Millions of people consume these 4 so-called “healthy” foods everyday,
but could they actually be sabotaging all your fat loss efforts?

I can bet you’re probably using 1 or more of these things on a daily basis right now if you’re trying to eat healthy.

And by using these 4 choices as condiments you’ll eliminate a ton of hidden crappy calories in your nutrition plan. This is how to turn these from foods that make you fat to foods that will help you in your journey towards a lean and toned body.

There are several reasons why the 4 food choices I talk about in today’s video can hinder your fat loss goals.

1. They yield more calories.
2. They are poor protein sources.
3. They sometimes have hidden sugars and other nasty fillers.
4. They’re easy to grab on-the-go so people always go to them in a hurry as staple when they shouldn’t.

Even though you will find all 4 of these things on the Get Lean In 12 approved food list, you should consume all of them very small amounts so they can be fat burning foods instead of fat storing foods.

(I couldn’t help but post this picture because I cracked up laughing when I saw it. I figured you’d get a giggle out of it too.)

After spending over 20 years in-the-trenches learning and applying healthy nutrition, and helping other people transform their bodies and lives for over 10 years, I discovered this is a nasty mistake that get’s in people’s way during their fat-loss journey. If you don’t follow these guidelines, these are foods that will make you fat.

I’ve seen it over and over again. Our followers, clients and students will start journaling what they eat (which we highly recommend) and sure enough they are using 1 of these 4 things as a staple.

Big mistake.

Pay close attention to today’s message because this little nasty habit can sneak up on you and next thing you know you’re doing it everyday, wondering why you’re not seeing the results you desire.

By getting a grip on the powerful little tip in today’s video you can still actually use these 4 items as fat burning foods.

Have a great day!

Shaun Hadsall

P.S. If you’re not a bootcamp member yet, here’s where you can use a totally different and unique approach to long term fat loss.
Fat Burning Foods.

A New Year’s Message From Wendy Chant

Well, another new year has come and gone and, with it, we all likely made – and broke – more than a few resolutions on the way to spring. One of those resolutions, probably the most popular one, in fact, was to “go on a diet.” If you’ve already broken your resolution to go on a diet this year, you’re not alone.

At any given time, according to the Calorie Control Council, 33 percent of Americans – some 71 million people – are on a diet. According to the Institute of Medicine, they spend more than $40 billion a year on weight reduction products. Yet, nine out of ten people who lose weight by dieting gain it all back within a year.

Why are so many people failing on their diets? Most people fail to lose weight in this fast-paced, confusing climate of “over information” because so many programs offered today are impractical, costly and too difficult to sustain.

Did you know that 66 % of American adults are considered “overweight?” This trend grows steadily every year because conventional dieting methods simply don’t work. In fact, rather than losing weight, the average American continues to gain 1 to 2 pounds a year according to the American Heart Association.

Books, diets, talk show health gurus, websites, infomercials – clearly, there is no lack of diet and weight loss information out there for you to choose from. But which is the best choice for you? And, when you make it, will your diet book of choice contain all the parts of the code that can last a lifetime?

Of course, there will always be the gold standard for diet books, titles like Atkins, South Beach, Sugar Busters and Body for Life. These perennial bestsellers have managed to capture the public’s attention – and stayed there – thanks in large part to the fact that each contains some piece of the Fat Loss puzzle. As such they often work to create Fat Loss in the short-term, but how long do they last? Chances are – not very long.

This year I want you to take a resolution “do over.” That’s right; no matter where you live or what month it is or what season of the year we’re in, it’s never too late to resolve to stop dieting forever. That’s right; the author of a new health book just told you to stop dieting.

Why? The reason is simple: diets don’t work. They are short-term fixes to long-term problems. After all, you didn’t gain the weight overnight, why should we think we can get rid of it that quickly. Instead of resolving to diet this year, resolve to live; live a healthy, hopeful, happy life that isn’t restricted by calories, carbs or crash diets.

Pledge to lose the fat realistically and practically, and give yourself the time to take it off – and keep it off – effectively. Forget “crashing,” “dropping” this or expecting “instant” that; lasting, permanent change takes time. I always say that we shouldn’t expect to cash in on last year’s resolution until next year, so give yourself the gift of 365 days to achieve your goal.

After all, aren’t you worth it?

Wendy Chant
Co-creator of Get Lean In 12
Author of the bestselling book Crack the Fat Loss Code (McGraw-Hill, 2008) and
Conquer the Fat Loss Code (McGraw-Hill, 2009).

Never Count Calories or Weigh Your Food Again Using This Simple Way To Follow A Life-Long, Fat Burning Nutrition Plan On A Daily Basis.

After going through everybody’s comments and questions over the past 4 weeks, I’ve realized that over 10 years ago I was in the same exact place as most of you are.

I was actually a miserable and broke father desperately seeking a long-term solution on how I could follow a life-long, fat burning nutrition plan that had enough variety and flexibility to keep me from getting burned out or bored.

If you’re anything like me, you might be wondering the same thing!

I felt like I didn’t have the time, the motivation, or even the right approach to eat right forever. Think about it. It’s easy to follow a strict, fat burning nutrition plan for a week or two, but then we ALL fall off.  Plus, things like the “traditional” food pyramid and other diets are so confusing.

