12 Week Challenge & Weight Loss That’ll Transform You

Are you looking for a 12 week challenge that’ll:

• Hold you accountable every week so you can transform your body?
• Support and motivate you every week so you keep the weight off for good?
• Provide you with a detailed strength training program – tailored to you?
• Show you how to exercise with proper technique – especially with weights?
• Provide you with dietary guidelines catered to your body type, so you fit back into clothes that make you feel confident?
• Push you every week so you improve your health and feel attractive again?

If so, then read this entire post till the end. It may help you keep the weight off for good with your next challenge.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

1. First, Why I DON’T Recommend 12 Week Challenges… Unless

1. You know how to track your food consistently…
2. Exercising with the correct technique is not a problem for you…
3. You have no serious injuries, aches or pains…
4. And you don’t binge eat few times per week…

Let me explain further…

1.1 Do You Know How to Track Your Food?

Most 12 weeks challenge will give you generic weight loss meal plans when you sign up.

It’s either included or you need to pay extra.

These meal plans are great to use as a guide but not to follow.

Why?

Because they are not tailored to your lifestyle.

And if they are, they are rigid.

But more on that later.

Look, the reason why diet plans are never tailored to you is that:

1. It would take too long to build tailored meal plans (based on foods each participant love to eat).
2. Unless there’s a registered nutritionist or dietician creating these plans… it’s beyond their scope to provide rigid meal plans.

1.1.1 Here’s The Problem With Meal Plans!

Like I said before, they are rigid.

It’s either all or nothing.

This is how we gauge success:

“I followed the meal plan this week and I was good”

or

“I was bad and didn’t follow the meal plan”

How many times have you ‘cheated’ or ate something that’s not on your plan?

Many times… right?

How do you feel afterwards?

Like you failed?

This is the problem with rigid meal plans.

Since 2009, I have seen many people lose weight from fit challenges. Then regain the weight. Sign back up to another challenge, in the attempt to lose what they regained.

Does this sound silly to you?

There’s nothing amazing about this.

This shows they can lose weight and put it back on.

Isn’t the point of losing weight… to keep it off? Unless you’re a bodybuilder.

1.1.2 Here’s Why People Regain Weight After 12 Week Challenges…

When you eat low-calories for an extended period of time, your metabolism will slow down.

It’s one reason why people plateau.

Why do you think overweight people lose weight faster?

It’s because they haven’t yo-yo dieted eating few calories for an extended period.

Your body is smart.

It will do whatever it needs to keep you alive aka homeostasis.

So, if you’re starting Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is 1500 calories.

And to lose weight, you needed to consume 1200 calories per day.

Over time, your BMR will drop to a new set point.

And with very few calories, your body’s first priority is to keep you alive. 

Now, at some point, you will crave and want higher calorie food.

Why?

Because

1. They are delicious!
2. You don’t want to be the only one eating rabbit food on Christmas
3. It’s your birthday
4. It’s your friends birthday
5. You’re on holidays and there’s yummy food
6. It’s your time of the month (TOM) and you crave chocolate

The list goes on…

If your metabolism/lean body mass is low, any extra calories your body cannot burn off will get stored as fat.

Can you see why doing tons of fitness challenges, eating low calories for an extended period of time… without proper muscle building programming will increase your chances of being skinny fat?

1.1.3 But Peter I Eat Healthily…

Look, regardless of whether you eat ‘clean’, ‘healthy’ or ‘vegan’…

Calories are calories.

And if you don’t believe me, eat 3000 calories of avocado and let me know if you gain weight or not.

1.1.4 But Peter, Don’t You Have To Eat Fewer Calories To Lose Weight?

Yes, but it’s never a one size fits all.

The body is more complex than we think.

And peoples dieting and training history play an important part in getting results.

If it was so simple why do people struggle to keep the weight off or… in some cases, lose weight to start with.

Ok, Let me give you 2 examples of clients that I’ve encounter and why eating few calories didn’t work for them.

1.1.5 Examples of Why Cutting Calories Doesn’t Always Work…

Due to privacy, I am referring these clients by numbers.

