If you go on social media these days, you’re inundated with videos and posts about the fastest ways to slim down, with different methods touting their own success stories. However, figuring out which approach to take and what actually works can be overwhelming. But if you’re looking for a simple method to apply to your everyday life to see results without totally upheaving your day-to-day, you might want to try applying the 30-30-30 rule. Human biologistGary Brecka recently called attention to the approach, first developed by Timothy Ferriss, arguing that it is a surefire way to “strip fat.”
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Not to be confused with the 12-3-30 exercise method, the 30-30-30 rule involves both diet and working out.
“There’s something called 30-30-30,” Brecka explains in a video posted by @garybrecka.shorts on TikTok. “I’ve never seen anything in my life strip fat off of a human being faster than this. I wish I could have it patented. There’s an entire book written by Tim Ferriss called The 4-Hour Body explaining this whole theory.”
It goes like this: You consume 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up and then follow it up with 30 minutes of steady-state cardiovascular exercise.
“Bring your heart rate down to below 135 beats per minute,” Brecka advises for the exercise portion. “Do that for a month and watch it eviscerate.”
According to Brecka, you should be able to talk on the phone or read a book while doing the workout and not be “panting.”
“As soon as you go hammer down, your body switches sources. It will switch to lean muscle—unless you have amino acids in your bloodstream,” Brecka says. “You burn fat at rest. You do not burn fat during exercise.”
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If Brecka isn’t convincing enough, registered dietitian Tara Schmidt, M.Ed, RDN, says that the 30-30-30 rule stands out as one of the more reliable options to crop up on social media.
As she writes for Mayo Clinic Press, to really be successful with this method, you also need to be in a caloric deficit.
“The benefits of this method stem from what it promotes: eating breakfast, exercise and spreading protein intake throughout the day,” Schmidt writes.
People following the diet themselves have also seen results.
“I lost 60 pounds over the last two years,” TikToker Annika Orozco says in a video from April, attributing much of her success to the 30-30-30 rule. “[It is] THE BEST. I’m literally telling you.”
For exercise, she recommends walks, weightlifting, or slow runs.
Another TikTok user, Kaitlynn (@casuallykatiee), also tested the method for 30 days.
“After 30 days of the 30-30-30 method, I finally started to see my abs start to come out again,” Kaitlynn said in a Sept. 30 TikTok video, noting that before trying 30-30-30, she was struggling with her skin and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). “I’m feeling leaner, lighter, stronger, and healthier than I have in such a long time.”