The “Traditional” Food Pyramid

Here’s a great, life-long approach to your nutrition plan that I use when I’m not consistently macro-patterning. This will allow you to never count calories or grams ever again and teach you a simple approach to the secret food combinations and portion control necessary to keep your body in a fat-burning environment the entire day.

We call it the GL-12 Food Pyramid and we’ve taken the traditional food pyramid and turned it on its head!

No matter how much you exercise or perform GL-12 cardio or strength training, you’ll never see visible results in your stomach or anywhere else if you don’t understand;

• The right timing

• The right food combinations

• The right portion control

This is the key to controlling blood sugar and programming your metabolism to be a long term fat burner. It will also nourish your body and mind at the same time.

You see, most people are becoming fat from a “carb-overdose” OR a “carb-underdose”.

Every time you eat too many carbs in a given meal, blood sugar and insulin spike and this causes a downward spiral that completely sabotages your fat loss goals and robs you of energy and focus. First, you’re programming your body to store more fat and take your body completely out of its fat burning environment.

Second, you’re programming your body to rely on carbs so it will want to be a “carb-burner”, instead of a “fat-burner”.

Third, too many carbs consumed in one sitting will also slow down your metabolism and increase hunger cravings for more empty carbs.

Now, the opposite is also true. If you consume too little carbs or go “low-carb” for too long, your body will eventually fight back and want to store more fat.

What’s the solution? Use macro-patterning nutrition in synergy with GL-12 exercise cycling and then move to a life-long, fat burning nutrition maintenance plan to keep the weight off.

Use just enough carbs, protein, and friendly fats in each meal so that you’re never really full…AND you’re never ravishingly hungry either.

In other words, you should feel satisfied by giving your body just enough food and nutrients so that you’ll be hungry again in 2 or 3 hours. Treat your metabolism like a fire. If you don’t add a log every 2 or 3 hours, the fire (your metabolism) will burn out.

This strategic method is what stabilizes blood sugar and creates the fat-burning nutrition plan and body you’ve always wanted.

I go over the exact portion control and combination of food necessary for these benefits in today’s video.

In a nutshell here are they are. The visual cues necessary along with the proper combinations before 3pm are:

• Carbs = Size of your clenched fist

• Protein = Size of the palm of your hand

• Friendly Fats = Size of the end of your thumb or about 1 tablespoon two or three times a day

Lastly and most important is to make sure you don’t consume sugars or starches after 3pm at least 5 days a week. In the video above, I explain exactly why this will make you fall victim to the dreaded “fat-spillover” even if it’s a healthy choice like fruit.

I also explain exactly what you should be eating and combining later in the day to make sure you stay in a fat-burning environment even while you sleep!

Don’t underestimate the power of this fat burning nutrition plan so you can stay on track forever!

This should be a staple in your life that will help you burn more fat on a daily basis while also having a dramatic impact on your long-term health. I know after working with thousands of people that building this habit is a lot easier said than done.

By learning how to plan ahead, making healthy choices, creating “on-the-go” fat burning snacks and using science driven supplementation you will be able to easily hit 5 or 6 small meals a day…AND save time.

That’s right. This will not take too much time, if you plan ahead. This should automatically create more time in your life because you won’t be chasing energy or a fast food line after you’ve planned ahead.

In fact, I can guarantee if you start to follow these GL12 principles, you’ll start being more productive and positive in every other area of your life.  Personal, business, family…every area will be impacted in a positive way by following these methods.

Remember…Get Lean In 12 is a journey and a process, NOT an event.

Please leave your questions below and comment if you like this video and article. Thank you.

Don’t get lazy…get lean,

Shaun Hadsall
Co-Creator of Get Lean In 12

P.S. Anybody can follow this plan forever once they get to their goals. If you slip up or fall, who cares! Just look at how our other students and followers handle it:

“Crack The Fat Loss Code combined w/Get Lean In 12 have been a miracle in my life- especially around the holidays. I have lost over 15 pounds so far, and down 2 dress sizes. Fat is leaving my body in those “hard to get rid of it” places. This is very easy to follow but most importantly easy to stay on.  Slip-ups are a part of life- and this plan. It’s also very easy to get back on the plan after you do slip-up. I am most appreciative to Wendy and Shaun for such powerful information. You are making a difference in my life and for that I am most grateful!”

P.P.S. Remember to learn from MY mistakes! I personally ignored this info for over 8 years and carried about 16% body fat, over-trained and almost burned out completely.

Once I implemented the GL-12 strategies discussed above, I was completely shocked when I went to 5% in only 12 weeks and I still use these habits over 10 years later! Even though I’m just a “hillbilly” from Birch Run, Michigan and my friends and family all laughed at me…I still proved that anybody could do it. You can too.

If you’re anything like us, you just spent about 3 or 4 weeks consistently eating more calorie dense foods than any other time of the year because it’s the holiday season. I’m not just talking about the actual day of the holiday either. My wife and I must have had a good 7 to 10 days in December where we made a decision to enjoy our family, friends, and a lot of really good food. We don’t feel guilty and either should you if you did the same thing.

After all, this is what the holidays and December is all about. It’s a great time to recharge your mental and physical battery while embracing quality relationships and enjoying some of the best food of the year. We also use this time to take 7 to 14 days off exercising as well. It’s a perfect time to ‘reset’ your metabolism. This is a necessary part of any life-long fitness program for your body’s ability to adequately recover, prevent burnout, and keep your body responding to the fat burning process the other 11 months of the year.