Client number 1

Female at 87kg. Has never lifted proper weights. Her lean body mass is 37kg. About 42% of her body is fat. She has yo-yo dieted for years. At 87kg, you’d think eating less is the solution right? Wrong. Her body is starving due to long durations of low-calorie eating. She started seeing results after increasing her calories. Lifting weights and focusing on muscle building helped her increase lean body mass. She started seeing more definitions and she was able to eat higher-calorie foods.

Client number 2

Male at 98kg. In the past, he did CrossFit, boot camps, and group classes. He has belly and back fat that he wants to get rid of. His chest is flat. His arms look like twigs. After assessing his exercise form. It turns out that he’s going through the motion as a pose to using his muscles to lift the weights. 45% of his body is fat mass and 45kg is lean body mass. Before working with us, his calories were low during the week and binged over the weekend. Cutting calories increased his binging episodes. We decided to increased his daily calories to suppress hunger. This reduced his binge-eating episodes. We incorporated re-feeds on the weekend to cater for weekend frenzy with mates. We modified his technique and showed him how to lift weights using his muscles. 2 weeks into his training he started noticing his gut looking flatter. I was able to increase his calories much faster due to an increase in muscle mass. This stopped his binge eating events.

So, as you can see…

Sometimes it’s not as simple as cutting calories.

1.1.6 1500 Calorie Meal Plans or Less

From our data, clients who did too much cardio lost lean body mass faster than those who didn’t

I’ve seen a lot of fitness gurus generic cookie-cutter meal plans to members who do their programs.

Standard meal plans are 1500 calories or less for everyone.

And everyone has must train 4-6 classes per week.

That’s like saying, you and I are the same.

You have exactly the same muscles, hormones, metabolism, lifestyle, stress levels as me.

And if you eat and train exactly like me, you can look like me.

These meal plans require you to cut out “junk food” which makes you crave it more – as a pose to teach you how to incorporate it.

And because you crave it more, you tend to binge, causing you to gain more weight.

You then feel like a failure.

This is a vicious cycle.

And if you’ve done more than 3-5 challenges and

1. You’re not where you want to be
2. You’ve gained more weight
3. You look skinny fat
4. You don’t look toned or fit
5. You feel weak, tired, lack energy – due to low calories

Then most likely your metabolism has lowered and it’s time for you to reverse the damage.

Understand this!

WE ARE NOT EQUAL!

Having the SAME meal plan as everyone else is like saying

“Asians and Caucasians are all the same”

We all have different lifestyles, metabolism, lean muscle mass and… we all train differently.

1.1.7 This Is Why 12 Week Meal Plan Don’t Work

How many times have you fallen off the diet plan and told  yourself that, “I’ll start again on Monday… this time I’ll be good.”

Come Monday, you’re back on the diet.

Everything’s going well UNTIL your friend sends you a text message,

“Hey it’s been a while, wanna catch up for dinner on Wednesday night?”

You don’t want to say no because the last time you did, you lost a friend.

And you don’t want to go because you’re trying to stick to the diet.

You convince yourself that you’ll go, BUT… you’ll drink in moderation and choose a healthy option meal.

Come Wednesday morning, you’ve had ‘bacon and eggs, toast, coffee and some cake.’

You didn’t follow your diet plan.

You feel guilty for having the cake but you tell yourself

“we’ll… I’ve already fallen off the diet and… I’m going out for dinner so I’ll start the diet again on Monday”

Come next week… something else pops up and the cycle starts all over again.

4 weeks into your challenge and you see no progress.

You can’t stick to the plan no matter how much you try.

And this year’s fat loss goal is turning into a disaster.

You’re even doing those at home workout plan without equipment that they gave you.

How do I know this?

This use to be me.

Many years ago, before Peter Nguyen Fitness, I was given meal plans from coaches.

I could never stick to my diet.

Monday to Thursday was good. I was exercising every day. Come Thursday night, I’d be out with friends having a few drinks, pizzas and chips.

