This concept comes from James Clear, who wrote an amazing book on habit building called Atomic Habits. (10 million copies sold for a reason)

Here’s what you need to know, straight from that book:

The first layer is changing your outcomes. This level is concerned with changing your results: losing weight, publishing a book, or winning a championship. Most of the goals you set are associated with this level of change.

The second layer is changing your process. This level is concerned with changing your habits and systems: implementing a new routine at the gym, decluttering your desk for better workflow, and developing a meditation practice. Most of the habits you build are associated with this level.

The third and deepest layer is changing your identity. This level is concerned with changing your beliefs: your worldview, your self-image, your judgments about yourself and others. Most of the beliefs, assumptions, and biases you hold are associated with this level.

The Recipe for Sustained Success

Changing your beliefs isn’t nearly as hard as you might think. There are two steps.

1. Decide the type of person you want to be.

2. Prove it to yourself with small wins.

First, decide who you want to be. This holds at any level—as an individual, as a team, as a community, as a nation. What do you want to stand for? What are your principles and values? Who do you wish to become?

These are big questions, and many people aren’t sure where to begin—but they do know what kind of results they want: to get six-pack abs or to feel less anxious or to double their salary. That’s fine; start there and work backward from the results you want to the type of person who could get those results. Ask yourself, “Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?”

Want to lose weight?

Identity: Become the type of person who moves more every day.

Small win: Track your steps. Walk 50 steps when you get home from work. Tomorrow, walk 100 steps. The day after that, 150 steps. If you do this 5 days per week and add 50 steps each day, then by the end of the year, you’ll be walking over 10,000 steps per day.

Motivation for weight loss alone is a problem.

Don't be surprised if you burn out after a week or 2.

You can't rely on being motivated.

You have to become the type of person you want to be, and that starts with proving your new identity to yourself.

If you're looking to make a change, start thinking about your identity.

Become the type of person who can achieve the things you want to achieve.

Build identity-based habits and make small steps towards that.

Your mindset for long-term fat loss is more about adding up minor changes rather than big drastic ones.

This could be as simple as...

• I walked to the local shop to buy a bottle of wine instead of driving.

• I had crisps with my meal deal instead of a chunky kit-kat (which has more calories)

• I wanted to get a double cheeseburger at McDonald’s but went for a regular cheeseburger.

These are bringing you closer to the identity you want for yourself.

Small 1% changes to your current lifestyle, not a fantasy of that one day when you were perfect with your diet.

TASK 1

Take a moment to reflect on the kind of person you aspire to be and write your thoughts down. This reflection is for your eyes only, so there's no need to share it with me. Make sure to revisit and update it throughout the course. Each day, consider what small victories you can achieve. For instance, if you're about to buy a large chocolate bar, ask yourself: what would your ideal self do? Opting for a smaller portion could be a manageable win on your journey—small steps really do add up.

TASK 2

Take Photos

• Capture Full-Body Images:
  Take full-body photos in form-fitting clothing, swimwear, or underwear. Be sure to include shots from the front, back, and both sides. Aim for good lighting and maintain a natural, upright posture—no need to tense up or suck in.

• Personal Use:
  If you're not comfortable sending these photos to me, that's completely fine. Just make sure you take them for your own progress tracking.

• Clothing Indicator:
  If possible, choose an item of clothing that used to fit snugly but now feels looser. This is a great way to gauge your progress without relying solely on measurements. For example, jeans that once barely reached your legs might, after 12 weeks, fit with extra room.

By following these steps, you'll have a clear visual record of your transformation over time.

TASK 3

If your goal is fat loss, creating a calorie deficit is essential. This means consuming fewer calories than your body expends, prompting it to tap into stored fat for energy. While exercise and macronutrient balance also contribute, maintaining a consistent calorie deficit is the cornerstone of effective fat loss. Read through each section of your nutrition pack and make a note of your calorie/macronutrient targets to enter into your favourite calorie counting app on your phone. By far my favourite one is Nutracheck which costs approx £6. It’s well worth it as it’s UK based and gives all the necessary information without being confusing. Although there are free options available too.

Throughout the course, I'll ask to see your nutrition diaries. It doesn't matter if you hit your targets perfectly every day; the aim is to log your progress and make steady improvements. Focus on small, confident changes rather than trying to overhaul your entire life overnight. For example, using a low-calorie cooking spray instead of butter for frying can be an easy win, rather than cutting out your favourite fry-ups entirely. The goal is not to jump 100% into a meal plan you are nowhere close to being. Think about the smallest, easiest, 9/10 confident ways of improving. We want to move towards the “Eat More.” section of the nutrition pack for sure, but that shouldn’t come in the form of dramatic changes.

Check out Graeme Tomlinson’s social media for some great visual examples of this like the ones below:

I'm excited to work with you and help you get easy, sustainable fat loss that lasts!

To summarise, please send me your photos unless you feel uncomfortable doing so, and start logging your food whilst aiming to hit your new calorie targets.

Macronutrient targets aren’t the focus, just making small changes to your current eating habits to help you reach a calorie deficit is.

We will be building on this each week with new topics/tasks drip-fed so you can make your new habits stick for the long term and achieve your goals.