The Leaner You Podcast with Daniel Rosenthal and Santo Chiappetta

This is episode 50, and we wanted to do something different.

Instead of a narrow topic, we decided to lay out the entire framework for losing weight and keeping it off long term, in one place.

No extremes.

No perfection.

No trying to overhaul your entire life at once.

This episode is especially relevant if:
You’ve lost weight before, but it keeps coming back

You feel like you’re “doing a lot” but nothing is sticking

You’re busy, stressed, and juggling work, family, and responsibilities

You know all-or-nothing approaches don’t work for you anybmore

We walk through nutrition, training, movement, sleep, stress, and progress tracking, and how all of it actually fits into real life.

If you want weight loss that doesn’t require starting over every few months, this episode will give you the big picture.

If, after listening, you’d like help applying this to your own situation, you can book a short, no-obligation exploratory call with Daniel here:

rosentrain.com/exploratory-call

Chapters:

00:00 – Why episode 50 needed to be different
02:45 – Who this episode is for
05:50 – Why weight loss feels harder when life is busy
09:40 – Weight loss vs weight maintenance
12:45 – Why we are not blaming hormones
15:10 – Calories and how weight loss actually works
18:15 – Why calorie ranges work better than exact numbers
20:30 – Tracking food without it taking over your life
24:00 – Protein targets that make sense
29:00 – Lean proteins and practical food choices
34:30 – The 80/20 approach to eating
41:30 – Maintenance days and practicing real life
44:00 – Steps, movement, and daily activity
50:30 – Why strength training matters for fat loss
56:00 – Why “toned” bodies require muscle
1:02:30 – How often to train without burning out
1:13:30 – Building habits without doing everything at once
1:22:00 – Sleep as a fat loss tool
1:27:30 – Stress, planning, and consistency
1:41:30 – How to track progress beyond the scale
2:03:30 – What long-term success actually looks like
2:05:30 – What’s coming next

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Follow Santo on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/santo.chiappetta/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Coach mentioned: Jordan Syatt https://www.instagram.com/syattfitness

Check out episode 16 for a deep dive on strength training: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yUgkw5zMfs6fgMAUfFlR5?si=e7fa8c64084f47af

This podcast provides general fitness and nutrition information only. It is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise or nutrition routine. Full disclaimer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.rosentrain.com/disclaimer

This week we kick things off with a truly painful dad joke, and then get into the real stuff.

First, we talk about why you can feel completely exhausted after strength training, and when that fatigue is normal versus when it is a sign you’re pushing too hard or not recovering well.

We cover practical recovery levers like sleep quality, stress, hydration, and fueling your training properly, plus why going super low-carb can make lifting feel brutal for a lot of people.

Then we answer: what’s the best kind of protein powder to use?

We break down whey vs whey isolate vs casein vs plant-based, when casein can be useful, what to look for on labels, and how to avoid overthinking it.

Finally, we tackle a big one: “I’ve been losing and regaining the same 10 pounds for the last three years. How do I get out of this cycle?”

We talk about why extreme approaches often backfire, how to make weight loss more sustainable, why most people have a maintenance problem (not a weight loss problem), and how shifting the goal away from the scale can help you keep results long term.

If you’ve been working hard this year and you’re not seeing the progress you want yet, book a call and we’ll see if we can help: rosentrain.com/call

Recommended Protein Powder: Legion Athletics (who sponsor Daniel, and this is an affiliate link)

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Follow Santo on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/santo.chiappetta/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast provides general fitness and nutrition information only. It is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise or nutrition routine. Full disclaimer: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.rosentrain.com/disclaimer

In this episode, we talk about why weight loss really did feel easier before kids.

We break down how sleep, stress, time, and responsibilities change the game once real life kicks in.

We unpack the popular advice to “just find a workout you enjoy” and where that helps vs where it quietly holds you back.

We explain how to use fun movement and still get serious results, and why strength training becomes non-negotiable if we want to stay strong, capable, and lean long term.

We walk through what actually counts as a “good” workout when we are tired, short on time, and pulled in ten directions.

We share how we think about effort vs outcome, excuses vs real constraints, and what to do when every pound we lose seems to creep back on.

Study mentioned: "Daily energy expenditure through the human life course" https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe5017

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Follow Santo on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/santo.chiappetta/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast provides general fitness and nutrition information only. It is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise or nutrition routine. Full disclaimer: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.rosentrain.com/disclaimer

As of Monday, January 5th, 2026, we have a limited number of spots open for new clients. If you want to learn the skills to lose weight and keep it off long term, book a no-obligation call with me at rosentrain.com/call.

In this episode, Coach Santo and I break down why most goals fail and what actually needs to be in place for a goal to be achievable in real life.

We talk about how to set goals that are specific and measurable without being rigid, how to uncover the real reason you want the goal in the first place, and how to choose a realistic timeline that matches your energy, stress, and responsibilities.

You’ll learn how to shift from outcome goals to process goals, set Bare Ass Minimums for busy or chaotic weeks, and design your environment so consistency takes less effort.

We also cover how to track progress without obsessing over the scale, how to reward effort rather than outcomes, and how to adjust the plan when life gets stressful, without quitting or starting over.

Follow Daniel on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rosentrain/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Santo on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/santo.chiappetta/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast provides general fitness and nutrition information only. It is not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise or nutrition routine. Full disclaimer: ⁠⁠https://www.rosentrain.com/disclaimer

The week between Christmas and New Year feels like a fever dream.

No schedule.

No structure.

In this episode, we talk about why this “in-between week” derails healthy habits and how to use it to your advantage instead of starting January behind.

We share simple, low-pressure ways to stay grounded, why planning matters even when nothing is on the calendar, and how this week can quietly set the tone for the entire year ahead.

If you want January to feel calmer, more intentional, and less like a restart from zero, this episode is for you.

Follow Daniel on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/rosentrain/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Follow Santo on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/santo.chiappetta/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

- We recorded an entire episode explaining how to start strength training. If you're on Apple Podcasts, go to episode 16. If you're on Spotify, click here for the episode.

- Coach mentioned in this episode: Jeff Dalzell https://www.instagram.com/jeffdalzellfitness/

This podcast provides general fitness and nutrition information only. It is not medical or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise or nutrition routine. Full disclaimer: ⁠https://www.rosentrain.com/disclaimer