I’d tell myself every time “next week… I’ll be good and stick to the plan.”

Come Thursday… my diet goes out the window again!

It was a vicious cycle that never ended.

I’ve met many clients who’ve done the same as me.

It was until I learnt how to track my food and incorporate it into my lifestyle.

That’s when I was able to lose the weight and keep it off.

This is why all my clients who train with me lose weight… (some get ripped) and keep it off.

IN MY OPINION

When you do a challenge, it SHOULD NEVER be about cutting food out – regardless if it’s considered ‘bad’.

Why?

Because you will BINGE.

And, there is no such thing as bad food… ONLY too many calories for your lean body mass!

Look……

Pizza has chicken and tomatoes as their toppings YET they are considered as good foods…

BUT

pizza on its own is considered as “bad food”

Crazy right?

Here’s the thing

Have you ever eaten ANY food that’s considered bad… that’s immediately harmful after eating it? (unless you are allergic to it)

No right?

Instead of restricting yourself from foods that you love to eat. Learn how to track your food. Eat-in accordance with your daily macronutrient intake.

That way you can eat what you want… when you want – without the guilt.

And if you want to eat more, build more muscle and increase your metabolism.

1.1.8 What 12 Week Challenge Programs Should Be About 

A 12 week fitness challenge program SHOULD be about you sticking to your daily macronutrients and adhering to your tailored training program for 12 weeks.

It’s about you setting new lifestyle habits.

And not cutting food out just to see how long it will take before you binge.

Your 12 week challenge coach should continue to adjust your training and nutrition – and find which system works better with your lifestyle.

Remember, you want to lose the weight and keep it off.

1.2 Do You Know How To Exercise With Correct Technique?

There’s nothing wrong with doing a 3-month body transformation program.

Most people who do outdoor fitness challenges usually exercise with poor technique.

Exercising with poor technique

• Increases injury
• Requires you to do more to see results
• Doesn’t build muscle

When I first started physical training years ago, I was doing boot camps. I thought that was the way to go.

I noticed that 99% of people were exercising with poor technique.

They were just going through the motion.

I was going around correcting each clients technique.

Unfortunately, some clients were slow learners which required more of my time.

It was unfair for others if I spent more time on one client – when they all paid the same rate.

1.2.1 The best way to do group classes

I  divided my group into males and females… then broke them into categories (beginners, novice, intermediate and advanced lifters).

Advance lifters would pay a lower rate and beginners would pay a higher rate.

Clients were required to show they could exercise with the correct technique to move onto the next level.

To help clients progress faster, I would give extra at-home workouts for beginners (with and without equipment).

For those who felt confident going to the gym, I would build them gym workout plans.

I would tailor their program based on their strengths and weakness.

And I’d give them the best exercises to lose weight fast.

During my years of coaching, I’ve noticed clients who exercise with the correct form shed fat faster.

Why?

My data shows that clients that have better exercise form usually have higher lean body mass.

The more muscle you have, the faster metabolism and the more weight you can keep off.

This is why some people see physical results within the first 3-4 weeks of their challenge… whereas others struggle no matter how many sessions they do.

If you struggle exercising with proper technique, I would not recommend challenges.

This leads me to the next point.

1.3 Do You Currently Have Injuries, Aches or Pains?

If you have existing injuries, aches or pain, I would NOT recommend any boot camps, HIIT, Cross fit or challenges.

Why?

It’ll increase your chance of an injury or make it worse.

Here’s what I mean.

If you’re injured:

1.  You won’t be doing the exercises with a full range of motion… why… because you’ll only be exercising to a point where you don’t feel pain. Also, exercising with half reps will increase your chances of an injury.
2. If you’ve ever exercised with correct form, you know that it’s done slow and controlled. Keeping the tension on the muscle. Most group class training requires you to compete against time. This means you tend to train with sloppy form and pay less attention to technique.

Also, performing half reps will decrease your chances of building lean muscle mass. Always go full range of motion when possible.

However, if working up a sweat is what you want, then group class style training might be right for you.

How you do the exercise is more important than the choice of exercises.

