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July 14, 2023
Chris Cornell is the king of sustained weight loss.
I first heard of him when I got involved with the nutrition side of the Twitter-verse. I quickly realized that he was known on Twitter for a few things: his impressive body recomposition (not just weight loss, but muscle gain as well), and his nutrition approach to get there.
So I reached out to him and he was kind enough to give me over an hour of his time to let me pick his brain on how he got to where he is. There are valuable lessons here that anyone looking for long-term nutrition success can apply to their own journeys.
Here’s what I learned about Chris:
He’s lost 80 pounds and has sustained that weight loss for 5 years.
The catalyst for change came when he realized he was 280 pounds - in other words, the size of an NFL lineman, minus the athleticism and muscle mass.
Earlier this year, at age 58, he completed his first marathon. Now 59, he’s aiming for a lifetime PR 320-pound bench press.
Needless to say, he’s come a long way in 5 years, and he’s an excellent example of someone who decided to take ownership of his health.
So... what can we learn from him?
Chris' nutrition rules
Chris doesn’t track macros to maintain his body composition. Instead, through trial and error, he’s landed on 5 simple nutrition rules that help him effortlessly maintain his weight loss:
No eating between 9 pm and noon the next day.
Eat 200+ grams of protein per day.
Eat 50-90 grams of carbs per day.
Avoid most sugar, seed oils, and grains.
Have a supply of protein-rich, high-satiety foods on hand.
I want to dig into each one of these rules and briefly explore why they seem to work for him.
Let's start:
Rule #1: No eating between 9 pm and noon the next day.
Chris sticks to an eating window due to how it simplifies his life and increases his mental clarity.
In my opinion, time-restricted eating can be a great tool for some people to ensure that they’re keeping their overall consumption in check. It’s not magic, and it isn't necessarily for everyone - in fact, I typically recommend that people start with a simple 12-hour fasting window and only fast for longer if they feel great doing it (as Chris does).
It's worth noting that Chris only added the time restriction rule after he had already worked on improving the quality of the foods he was eating. Master the basics before tackling meal timing.
Rule #2: Eat 200+ grams of protein per day.
Chris maintains a body weight of about 200 pounds and eats his body weight in grams of protein per day. The main foods he uses to hit this protein target are:
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Meat (beef, chicken thighs, salmon)
Occasional protein powders
Chris sets a high protein target in order to preserve and build muscle mass, which is a crucial element in maintaining long-term weight loss and overall health.
Rule #3: Eat 50-90 grams of carbs per day.
Chris follows a low-carb diet. Most of his carbs come from fruit (especially berries), nuts, and vegetables. Chris says that by keeping protein high and carbs low, he is able to:
Maximize satiety so that he’s not hungry between meals
Regulate blood sugar levels (helps with energy levels and appetite regulation)
In my opinion, not everyone needs to follow a low-carb diet to lose weight or get healthy, and simply lowering your carb intake doesn't magically produce weight loss.
But Chris has a very smart approach. Since he targets satiating foods that allow his appetite to naturally regulate, he doesn’t have to count calories, track macros, or suffer extreme hunger in order to lose weight. This is likely the most important reason why he’s been able to sustain his weight loss for over 5 years.
Rule #4: Avoid most sugar, seed oils, and grains.
Chris’ way of eating evolved over time. At the beginning, he focused mainly on restricting carbs and hitting his protein target. But over time, he pinpointed certain foods that contributed to chronic inflammation.
For him, that underlying inflammation manifested itself as breathing problems. Once he removed most added sugar, seed oils, and grains, his breathing problems resolved.
This is a perfect case study for why “avoid inflammatory foods” is a fundamental tenet of my nutrition philosophy. Targeting protein and satiating, nutrient-dense foods is a perfect starting point, but to further optimize your diet, you’ll need to start eliminating foods that are inflammatory for you.
Rule #5: Keep a supply of protein-rich, high-satiety foods on hand.
This is a purely pragmatic rule that allows Chris to always hit his protein goal, even while he’s traveling or at a social event. Incidentally, this is the same rule I’ve followed on a recent road trip - I wrote about it last week.
Here are some of Chris’ favorite protein-rich foods to keep on hand:
Boiled eggs
Plain Greek yogurt
Protein powder
Leftover steak
This means that even when he's at a social event that doesn't feature his normal go-to foods, he can fill up on easy protein sources beforehand. Once he gets there, he might choose to indulge a bit, but since he's already filled up on protein, he doesn't go overboard.
Conclusion
I so enjoyed talking with Chris, because he’s someone who is walking the walk. He’s found a way of eating that allows him to take control of his health, and he’s been successful for a long time... with no end in sight. He’s discovered a system that allows him to follow a healthy way of eating no matter where he is.
Best of all, learning about his nutrition rules can help you construct your own. Good nutrition rules help you follow the “universal laws” of nutrition in a way that is sustainable and enjoyable for you. In my opinion, this is a much better approach than identifying with one particular diet “tribe” and following the rules of the tribe no matter what.
Action Step
Create your own personalized set of nutrition rules that will help you follow the basic laws of nutrition (go back and review HWB #008 for a refresher, if needed). Start following them as an experiment, and adjust as you make discoveries.
Helpful resources:
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