So let’s talk about a strategy you can use for the next 7 to 10 days to burn a LOT of body fat.

If you’re anything like us and you gained a little or a lot of fat during December, there’s no need to fret because Your Body is Actually Primed To Burn A Bunch Of Fat After the Holidays.

When you use things like our macro-patterning nutrition for prolonged periods of time your Leptin levels drop and your thyroid output slows. Remember, Leptin controls whether your body burns fat or stores fat. You can still burn fat when Leptin levels are low, but it makes it more difficult.

The exact opposite is also true. After a period of high calorie eating like the holidays, Leptin levels are “high” which means your body will burn fat a LOT easier than normal if you know what to do.

This creates the perfect storm for a 7 to 10 day strategic diet to work wonders. This is a 7 to 10 day strategic low calorie burst to trick your body and get a huge jumpstart for 2010.

I want to give credit where credit is due. This is a modified version of Wendy’s famous 7-Day Diet or Deplete Week. It’s simply short bursts of low calorie dieting while depleting carbs.

You can get your calories down to a low level with great results as long as you do it for short periods of time like 7-10 days. I only recommend doing this 1 time per year and you should never do our famous 7-Day Diet or Deplete Week more than 3 times per year.

So What Does This Hybrid of the 7-Day diet and Low Calorie Bursting Look Like?

Here’s a list to get you started.

1) A Low Calorie Protein Source (egg whites, chicken breast, turkey breast, whey protein powder)
2) Greens (Asparagus, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, etc.)
3) Lots of vitamins, anti-oxidants, and a fish oil supplement
4) Vinegar and Oil
5) Plenty of filtered water

The number one key to this strategy is to make sure you take in enough protein to preserve lean muscle mass and enough greens along with SMALL amounts of healthy fats and oils (no nuts or peanut butter) to add enough calories. You should shoot for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight or 1.5 grams if you’re a little more advanced and already active. This does NOT have to be an exact science, but counting protein grams will really help you succeed on this plan.

The goal is to keep calories as low as possible while meeting your protein requirements and adding in green vegetables to keep you feeling full. It is possible to lose 10 to 15 pounds in 10 days with the majority being body fat!

By following this plan, you automatically cut out starches as well, so carbs are automatically super low during this 7 to 10 day burst.

10 Boring Days Of Food

My wife Karen and I are getting ready to do this crash diet on nothing but scrambled egg whites with broccoli or spinach, Chicken breast salads with vinegar and oil, and whey protein shakes.

I know this sounds like a very bland approach, but we like to keep it simple and maximize results. After all, its only 7 to 10 days.

A Couple Important Things To Consider

1. This type of diet is not easy or fun!

Makes no mistake about it…this diet requires sacrifice and discipline. I do extremely well with macro-patterning, but I struggle and tend to get very cranky towards the end of this 7 to 10 day burst.

2. Minimize exercise

Drop your cardio and just focus on a few resistance workouts during this diet. Believe me, you will not have the energy to do cardio with this level of calorie deficit. Even if you are tough enough to hit cardio during this 7 to 10 day period, don’t do it. It will sabotage your results.

A final note. After your finished with this strategic burst, make sure you go right back into Wendy’s macro-pattering nutrition.

After finishing this low calorie burst, my wife Karen and I usually carb down Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. We carb up or cheat on Wednesday (Date Night) and Saturday nights, and do a baseline day on Sundays. This is a great life-long maintenance plan.

Here’s to staying lean for life in 2010. Good luck and let us know how this works for you!

Shaun & The GL-12 Team

P.S. The only way to stay on track and build fat loss habits for 2010 is to follow a proven plan and be held accountable. Our Free CD and Lean For Life Boot Camp provide both.

www.GetLeanIn12.com/fat-loss-secret

The subject and information in this article may seem negative or depressing at first, but it’s very appropriate for this time of year.

Plus, we’ve been bombarded with questions regarding the subject of alcohol and fat loss, so we wanted to take the time to answer all these questions.

There’s actually a very positive long term take-away at the end of this article, so take this information seriously because it can really make the difference.

We give you a list of action steps that you can pro-actively start taking today. Whether you’re a beer lover or just a social drinker, these action steps will help you on your fitness journey.

Ok, time for the negative and depressing stuff first.

Aside from the fact that alcohol decreases reaction time, slows muscle contraction, digestion and thinking, people perceive it to be a stimulant.

That’s probably because it knocks down your inhibitions and makes you act like an idiot. Even though I do like to drink occasionally, my opinion is there’s very little to be said for the positive “benefits” of alcohol.

Although many of us have our “moments” where we celebrate a little too much, lets look at what it does to you nutritionally.

Alcohol is a carbohydrate, or a simple sugar, void of any vitamins or minerals. Since it is a carbohydrate, one ounce of alcohol provides 70 calories. The problem arises because these calories don’t have any vitamins or minerals so the alcoholic finds his hunger satisfied without ever getting proper nourishment leading to serious deficiencies.

One gram of alcohol yields approximately 7 calories, almost twice as much as protein and carbs. From a health standpoint, these calories are empty and useless.

Alcohol is such a simple sugar so it actually enters the bloodstream through the walls of the stomach as opposed to most nutrients, which are absorbed in the small intestine. This quick absorption explains why you may feel the effects of alcohol shortly after having just one or two shots.