If you’re a beginner with exercising, I’d focus on slowing down your exercises and pay attention to form.

Get an at-home exercise plan tailored to you. So you’re under no pressure to compete against another member or the clock.

You will get better results.

However, if you don’t have any injuries, aches or pains… and you know how to exercise with the correct technique… then a 3-month body transformation program can be right for you.

1.4 Do You Currently Binge a Few Times Per Week?

If you binge at least once a week then I do not recommend a challenge.

Why?

Eating fewer calories will only amplify your binge eating episodes.

If you binge because of stress at work then I would look at resolving that matter first.

I have spoken to clients who’ve done weight loss transformation programs. They were eating 1000 calories per day and exercising 5-6 days per week.

When asking questions about their binging episodes, it turns out that it’s stress-related.

And on top of this, they were told to cut out alcohol, junk food, sugar, sodas… and replace it with salads.

Which is like a double whammy to binge eating.

Stress from work PLUS extra stress from foods that you love is a recipe for disaster.

This is the fastest way to get someone to binge eat and have a bad relationship with food.

Every time you binge you’re:

Increasing your chances of storing more fat, due to a slower metabolism.

How do I know?

I use to do it.

My partner did it.

She showed me the diet they put her on when she signed up for their 8-week challenge.

It made me cringe!

I’ve had clients come to me with eating disorders.

Look, losing weight is already hard enough!

And the thought of eating a low-calorie diet will be more depressing.

Here are some reasons why you might binge during a challenge.

1. You’re not losing weight and feel depressed
2. or you’re not losing at the rate you want and… you negatively telling yourself “What’s the point, I’m not seeing any results by not eating it… I might as well eat it.”
3. If work is stressful and ice cream is your comfort food… You’re going to be tempted to indulge because it makes you feel good. And because you categories it as ‘bad food’ you’ll eat the whole tub to prevent you from eating it later.
4. If you’re female, and during your TOM is when you crave certain foods, well… guess what? You’re going to indulge!

So, if you suffer from a binge eating disorder, I do not recommend challenges.

If anyone tells you that their challenge will help fix your binge eating disorder, run for the hills. They are lying.

1. I can tell you now, they have never experienced binge eating – so they don’t know what it feels like.
2. They don’t stress like you, because they don’t binge. 90% of binge eating disorder is stress-related.
3. They’re not a female so they don’t understand what you go through.

BUT, if you

1. Know how to track your food…
2. Know how to exercise with correct technique…
3. Don’t have any serious injuries, aches or pains…
4. And don’t binge

Then a 3-month body transformation challenge could be right for you.

So, let me share with you our 12-week challenge and you can see if this is right for you

2. What Our 12 Week Fitness Challenge Is About

Here’s the thing, your health and fitness can be both gruelling and frustrating.

Especially if you’ve been working out for quite some time and struggle to see results. 

The truth is, you can achieve your health and fitness goal if you… or your coach knows what to do.

12 things you need to know and have in place if you ever want to reach your goal.

1. How many calories do you need per day and week to reach your goal?
2. How much protein, carbs, fats and fibre do you need per day to reach your goal?
3. How much water does your body need to stay hydrated?
4. How to track your food eating out?
5. How to eat with family and get results?
6. Your current lean body mass?
7. How much fat do you need to lose per week to reach your goal?
8. Which exercises are better for you and your body type?
9. Are you exercising with the correct form?
10. Do you get 7-8hrs of sleep per night?
11. Do you stress a lot?
12. Do you have 5-6 clear urinations per day?
13. Are you having 1 or more good bowel movements per day?

These are just some factors that need to be in place… or addressed if you ever want to see results.

Customising your program is the fastest way for you to see changes to your body.

Why?

Because your instructor can choose the right exercises for you… so that you can build more muscle in the areas that you want to see change.

Just remember, you can’t spot fat reduction.

Anyone that tells you they can. Run for the hills.

And when you lose body fat, your muscles will pop.

You’ll also want a program that’s designed for your body so that you minimize the chance of any injuries.

