5KEYStoKILLER

FAT LOSS

nickholtfitness.com • Page 2NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

Hi there, and thank you for downloading the

NHF 5 Keys to Killer Fat Loss!

If you’re looking for a smart, safe and

systematic way to lose body fat, these

tips are for YOU. But, if you want a quick

crash diet that will have you losing

mostly water weight, stop reading now.

Over the next few pages, I’ll explain a

few of the basic principles of fat loss, and

set out actionable steps you can take

right now to start shedding fat.

These are only guidelines. You will have

to try them out and see what works for

you. We are all uniquely different and

respond to change in our own special

Nick Holt

way — but I promise you this: If you follow

these key principles, you WILL lose fat.

Here at NHF we believe that staying

healthy doesn’t have to be that difficult.

Now is the time to start...

nickholtfitness.com • Page 3NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

Avoid processed carbs at all costs. Cereals, breads, pasta and sodas are

the big culprits. It is important to avoid these, because they’re calorie rich

and nutrient deficient. Most processed carbs contain loads of sugar,

preservatives and additives, and very few vitamins and minerals.

If fat loss is your goal, you have to reduce the amount of processed

carbs you consume.

An easy way to do this is to replace grains with vegetables whenever

you can. Beware of hidden carbs in condiments such as ketchup, soy

sauce, barbeque sauce, etc. These are loaded with sugar.

Consume most, if not all carbohydrates within a 2-hour window after a

high intensity workout such as the NHF weekly workout or any activity in

which you’re sweating.

Our bodies are much more carb tolerant after a workout, which means

we can process higher amounts of carbs at that time.

Much of this has to do with the levels of glycogen (carbs stored in

muscle and the liver). Intense exercise will breakdown this glycogen and

use it for energy. So, when you consume carbs after a workout, your

body will be replenishing the glycogen

levels in your muscles that were just

depleted from your workout.

When you don’t exercise intensely

your glycogen levels will remain full,

leaving no choice but to store the

carbs as fat. It’s a simple concept.

Go ahead and implement it.

1. Earn your carbohydratesOnly consume carbs POST-workout and avoid all processed carbs

Consuming too many carbs will

keep your body from burning fat.

Avoid the processed stuff and

earn your carbs — only consume within a

two-hour window after exercise.

Summary

nickholtfitness.com • Page 4NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

Please be aware if you’re accustomed to eating breakfast every day, and

have done so for the last 20 years, your body will need to adapt. You may

feel a little sluggish or light headed at first which is normal and will

subside. This is your body starting to use a different energy source for fuel.

I know this goes against the conventional wisdom that breakfast is the most

important meal of the day and causes weight loss. In fact, there are many

studies that supposedly prove this, but these studies are looking at weight

loss, not fat loss. Here at NHF we’re much more concerned with FAT LOSS,

and the overwhelming amount of research has linked skipping breakfast to

an increase in fat loss.

Take advantage of your body’s positive hormonal condition in the

morning to maximize fat loss. You wake up in a fasted state. Your body

is in fat burning mode because no glucose is readily available for energy.

Shortly after waking is the one consistent time when insulin levels are

very low and cortisol is high. This allows for cortisol to accelerate fat

burning in the morning if nothing interferes. Carbohydrate consumption

will interfere with the process because it produces an insulin response

that will derail the fat burning in your body.

Additionally, Ghrelin, a major hunger hormone

(responsible for that growling in your belly) also

rises significantly upon waking. This signals the

response of growth hormone in the body which

increases fat burning. By eating right upon waking,

especially carbohydrates, you disrupt this fat burning process. So, don’t

mess it up by eating carbohydrates in the morning. Instead, eat mostly

fat and protein.

2. No Carbohydrates for BreakfastMove Breakfast back a few hours or skip it entirely to take advantage of your body’s fat burning mode

If you can’t do without breakfast,

eat mostly fat and protein, but

no carbohydrates. Scrambled

eggs with avocado works great. Or skip

breakfast entirely and go surf!

Summary

nickholtfitness.com • Page 5NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

3. Good Fat and Protein IntakeConsume good fat to burn fat and Keep protein intake to A minimum 0.5 gm per lb of lean body mass

Keep daily protein consumption to around 0.5 gram per pound of lean

body mass* (for reference, a 3.5oz. serving of chicken breast or tuna

contains about 30 grams of protein). Keeping your protein at this level will

ensure satiety (fullness) and make sure muscle mass is spared from being

used as fuel.

*Lean body mass (LBM) equals total weight minus fat.

The basic equation is: LBM = (total weight) – (body fat percentage x total

weight). So for example, a 200 lb man at 20% body fat would have (200) –

(0.20 x 200) = 160 lb lean body mass. At 160 LBM this person would therefore

need a minimum of 80 grams of protein daily.

If you don’t have access to a

body fat measurement, take a

picture of yourself with your

shirt off and find an

appoximate percentage based

on this page at builtlean.com.

Fat is the most energy dense macronutrient and helps manufacture and

balance hormones, form cellular membranes, and transport fat soluble

vitamins, among other things. But not all fat is created equal. Most of

your dietary fat should come from the following sources:

Increase consumption

of good fat and protein

to maintain optimal fat

burning in your body.

Summary

• Coconut oil.

• Olive oil.

• Grass fed butter / ghee.

• Fish oils.

Avoid all vegetable oils (canola, safflower,

sunflower, etc.) as much as you can.

