Max Power is a fitness experience in Lancaster, PA. Certified personal trainers use a combination of powerlifting, olympic lifting, circuit and interval training, and plyometrics to increase power, speed, strength and endurance.

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Team Max Power’s Mike DeCarlo competed today in the USAPL Star and Stripes powerlifting tournament in Clark’s Summit, PA. He finished first place at 132lbs breaking a state record Bench Press (200lbs) and set a personal record in the Deadlift (330lbs).

Congrats to Mike not only on the win and PR but also making weight!

If you saw Mike as he was training, you know he earned himself a big sushi dinner after the competition. And maybe a few dozen donuts and an ice cream cake or two. The dude was lean.

Given that it’s the holiday season, you might want to know how Mike went from a fit 145lbs (give or take) to a leaned-out 132lbs while maintaining a fairly impressive amount of strength.

How Mike DeCarlo Lost 10 Pounds in 4 Weeks

1. Define your goal. Set a timeline.

Mike started tightening up his diet four weeks ahead of the meet. This way he wasn’t overly dehydrated (and subsequently weaker) by the time he had to compete.

Four weeks was enough time to cut the weight he needed to cut and not so long that he felt like he was dieting and depriving himself forever.

Mike also set softer goals – benchmarks he wanted to reach at the end of each week. This way he could check his progress and keep motivating himself as he hit every soft goal.

2. Get daily feedback and support.

Mike weighed himself daily and then posted his weight on the whiteboard in the gym for everyone to see.

He also talked up his goals and his plan to everyone – clients, friends, coworkers. Have you met Mike? You probably heard what he was doing. If he started slacking, people held him accountable.

Because he couldn’t hide his failures, he was forced to keep trying and to reach his goal.

3. Have a set nutrition plan.

For Mike, this was 5 meals a day, with 300 calories allotted to each meal. He had to get a certain amount of protein every day and supplemented with fiber to keep things moving. As he got closer to the day of the competition, he started tapering off carbs.

Would this work for everyone? Maybe, maybe not – everyone’s nutritional needs are different and everyone’s body reacts differently to weight and fat loss. Of course, Mike is an extremely active individual with a killer gym in his house and a flexible schedule. He’s also pretty determined.

The point is, he had a plan and he stuck to it. And he lost 10lbs in 4 weeks.

There’s about 4 weeks between now and Christmas. Instead of stuffing your face at every holiday party, why don’t you get a head start on your New Year’s resolutions and try cutting 10lbs?