It also goes directly to work on the central nervous system and starts to damage valuable brain cells. So far alcohol consumption doesn’t seem like the greatest idea in the world, does it?

But wait! There’s still more. Alcohol damages these brain cells by withdrawing water that is essential for cellular health. Next, it moves on to other cells in your body, which leads to dehydration. That’s the primary reason you’ll get the famous “hang-over-headache”.

We’ve already educated you on how simple sugars impact insulin and fat mobilization.

Alcohol is the equivalent of the most notorious simple sugar, carrying with it all of these other dastardly effects. It requires no digestion. It is a form of fuel, but in this case, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Your cells uptake it because it is so simple, your body will use it for fuel before using other carbs, proteins, or ingested fats. It is considered “nutrient sparing.” Since it becomes the quickest available food since, it spares all other nutrients that follow it.

When calories are prevented from being used as food, what do they likely become? You know the answer by now. Accumulated body fat stores!

If you’re trying to reduce body fat, you should also know that alcohol is very rapidly synthesized into triglycerides and stored as fat. It is also an appetite inducer! If anyone you know has ever gotten drunk (l would presume you might even have , the first thing they wanted to do when the excitement slowed was EAT!

So is alcohol really a stimulant? By now you should see that it isn’t, and in addition to all the effects listed above, it does a number on your motivation and sense of well-being. Of course, this is what we call the famous “hangover”.

Can you drink alcohol and still stay lean?

In the final analysis, this topic seems to be a common struggle I hear from a lot of people…they want to get lean and stay lean, but they don’t want to give up drinking alcohol.

Will a few beers during the football game destroy your fitness program? Probably not. It comes down to a matter of commitment. If you are totally committed to health and fitness, you will probably minimize your alcohol intake.

You’ve heard rumors of the positive cardiovascular effects a daily glass of wine might have because of the antioxidants. Just remember, you can get these antioxidants in many supplements and even from whole food sources without getting all the sugar from the red wine.

If you enjoy an occasional drink or two, that’s fine. Just be aware of the whole picture when alcohol enters your system.

First, I think the best thing anyone can do is live alcohol free until you reach your initial goals or a maintenance type of schedule and then add alcohol back in 1 or 2 times per week in moderation.

The second best option is to limit alcohol intake to once a week after the first 4 weeks of beginning any serious fat loss lifestyle.

I believe most of us can drink in moderation, and still stay perfectly healthy and lean after some initial sacrifice to get to our goals, but there are a few tricks that can help you to not pack on the pounds.

Alcohol Intake Damage Control Plan

1. Get plenty of water to prevent the dehydration. If you decide to drink beer after working up a sweat, I suggest killing your thirst with a few large glasses of water first. Or if you pull a late-nighter, make sure you have damage control in place by drinking extra water before bed and having a water bottle by your nightstand.

2. If you know you’re going to consume more alcohol than you’re supposed to, it helps to make sure that dinner is based only around protein and vegetables.

Eating a good portion of appetite-satisfying protein along with nutrient-rich vegetables can help to control your appetite and give your body the nutrients it needs.

Just like we explained above, too many carbs + alcohol intake = “fat-spill-over”.

3. Make sure you stay away from syrupy, fruity drinks that are loaded with sugar…this has a two fold negative effect for your belly and butt fat. You’re not only getting all of the empty alcohol calories, but also loads of empty sugar calories. These drinks can have as much as 500-600 calories per serving!

The best thing to do is stick with a clear alcohol mixed with water or club soda. Vodka with fresh squeezed grapefruit or lemon juice is my favorite, but I make sure I add water too. Another option is vodka with club soda and extra lemon/lime. This is easier if you’re at a restaurant, bar, or nightclub.

Also, most people don’t realize this, but tonic water is loaded with almost as much sugar as regular pop and club soda has no calories at all.

If you’re a beer drinker, you’re better off choosing just 1 or 2 dark beers rather than 5 or 6 light beers.  Although dark beers have more calories than light beers, they also have more B vitamins and antioxidants than light beers, so you actually get more nutrition from the dark beer.  As long as you keep it to just 1 or 2 dark beers you’ll be ok, but if you go beyond that you should start counting calories and go with a low-calorie light beer option instead.

4. Try to get in a high intensity full body workout or some type of GL-12 or HIIT before your night out of drinking or socializing. This is always a great way get your metabolic rate cranking for some extra damage control.

Also make sure to get in some long duration cardio the morning after your night out along with extra water intake. Your energy will probably stink, that’s why you should stick with lower intensity and focus on sweating and rehydrating.

5. Avoid late night fast food or junk food after drinking. This will sabotage your fat loss efforts big-time! The worst thing for your body is loading up on burger, fries, pizza, ice cream, or other junk foods after consuming alcohol.

The best method is to plan ahead. Make sure you have an alternative healthy option planned ahead of time so when you get home you can heat it up and satisfy your late-night cravings.

There’s also been plenty of times late at night when I will prepare a whey protein shake with natural peanut butter to help “fill me up” because I didn’t have any other food planned ahead. It’s not the ideal situation, but it’s better than eating junk.

6. Make sure you consume extra water and nutrient rich vitamins, anti-oxidants, and food sources the following morning. Alcohol is very good at depleting your body of the vitamins and minerals we need to be healthy and feel normal, so it’s important to replenish these key compounds to help us recover.

