Josh Richards is known online for comedy skits and sharp business moves, yet early-2024 photos showed the Canadian influencer looking softer than his usual athletic self. A friend tagged him in a beach shot that went viral for the wrong reasons. Josh joked about the “dad bod at twenty-two,” but the trolling stung. He promised on Instagram Stories to get “summer-ready for real this time.” Within months, the same feed began to document a leaner, more defined frame.
Clear Goal
Rather than guessing, Josh set numbers he could track. He booked a DEXA scan, learned he was at 24 percent body fat and weighed 178 pounds. His first aim was a tidy 10-pound drop in twelve weeks, enough to reveal abs without risking extreme cuts. He hired a remote coach to design macros and workouts, then shared weekly progress reels with his 6 million followers. Public check-ins kept him accountable.
Diet Shift
Josh did not follow a fad cleanse. He trimmed calories by about 400 below maintenance, landing near 2 300 kcal per day. The split: forty percent protein, thirty percent carbs, thirty percent healthy fats. Breakfast rotated between Greek yogurt parfaits and egg-white wraps. Lunch was usually grilled chicken with air-fried veggies. Dinner favoured salmon or lean steak plus rice. He allowed one flexible meal each Saturday, often sushi. Zero sugar drinks and at least three litres of water kept cravings low.
Smart Snacks
Because content shoots last all day, Josh packed portable options. Beef jerky, rice cakes with almond butter, and whey isolate shakes curbed hunger between takes. Late-night editing once meant candy binges; now he sipped peppermint tea and crunched cucumber slices dipped in hummus. These swaps removed hundreds of empty calories each week without feeling deprived.
Lift Heavy
In the gym he moved from random circuits to a classic push-pull-legs split. Big compounds ruled: barbell bench, weighted pull-ups, squats and Romanian deadlifts. Sets stayed in the six-to-ten rep range to keep strength while cutting. He added two fifteen-minute HIIT sprints on non-lifting mornings to bump calorie burn. Average weekly training time was about five hours, less than many expect, but intensity was high.
Track Data
Josh wore a smart watch for heart-rate zones and sleep patterns. Recovery scores determined rest days. If overnight readiness dipped under sixty, he swapped the planned lift for mobility work. He says this data-driven style helped him avoid the burnout that ruined past attempts.
Visible Change
By week twelve the DEXA scan showed 15 percent body fat and a scale weight of 162 pounds. Shoulders looked capped, waist measured two inches smaller and veins popped on morning selfies. Fans noticed. Engagement on fitness posts doubled, and brands sent activewear offers. Josh celebrated with a shirt-off comparison slide that racked up two million likes in forty-eight hours.
Maintenance Mode
After the cut he reversed diet steps slowly. Calories rose by one hundred every seven days while cardio dropped to a single low-intensity bike ride. Weight stabilised near 165 pounds with ab lines intact. He switched goals from fat loss to strength gain, setting a target of a three-plate deadlift by year-end.
Mind Game
Josh credits mindset more than macros. He framed each choice as a vote for the person he wanted to become. A simple rule helped: never miss two healthy meals or two workouts in a row. Slip once, reset the next action. Journaling gratitude each night kept him positive, and unfollowing food meme pages reduced temptation scrolls.
Key Lessons
- Clarity wins – know your numbers before you start.
- Progress posts – public updates build commitment if you enjoy social sharing.
- Protein first – hitting one gram per pound of body weight made hunger manageable.
- Sleep matters – seven quality hours improved recovery and mood.
- Small tweaks stick – cucumber over candy sounds minor yet compounds over months.
Josh Richards turned internet teasing into a focused transformation. His story shows that even busy creators can carve time for health when the plan is simple, the metrics are honest and the mindset is locked on long-term change.
