How to Finally Get Lean

When people fail to get lean, they very rarely take responsibility.

It’s hard to acknowledge that we’re not disciplined. Blaming our metabolism or hormones makes us feel better about ourselves. But deep down we know it’s out fault.

A calorie deficit always leads to fat loss. No matter if you eat carbs or fats, clean or dirty, 6 meals a day or 2 meals a day, no matter if you eat in the morning or evening, if you are in a deficit – you WILL lose fat.

Now, it’s true that metabolic rate does does go down when you lose weight. But never enough to eliminate a calorie deficit and stop weight loss. For example in the starvation study conducted at the University of Minnesota in 1945, 36 young volunteers were fed around 1500 calories per day for 6 months.

Guess what happened?

They all got to around 5% body fat, really close to death. These people lost 25% of their bodyweight and still their metabolism was not damaged. It did go down, but only by a maximum of 15% below what would be expected from weight loss. Not enough to offset the deficit.

After all this evidence, if people can’t accept that it’s their fault, there’s really not much hope for them. They’ll keep having the victim mentality and never change anything.

Taking Responsibility

But I think most of us do take responsibility for our results. We face a different problem.

We KNOW how to do better, we just DON’T UNDERSTAND why we’re not doing it.

You know how to create that deficit to lose fat. You know it takes time. You know you need to be disciplined. And yet you always find ways to convince yourself you can have a little bit more food, you find a way to convince yourself you deserve a cheat day. Or the most common excuse: you convince yourself you will make up for it tomorrow.

We know it’s wrong. Why do we do this?

It’s because of our mental programming.

Our Mental Programming controls our Life

We always do what we see ourselves in our mind doing, not what we know how to do.

I bet that at this very moment you know how to get in better shape, you know how to do your job better, you know how to be more productive, you know how to have better relationships, you know how to improve your results – but you don’t do it.

Why? Because it doesn’t feel like you, right? It doesn’t fit the way you see yourself in your mind. Your self image always corresponds with your results. Watch this video: (no really, watch it)

Let me give you my example. I never had an issue getting lean – I’ve always seen myself lean in my mind. But I couldn’t see myself big and strong. Why do you think I’m only this muscular after training for almost three years?

I wasted many months hopelessly trying to improve my results without changing my self image.

I would go to the gym, have a great workout and when it came time to eat and gain weight I would convince myself not to eat big because I could gain fat. So I stayed the same.

After setting a big PR, the next workout I would have these thoughts: “I’m just not feeling it today”, “I didn’t sleep well last night”, “What if I’m overtraining?” so of course, I missed the lift.

Everytime I got better results than my self-image, my behavior would unconsciously change to bring me back on track. Did I know how to do better? You bet, I was coaching others on how to train and gain muscle. And they got awesome results, I didn’t.

Your self image and your body fat

Your self image is probably the reason you can’t get lean. If I asked you: Picture yourself at the beach this summer. Do you see yourself with your current physique or your goal physique?

If you see yourself with your current physique I can guarantee you won’t get lean this summer. I don’t care how much you study or what program you follow.

Unless you change your self image every time you get a little leaner you’ll get these thoughts:

1. I’m looking so flat, I should do a refeed (excuse to eliminates the deficit)
2. I’m getting too small, I should go back to bulking (excuse to eliminates the deficit)
3. I’m feeling weak, I should eat more (excuse to eliminates the deficit)
4. so on…

These seem to be your logical thoughts but they really aren’t. The way your self-image brings you back to your normal results is through the voice of reason. 

Rationalize = rationing lies to the mind.

You need to recognize that those thoughts are created by your old mental conditioning, they are not yours.

How do you Change your Self Image?

You do it through awareness and imagination.

Awareness is transformative in and of itself. The simple fact that you now that your self image controls your life, you have the power to change. From now on you’ll no longer identify yourself with every thought you get.

And imagination is where you create your new life.

Take a piece of paper and divide it in two:

On the left side write your current physique. Underneath it write your current habits. This is what you do daily that bring you these results.

On the right side write your goal physique. Underneath write all the habits require for you to reach that goal.

Now take a step back and look at the differences. You now see what needs to be changed in your life for you to reach your goal. Every time you get a thought rationalizing why you shouldn’t do something written on the right side, know that it’s a lie and ignore it.

Realize that the actions written on the right side need to become your normal behavior in order for you to have your goal physique in the long run. The actions required for you goal feel like dreadful disciplines, only when your goal is not your self image.

If your self image is your goal, they no longer feel like disciplines, they are your normal behavior. You’re just being yourself.

More resources on the subject of self image:

• The Image Maker by Bob Proctor
• Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
• You were Born Rich by Bob Proctor

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The Aggressive Fat Loss Program

This is the fat loss program that I use and recommend.

You know what’s interesting? Unlike me, Greg always saw himself big and muscular but never lean and defined. He failed to get lean over and over again no matter what diet he used.

Just like in my case, he succeeded only when he changed his self image.

This is why he included a self hypnosis recording in this program. So that people can reprogram their mind to accept their new lean physique.

I’m sure most people buying this course don’t even listen to it. But these are the same people that can’t make a lasting change.

I highly recommend you check out this program. In terms of practical nutrition methods it’s the best I’ve ever read. And on top of that it addresses habit change and mental reprogramming – in my opinion the missing link in most diets.

Click here to learn more about the Aggressive Fat Loss Program.