends I sometimes treat myself if I eat a bunch of sugar I notice my cravings come back for the next 2 or 3 days.

      • Ken KenKen

        Confirmed!!! 💃🏻💃🏻

      • Rafael Toledo

        @unkown I disagree, For people who are addicted the way I am, a little bit of chocolate will instantly send me on a downward spiral. When I don’t eat any sugar at all, after 3 weeks I don’t even have the craving anymore. My record was 5 months without chocolate, but everytime I eat a little bit, I get back to eating 300g of chocolate everyday

      • Just Me

        @unkown NO do not eat sugar. Insulin spikes, precursor to heart problems, cancer, the list goes on an on.

      • HeartlessKnave

        Fasting is fine if you’re on a large caloric deficit and only trying to lose weight, or rather bodyfat.
        However if trying to gain muscle mass do not fast or run a large deficit.
        You need to consume protein more often instead of trying to get all of your protein macro in within an 8-12h window. As you need to spread it out to every 4-6 hours, consuming no more than about 30g at a time (varies person to person). As anything over about 30g is wasted and ends up in your urine.
        Also you should eat some protein right before you sleep (approx 40g for males) and right after you wake up to aid in muscle building and to avoid muscle loss.

        Unless you don’t want muscle growth and don’t care about maximizing gains, reducing soreness, and eliminating your body breaking down it’s own muscle for energy. Then don’t listen to me, or do your own research, and do whatever you want.

        You also need carbohydrates (aka starches, fibre, and sugars) to fuel your body and to restore your muscles’ glycogen stores. Too little carbs combined with a large caloric deficit while trying to build muscle will have you doing subpar workouts, feeling sore, barely gaining muscle, and feeling fatigued or napping/sleeping in a lot. As you generally need a small caloric surplus and adequate and timely protein intake to gain muscle (though this channel does talk about running a small deficit to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time), and carbs to restore your glucose levels and your muscles’ glycogen stores.
        Simple sugars/carbs such as a dextrose supplement, rather than complex carbs, will be broken down by your body faster and aid in giving you energy quicker and/or restoring your muscles’ glycogen stores faster. This is especially useful for athletes, professional or otherwise. Some athletes can have glucose levels in the prediabetic range and still be healthy and not become diabetic. And if you think “all this only applies to athletes” I ask you to look more closely at the channel you are on…

        “Starches, sugars, and fiber. For the most part, fibers and starch are complex carbs, while sugars are simple carbs”
        There is NOTHING wrong with “sugars” if consuming the correct type and if done as part of a healthy and balanced diet along with physical exertion or exercise.
        Additionally if you find you “can’t control yourself” or need something sweet then try switching to stevia. As sucralose and aspartame are no better for you than the other sugars you are trying to cut out.

    • Linen Rib

      This was a good reality check, I’ve been training a lot more but I hit a plateau in my weight loss because I haven’t cleaned up my diet nearly enough. Thanks for the tips!

    • Milt

      Glad to see Jesse back . You work well together like a great comedy team. Education and humor is a great combination for a successful tutorial video. I know I’m hooked . I can’t pass up your videos without checking what you are going to teach us next . Thank you!

    • The Calendar

      I recall reading some research awhile back that suggests most people need to run at *least* 40-45 min/day to start burning fat and losing weight, something about the metabolism changing around then as well as issues with typical caloric intake in between exercising. That corresponds roughly with what I experienced when I ran….or did any cardio. For me I actually had to do a little more, an hour or more 3-4 times a week minimum to see results. The cardio itself seems to depress appetite for awhile after running, so that helps also.

    • Tony Peña

      I am 56 years young and lost 17 pounds. My weight is now 140 and I am starting to see my 6 pack. No more love handles too. I lift weights and run 8 miles. Thanks for all your videos!

      • FilosofoCA

        How long does it take you to finish 8

      • John Smith

        Well done mate im 33 and feel 50

    • jon verrico

      Good stuff Jesse Keep up the good work! Athlean you inspire me brother. I’m up everyday at 5 am to get my cardio going and start shredding lbs. and gaining strength and honor! Thank you for your guidance!

    • Jim Smith

      Well after being a long time sub and probably watched nearly all these videos at least 10 times over the years and failing….I have finally done it. Completely trashed all the crap food in the house and made up my mind for good..I refuse to eat like I used to. I honestly feel so much better than I used to. Thanks Jeff. Your physical fitness and nutrition guidance is legit, all that was missing was MY commitment.

    • Harshdeep Singh

      This video created a goal in my life; a change; a plan and weeks later I’m doing what I thought was not possible! Thank you Jeff & Jessie! ❤️

      • History Matters

        I swear by Jeff, hope you are doing one of his programs, they are magic

    • Vladimir M.

      Injury inquiry:

      What’s your suggestion for replacing burpees with alternative, for those that have issues with knees and ankle? Any recommendations?

      Thank you!

    • Red Dog 8814

      One of the clearest, most educational simply put and eye opening videos on YouTube.
      Thanks Jeff.

    • Dwight Gladue

      Thank you sir. My weight loss and training have increased significantly thanks to these videos. I’ve come down from 368lbs to 245lbs. It’s a big change in my life and I love it.

      • Johnny

        so from ~180kg to ~120kg…
        Congrats
        how tall are you?

    • Quoth 73

      Many years ago when I was in my early 20s I did heavy resistance training for about 6 hours per week (4×1.5h). I was in good shape. The only trouble was with a fish and chip shop next door to my gym I rarely controlled myself and had a big of chips. I never did get that 6 pack. 10 years later I switched up to 45 mins of cardio a day, but I was drinking a good 1000 calories of alchohol a day.. I never got the 6 pack then either.

    • ATHLEAN-X™

      If you want to lose body fat to get rid of love handles if that’s your trouble spot, just do this! – https://youtu.be/FqdxxSWKmw4

      • Solista

        Love Jesse. ❣️ He’s the reason I subscribed. A fit guy with character. 🙌🏾

      • George Smith

        Help me!

    • Scoobtoober29

      Thanks for this. You have definitely helped. I’m going to watch all of your videos to help you and me. I tried working out for a year straight with little gains. Some in the capacity. But none in the looks department. Never paid any real attention to food/habbits/frequency. Ate what ever when ever. Remained the exact same weight too.

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