Although ridding alcohol intake from our lives is definitely the BEST option, we also have to be realistic. Most people are going to consume some type of alcohol at least socially. If that’s you, why not do it the healthiest way possible and keep yourself on track by using the steps above. This is also a great way to possibly prevent a “hang-over”.

Please leave us a comment and let us know how you liked this article.

Happy New Year!
Shaun and The GL-12 Team

P.S. As far as smoking, how does lung cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, pulmonary disease, emphysema, backing cough, nicotine breath, stained teeth, respiratory illness, throat cancer, and even death sound? Although I’m guilty of an occasional cigar, that’s all I have to say about smoking.

P.P.S. Before the end of this week I’m going to share an aggressive approach to lose 7 to 10 pounds the first 7 to 14 days of 2010. If you’re anything like us, your body and Leptin levels are “primed” to burn fat next week. You don’t want to miss out on this fat burning window.

Let’s face it. Cheating on our nutrition plan is a part of life, so the best way to succeed is to find a life-long approach towards this behavior.

We ALL cheat on our nutrition plan (especially this time of year) so why not try to do it strategically.

The following holiday plan is a simple guide Wendy created so you can strategically splurge on Christmas Day or at any of your holiday events this year without the worry of gaining any fat. Most people experience a weight loss of 2 pounds or more when this plan is followed exactly.

It may look familiar to many of you from Thanksgiving or from our other materials, but it’s always good to be reminded of specific cheating strategies.

If you don’t have our meal plans to follow then here are some guidelines for you.

1.    Consume 5 to 6 small meals daily
2.    Make sure every meal contains a lean protein source and a fibrous veggie
3.    Consume 1 tablespoon of friendly fat in 2 of your daily meals
4.    Only consume starches with your meals as indicated on the plan below
5.    Women drink at least 80 ounces of water daily, men drink at least 100 ounces.

Ok…here’s the plan to follow along with the basics above.

• Saturday December 19th

Baseline Day (2 starchy carb meals with protein
meals before 3pm)

• Sunday December 20th

Baseline Day (2 starchy carb meals with protein
meals before 3pm)

• Monday, December 20th thru Thursday, December 24th   –

Deplete Days (no starches) or Carb Down days (1 starchy carb with
protein meals before 3pm) – you choose based on how much
you want to cheat. If you are new to Macro-Patterning, then we
suggest deplete days…which means under 20 grams total carbs
per day.

•  Christmas Day – CHEAT!!!

This plan works best if you have small amounts of food every
few hours once you rise, until your big meal then OVEREAT!!!
(Yes that is what I said).  This will force your body into an
anabolic response and ultimately help you lose weight. You
might even break into a mild sweat or get hot from the calorie
overload.

• Saturday, December 26th  – The Day After: This day is the most
important part of the Holiday Plan.  – DEPLETE!!!

You must make this a deplete day (under 20 grams of impact carbs)
and cardio activity is suggested first thing in the morning for 45
minutes to one hour if you are capable.

If you know that you cannot deplete or at least Carb-down
(have one starch with breakfast) the day after then don’t do
the over-eat plan above because it will not work to lose weight.
I personally find that Carbing-down is best the day after a Cheat Day
because my appetite is usually higher, especially after cardio.

• Sunday, December 27th  – Do a Baseline Day (2 starches with
protein meals before 3pm) along with your other normal meals,
OR do no starches until your last meal and have what you want.
You choose – if you are new to our strategies then we suggest a
Baseline Day.

• Monday, December 28th - Back to whatever plan you are on or start
carbing down or depleting again to Cheat AGAIN on New Year’s Day.

You can also re-arrange this and apply it to ANY holiday, event, or special occasion. ☺

Following a plan like this is what can make fitness fun for the holidays and most importantly help keep you on track.

Hopefully this will allow all of you enjoy all your holidays this year!
Leave a comment below and let us know how you liked it.

Shaun and The GL-12 Team

P.S. After you leave a comment below, you can get all your other questions answered on our new GL-12 forum and message board. Go check it out.

www.GetLeanIn12.com/forum

First of all, on behalf of the GL-12 team and leadership we would like to wish everyone “Happy Holidays.”

It’s obvious that we all have the same things in common and face the same challenges when it comes to keeping the weight off permanently.

It seems like we all struggle finding enough time for exercise and nutrition and we all have a hard time staying motivated. I know my wife and I searched for years to find long term solutions on how to find the variety and flexibility to stay motivated enough to follow a long-term plan.

That’s why we want to start sharing some of these solutions to help you get ready for the New Year and beyond.

We learned to overcome our frustrations when we discovered and applied all kinds of small but *very powerful* life-long changes to our fitness program that have allowed us to stay lean and fit all year round.

Now that we’re moving into 2010 everybody has Resolutions on their minds. The research shows that over 80% of people make New Year’s resolutions related to weight loss or getting in better shape.

The reality is however, the majority of people continue to fail year after year with fat loss because they look for the quickest way possible and ironically, the longest way is a short-cut.

Your solution?

Learn how to build long-term, efficient fitness habits.

Here are 3 simple steps that we’ve been sharing and using for years that can make ALL the difference.

We call it the GL-12 Fat-Loss Success Triangle.

