The document provides 5 keys for effective fat loss: 1. Only consume carbs post-workout and avoid all processed carbs. 2. No carbohydrates for breakfast to take advantage of fat burning mode in the morning. 3. Increase consumption of good fats and proteins to maintain optimal fat burning. 4. Stop doing long cardio and instead do high intensity interval training. 5. Lift weights once a week and focus on high intensity interval training for effective and time efficient exercise.

1. 5KEYS
to
KILLER
FAT LOSS

2. 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...

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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!