Supplement with coconut oil or MCT

(Medium Chain Triglyceride) oil in the

morning. Consuming coconut oil (most of

which is MCT) will accelerate fat loss. MCTs

are unique in that they bypass the normal digestion process and therefore

get used up right away for energy demands. This promotes fat burning.

nickholtfitness.com • Page 6NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

4. Stop Doing Cardioinstead, Do short bouts of high intensity exercises that stimulate the entire body

It slows your metabolism down and makes it harder to preserve lean body

mass (muscle). It lowers production of T-3 (an important thyroid hormone)

which leads to fat storage, not fat loss. And the very nature of “cardio” is

very time consuming. The human body is incredibly adaptive and efficient

— so in order to get the same metabolic response you have to do more and

more of it — that’s not very time efficient.

Instead, do short bouts of high intensity exercises that stimulate the

entire body. We’re talking sprints, squats, lunges, push-ups, pull-ups,

jumping rope. Refer to the NHF weekly workouts series.

Skip the long bouts of cardio. When I say “cardio” I mean anything that’s

done at or above 60% of your max heart rate for long periods of time.

Examples include jogging on a treadmill, hours on the elliptical machine,

spin class, and most group fitness aerobic classes. You get the drill.

Jogging and other typical “cardio” actually makes you fatter.

Doing long bouts of spinning, jogging, or running actually stresses your body and makes you fatter.

If fat loss is your goal you must stop it and replace with more effective exercise.

Summary

nickholtfitness.com • Page 7NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

5. Lift Weights, Do HIITLift something heavy once a week. Focus on High intensity interval training

intensity exercise like HIIT or weight lifting, your body will stay in a

metabolically active state in order to replenish energy stores, reload

depleted oxygen stores, and

metabolize additional

nutrients. This is known as

‘EPOC’ (Excess Post-

Exercise Oxygen

Consumption). You’ll burn

more calories later on that

night sitting on the couch

which is a good thing.

You also activate metabolic

pathways in your body that

promote fat loss during

higher intensity exercise.

You’ll retain more lean body mass and therefore a higher basal metabolic

rate (faster metabolism).

Exercise should be intense and rest periods should be minimal.

Lift something heavy once a week and focus on High Intensity

Interval Training (HIIT).

When it comes to fat loss, the old adage, “nutrition is 80%, exercise

20%” rings true. Without a doubt, following the nutrition guidelines

(keys 1-3) without doing anything else will have you losing fat. I’m sure

of it. But exercise still matters.

And doing the right kind of

exercise for FAT LOSS matters.

HIIT will tap into those

glycogen stores we talked about

in Key 1. You’ll also burn more

calories, not only during the

exercise but after you’re done

for the following 24 hours while

you’re resting. After higher

nickholtfitness.com • Page 8NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

In addition to the positive fat burning effects of having muscles, life

becomes easier when you’re strong. Picking up your kids becomes

effortless with some developed arm, back, and

shoulder muscles. Lifting your luggage off the

belt requires less work with muscles. Walking up

stairs becomes enjoyable. Learning to surf

becomes a reality.

I believe being strong gives you a greater

ability to excel at life - it gives you a certain

freedom that is powerful. You open yourself up

to more cool possibilities. Being strong can also

give you a sense of confidence you’ve never known before.

It will spill over into other areas of your life, I promise.

• Keep it intense and short. There’s no

need to spend more than 30 minutes

per workout.

• Keep the rest periods between

intervals short.

• Frequency should be 3-6 times per

week depending on how quickly you

want to lose fat.

Here’s a simple guide to fat loss exercise:

Lifting Weights and HIIT are

examples of effective and

time efficient exercise that

will burn more calories and activate

metabolic pathways that promote fat loss.

Summary

• Lift something heavy at least once a week. If you’re comfortable in

the gym, this can be a normal weight training routine focused on the

compound lifts — deadlifts, squats, bench press, back rows. Otherwise,

find something heavy and pick it up a few times. Grab a rock, or pick up

your child. Oh, and be careful!

A sample week could look like this:

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

2—3 HIIT workouts 3—4 HIIT workouts 5—6 HIIT workouts

1x Heavy 1x Heavy 1x Heavy

nickholtfitness.com • Page 9NHF 5 Keys To Killer Fat Loss

There you go. Now it’s Time for action.

This is when the magic happens. Start

now and you’ll be one day closer to your

goal than if you waited until tomorrow.

At the heart of NHF is the power of

small, simple steps to upgrade your

health. One small change today,

repeated tomorrow, the next day, the

next week, and the next month can lead

to dramatic positive transformations in

your health and fitness. Celebrate the

small wins and strive everyday to

become better.

And let’s not forget about fun. Life is

meant to be enjoyed. We here at NHF

try not to take ourselves too seriously /nickholtfitness

www.nickholtfitness.com

/nhfit

This free ebook is not medical or any other form of professional advice that requires licensing in any jurisdiction. It is for educational purposes only. Please consult a qualified health care professional before engaging in any physical activity. The author and any contributors are not responsible for any adverse affects associated with any use of this work.

I would like to acknowledge the following sources of research for some of the advice given in this ebook: athlete.io precisionnutrition.com romanfitnesssystems.com

and make sure to laugh every day.

I mean really, look at this picture!

You have to be a little goofy

sometimes, right?

And remember — we’re all human —

you’re going to stray from the course

from time to time, which is normal. It’s

no big deal either. Let these 5 Keys to

Killer Fat Loss be your guide on your

journey to a better you.

Make sure you connect with me on

Facebook and Twitter. Every week I post

a new HIIT workout from the beach

along with articles on nutrition, exercise,

and health.

Thanks again for downloading this

guide. I look forward to staying in touch!