1. Schedule It

You must plan and prepare ahead of time and schedule your workouts and meals.

We’ve heard it for years, but it’s SO true. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!  Just like opening the doors of your business in the morning, making it to a doctor’s appointment, or picking up your children from school or practice, exercise and nutrition must be scheduled.  We have found that performing 12 to 30 minutes of exercise within an hour of waking up works best for most people.  In fact, research shows that a healthy individual can potentially burn more fat and calories in an intense 12 to 20 minute exercise session performed in the morning on an empty stomach than an entire hour of exercise performed in the evening after eating a few meals.

Not only do you save time and burn more fat and calories; it’s also out of the way and supercharges your metabolism and energy to take on your entire day.

Treat your food intake exactly the same!  Take 15 minutes every night before bed and plan your next day’s eating and exercise into your schedule. This will help you create more time than you have ever had because you won’t be chasing energy or waiting in a fast food line.

2. Use an Accountability System

Seek accountability daily to beat the battle of the bulge for the long haul.

In order for you to be successful at home or in business you have to hold yourself accountable to certain daily obligations, tasks, and large projects.When it comes to being a parent or a mate, we also hold ourselves accountable to spending time with our children and our significant others.  If you don’t invest the time necessary, your business and financial life suffer…and of course ultimately our relationships and family life suffer as well.

The same is true with exercise and nutrition.  Most people fail with fitness because they lack an accountability system.  There are a few different ways to do this depending on your personality and of course desire to succeed.

The best accountability system is to make a financial commitment.  This not only will ensure you the proper way to do things, but also can obligate you through structured appointments or a financial investment. It “hurts” a LOT more when we have to reach into your pocket, and you’re much more likely to follow through.

Another great way to be held accountable is to enter a contest or event with a goal or deadline.  This positive pressure will help you stay focused on a pre-determined goal, and by having a deadline, it creates the urgency needed to help develop consistent habits.  I personally love scheduling a photo shoot. If I have to be in front of a camera on a certain day and time, it creates a healthy sense of urgency to be ready.

The last method of accountability to use is partnering up with a friend or mate and committing to weekly workouts, trainings, or some type of intense classes such as group training, spinning or kickboxing. If possible, it’s a good idea to pay monthly, or in advance, for a package or series of classes for that extra incentive to follow through.

3. Follow the GL-12 Law of Consistency

Strive to be consistent, not perfect

Learning to develop realistic, long-term lifestyle changes is the key to health, vitality, and weight management.  In order to do this, you must come up with a plan that will set you up for creating habits that will last a lifetime.

Because we are all human, we will fall off probably more than once a week.  The key to achieving great results is knowing that when you do fall off, you get right back on track instead of giving up completely.

Karen and I personally like to schedule our workouts before or after events, holidays, or special occasions. If we know we’re going to cheat, we just work out 2 or 3 hours beforehand to rev up our metabolism, or the very next morning as damage control.

Everybody falls, but great people overcome their adversities and immediately get back up. There will never be a perfect time to begin forming fitness habits so the best thing is to begin now by taking small steps today. Use the Law of Consistency. Remember, fat loss and fitness are a journey…NOT an event!

We have found over the years that consistency, not perfection of the basics described here, will give you the philosophies you need to be productive in fitness, business, and in life!

Bringing It Home With Real World Proof

In 1998, I spent 12 weeks doing a physique transformation contest called “Body for Life”.  The contest required four to five hours of intense exercise per week and a balanced carb-cycling nutrition plan.  This was not only a great way to hold myself accountable, but also allowed me to develop long-term, efficient habits that I still use daily over 10 years later.  All because I had desire and a deadline.

It’s inspiring to see what can happen to people when they actually apply these strategies and change just a few small aspects of their plan.  Here’s what happens to people when they take action!

I’ve tried every diet that I could find. I’ve spent 100’s of dollars and I continued to gain weight. I was skeptical of the Get Lean In 12 program. However, I decided to follow the first week closely to prove that it would or would not work for me. On my eighth day, I had already lost 10 lbs! I look and feel better than I have in the last 15 years; and this is just the beginning. I know that as I continue the plan, I will see even greater results. This plan really works! Finally! Thank you Wendy and Shaun for putting this wonderful program together and giving me my life back. I have a new attitude and my health and my body show it!

Elia Gardner – Euless, Texas, 12-07-2009

Applying all these *little* things is what really does make the *big* difference. The most rewarding part is being able to share all the strategies that make such a big difference with others.

Regardless of what you’re plan is for the New Year, if you can focus about five percent of your time weekly on the GL-12 Success Triangle, you can transform your body and dramatically improve focus and productivity in all areas of your personal and financial life at the same exact time.

When all is said and done, the changes in your body will be nothing compared to the person you become.

Now it’s your turn!  Remember that your life will never be in a perfect situation to begin an exercise program.  Set up a small step that you can take now to start developing what can be the most powerful habits in 2010 that you have ever experienced.

Our best to you for a Happy New Year,

Shaun Hadsall and the GL-12 Team

P.S. Be on the look out. In the next few days I’m going to send you the 3 simple nutrition rules you can follow for the holidays and New Year to keep the fat off…forever.

We call it the GL-12 Food Pyramid and it’s a *LOT* different than the traditional food pyramid!

P.P.S. We’re also working on starting up an on-line forum to help everybody with accountability and support, but we need to know you’re interested.

Send us an email and tell us what you think;
responses@getleanin12.com

Wendy inspired and motivated me and countless others to always strive to be better. Her discipline and work ethic served an example of what I aspired to achieve. As soon as she climbed to the top of a mountain, she would look around to find another one to climb.

She taught me that it was our duty and obligation to make sure people heard and understood the fat loss and fitness truth. I’m proud to say she was my friend and consider her one of my greatest mentors. Heaven has gained a Fitness Angel, but Earth has lost a Teacher, Coach, and Motivator whose example is what all people should strive for in life.

Here’s her story.

Wendy was born in Woodbury, NJ and moved to Florida in 1986. A certified Master Personal Trainer and Specialist in Performance Nutrition, a former marathon runner and body builder, she took her skills and founded Forever Fit in 1998.

An inspirational speaker, she took her message to those in the Central Florida area through her fitness and nutrition boot camp. She is the author of the New York Times Bestseller – “Crack the Fat Loss Code” and “Conquer the Fat Loss Code”  (McGraw-Hill).

Wendy’s latest project Get Lean In 12 played on all her strengths as a visionary. By utilizing video Internet Coaching to spread her life-changing message on a global level, Wendy partnered with Body Transformation Expert Shaun Hadsall to help carry on her legacy and continue to help people Crack The Fat Loss Code for years to come.

Each of these endeavors embodies Wendy’s heartfelt mission- to motivate and help others transform their lives and their health through positive lifestyle changes with an “Anti-Diet”, habit-building approach.

Wendy was predeceased by her father, Charles W. Eisele. She is survived by her daughter, Valerie Rita Chant of Tampa, FL; her “Mom”, Ina Williams of Altamonte Springs, FL; her loving fiancé, Scott Tate of Lake Mary, FL; her mother, Doris Wilson, of Danbridge, TN, her beloved pup, “Rusty”; her brothers, Jeffrey Wilson, Thomas Eisele, Derek Wilson and Charles Eisele; her sisters, Kelly White, Crystal Casey and Gail
Campbell; and by a large family including aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews as well as scores of friends, who all will miss her dearly.

A memorial service to honor Wendy’s life will be held at Tuskawilla Presbyterian Church at 3600 W. SR 426, Oviedo, FL on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be gifted to the Hospice of the Comforter, 480 W. Central Parkway, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714.

We will miss you dearly Wendy, but we will continue to carry on your name and legacy by helping people Crack The Fat Loss Code with Get Lean In 12!

Blessings and sincerest sympathy to Wendy’s loved ones,
The Get Lean In 12 Team

Every fat loss and fitness journey starts with the foundation necessary to succeed.  Even though everybody wants a flat stomach or six-pack abs so they can fit into those “skinny-jeans” again and or take their shirt off at the beach this is an “outside-in” approach.  If you really want success your fat burning program must have a long-term-lifestyle approach.

This means starting with an “inside-out” approach and finding your reason “why”.

We know that fat-loss and fitness are the catalyst to fulfillment in every area of life, that’s why I start out by asking you to find your reason “why”.

The one thing every person has in common that succeeds with their fat-loss program and their ability to build habits is that we all have…or had a big enough reason “why”.

So what’s yours? I hate to admit it, but sometimes it’s hard for me to talk about my reason “why” without crying because this information has had such an impact on my life.

Seriously, you can see the original before and after pictures and read part of the story right here;
My Story

Ok, enough of the sappy stuff…let teach you about synergy!

After you found your reason “why”, you have to make up your mind that it’s big enough to build long term habits.

It won’t do you any good to use the super fast fat burning strategies we give you  if you decide to go on some crazy diet or just want to use this temporarily to get to your initial goals.

The Get Lean In 12 fat-burning program is alllll about building long term lifestyle habits through synergy…period.

So if you want to program your body to be a “fat-burner” all day long, you need to learn about making synergy part of your everyday life…consistently.

The 3 components that create “synergy” will guarantee your long term fat loss success…so you can keep the weight off permanently.

How do you do you create synergy in your fat burning program?

By using Get Lean In 12;

• Cardio workouts
• Strength training routines and…
• Fat burning nutrition

All 3 thing must be used together consistently to create a synergistic fat-burning effect. I go over these 3 powerful strategies in detail in the video above.

If you can synergistically use these 3 components consistently…not perfectly, the fat will melt off and your approach will build habits so that your fat-burning program will last a lifetime.

Until next time,
Shaun
Co-Creator of GL-12
www.GetLeanIn12.com/fat-loss-secret

It’s kinda funny. The Get Lean In 12 fat burning program was originally just a “test” and all of a sudden it’s getting all kinds of attention.

I have been overwhelmed with emails and inquiries and I never expected it. I’m having a blast going through them all…but it’s been hard to keep up.

Of course, who wouldn’t want to burn more fat from our GL-12 catalyst than you could in a long, boring hour of traditional cardio?

Here’s how: Check out the Get Lean In 12 Fat Burning Program Here

If you’re anything like me when I was first introduced to fat burning cardio workouts as a way to get the body I wanted, it was all about staying in my target-heart rate. I beat my head against the wall for 8 years straight doing 1 and 2 hours workouts with hardly any results until I discovered how to use cycling methods in my cardio, workouts, and nutrition.

Today, I’m going to show you how to apply this unique cycling strategy to your fat burning cardio workouts.

Even though the Get Lean In 12 fat burning cardio workout has always given me more “bang” for my “buck” (12 minutes) I’ve found it necessary to implement other strategies for variety and continuous progression with my fat loss efforts.

This information will change the way you think about and approach all your fat burning cardio workouts.

As we go into detail about cycling your cardio make sure you think about applying this approach to all 3 areas of your fitness program

• Nutrition (up to 75% of your results)
• Cardio (we’ll show you this today)
• •Strength Training or Weights (You must train with weights)

Using Get Lean In 12 Cycling is one of the keys for you to have continuous fat-loss over the long-haul. It will also potentially prevent injury and burn-out that are so prevalent with over-training or other old-school approaches and other fat burning cardio workouts. Remember, this is a lifestyle.

Ok, so here we go. Again, the focus is on cardio today. There are 3 systems that you want to target in your cardio workouts.

System 1:  Aerobic
System 2: Threshold
System 3: Creatine Phosphate

Today we will give you a foundation so you can start experimenting at your current level of fitness within each of these systems.

System 1: Foundation or Aerobic

Type of workout used for this cycle:

• •Low Intensity, Long Duration (45 to 60 minutes)
• Medium Intensity, Medium Duration (20 to 40 minutes)
• Circuit Training (30 to 45 minutes)

In the aerobic system, oxygen is used to break down fatty acids and glucose to release energy. This is great for beginners and obese people. In other words, oxygen is primarily present so you can go longer.

Remember…more is NOT better. Perform this type of cardio at least once a week for 45 minutes or longer at a steady pace.

*Note: It’s also a good idea to practice this for a couple weeks before putting our famous GL-12 fat burning cardio workout to the test.

System 2: Threshold

Type of workout used for this cycle:

• •Aerobic Interval Training (30 to 45 minutes)
• GL-12 Threshold Training (20 to 40 minutes)

This is the intensity level just above Aerobic training and you can typically stay in this zone 3 to 5 minutes at a time before letting your heart rate come back and recovering for anywhere between 1 and 3 minutes.

This system has several important benefits. Research shows that threshold training allows your body to respond continuously from the aerobic type training discussed above.

This is important to know because so many people hit a wall when they get stuck in the aerobic zone. It will also help you burn more fat and calories but research shows this only works when incorporating a base of Aerobic (system 1) and Get Lean In 12 (system 3) along with it.

Try doing a 5 minute warm-up and doing medium-intensity burst for 1 to 3 minutes and then recover by going slower for 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat this cycle 4 or 5 times and cool down.

System 3: Creatine Phosphate or H.I.I.T.—High Intensity Interval Training

Type of workout used for this cycle:

• •Get Lean In 12 (12 minutes)
• H.I.I.T.— High Intensity Interval Training (15 to 30 minutes)

Lastly is creatine phosphate or Get Lean In 12. This system can only support high intensity effort for 15 to 30 seconds at a time. The main thing to remember with Get Lean In 12 workouts is that although they are only 12 minutes in length…they will increase both the “aerobic” AND “anaerobic” systems at the same exact time. No other cardio exercise that I know of has ever been shown to do this as effectively as Get Lean In 12. Not only that, but studies show you can elevate your metabolism for up to 48 hours from just one GL-12 workout.

Again, just remember the “more” is not “better” GL-12 philosophy. Doing a bunch of GL-12 workouts OR any other of the above workouts more than we recommend on a weekly basis is not the answer.

Continuously cycling your fat burning cardio workouts, weight training and carb-intake (a.k.a. macro-patterning) is the answer.

Don’t overcomplicate this wisdom. If you’re just getting started or you’re not advanced, experiment with 1 workout per system to start with.

If you add in weight training (which you definitely should) 3 or 4 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes you’ll be able to get a flat stomach or six pack abs in only 5 hours a week.

System #3 is actually like a ‘secret system’ because so many people are afraid of intensity. This is actually how Get Lean In 12 was founded and created because it saves the most time and gives you the biggest bang for your effort.

If you think you’ll get bored of the sprinting, change it up. You can use the GL12 cardio to do dozens of different exercises; mountain climbers, jump rope, standing jump-squats, squat thrusts, high-step sprints…you get the idea. Don’t be afraid to change it up. Variety is a spice of life.

Every 4 to 6 months you should go back to just aerobic training for a week or 2 to build a new foundation so you keep responding to H.I.I.T.
and GL12.

Also, once or twice a year during a Deplete Week or The 7 Day Diet you should take a week or two off training all together to help you reset your metabolism and recharge your body for longevity.

In fact, when I first discovered GL-12 I took my body fat to under 5% really fast, so I wondered “why” it worked so incredible. After doing my research I put together a free special report called “Get Lean In 12 Cardio Revealed” along with a Free audio CD revealing all our secrets.

You can get them both right here: Fat Burning Cardio Workout Secrets

Three things happened to me as a result of applying and making Get Lean In 12 exercise and nutrition cycling a part of my lifestyle.

• •First, I developed habits that are now rituals.•
• Second, I found my passion in life and I’m now sharing it with you.
• Third, it was the catalyst for me to create life-changes.

Thousands of our students, followers, and clients have done it.
Why not you?

Until next time,
Shaun Hadsall
Co-creator
www.GetLeanIn12.com