On top of that, we always check regularly to make sure your exercise technique is on point.

3. How To Get Results With Our 12 Week Transformation Challenge

At Peter Nguyen Fitness, we understand that the best way for you to reach your goal is by

1. Customising your program
2. Tracking your training program
3. Tracking your body composition
4. Make changes when you plateau

This needs to be done CONSISTENTLY!

Why?

1. Because you can’t make changes to what you don’t know.
2. Tracking your results on a week to week basis allows you to make educated adjustments when you plateau.
3. By knowing your body composition, we can give you the right amount of protein, carbs, fats and fibre. This is to ensure your body gets the right nutrients it needs so that you can get back into shape much faster.
4. Customising your program will ensure that you see changes to parts of your body that you want to improve.
5. Certain movements may not sit right with your body at the moment. By tracking your training you can make changes where needed. And come back to the exercise in the future and see if the problem is fixed.
6. Your results become predictable if your coach maps out your program correctly.

With our coaching program, we give you an estimated date of when you can expect to reach your goal – if you follow the plan. 

And no, I am not pulling your leg.

I’ve given every client an estimated date and those that follow the plan always hit the mark. 

This will help you plan outfits for weddings, birthdays or anniversary.

Our focus is to get results and consistently keep you in shape, so you can look and feel good all year round.

If you want to shape up for an upcoming vacation, look good for an event or be in the best shape of your life, then our fitness program could be for you. 

Click here to apply for your tailored program.

At Peter Nguyen Fitness, we guarantee no shady fitness tricks in our programs.

We apply proven strategies, shortcuts and years of experience to help you regain self-confidence.

In return, give us your commitment and work ethic.

We’ll hold you accountable and support you every step of the way.

If you want a NO B.S. approach to transforming your body, then Peter Nguyen Fitness 12 week coaching might be right for you.

If you’re ready to get started, click here and complete the form.

4. Here’s What You’ll Get Once You Join Our Body 12 Week Fitness Challenge

4.1 For Both Online & Offline Clients

• A tailored strength training program focusing on your weaknesses… so that you can lose weight and maintain a healthy body.
• We’ll also have gym workout plans for beginners… so that you know exactly what to do at the gym, get fit, increase your energy and get back on track with your health.
• Custom calories and macronutrients to help you lose those extra weights you’ve gain.
• Weekly body composition measurements so that you don’t continue to see minimal results from your training.
• Photos before & after so you can see how young you look since shedding all the fat.
• Peter will adjust your program IF needed to ensure that you do not plateau.
• Access to Peter even after hours… just not at 3 am when you’re not sober lol.
• Unlimited support during your program… so that you don’t get lazy, unmotivated and fall off the wagon.
• Peter’s 25page nutrition guide eBook… so that you learn the fundamentals and not let your eating get out of control.
• Exercise critique and video demonstrations… so you can have the knowledge to take your health and fitness to the next level.

4.2 Online Clients 

• Weekly ZOOM check-ins
• Exercise critique

4.3 Offline Clients 

• To see Peter at the Brisbane studio, you don’t need to become a member. If you have your own gym, he will program you based on the types of equipment you have. You just pay for your sessions.
• You can train at the private fitness studio that Peter works out of. There are no meatheads. It’s private and intimate. There are no contracts. You can cancel anytime.

As you can tell, each session is carefully tailored according to your level of fitness. We guarantee satisfaction. Clients who follow our program ALWAYS reach their goals!

We’re serious about helping you achieve your dream body!

We make sure to support you every step of the way, cheer you on and celebrate your wins.

5. Cost For Our 12 Week Fitness Challenge

We don’t know exactly what you need help with.

Some clients need further help with food coaching, you may not.

You may need more help with exercise technique outside our training times, others may not.

Others might need a training program to do at home or at the gym, you may not.

It depends on what you need to reach your goal.

We’ll sit down after your consultation, tailor your program and discuss your investment.

6. What Our 12 Week Challenge Isn’t About

1. We’re not about putting you on low calories so you can get results. This will mess you up, make you binge and induce a bad relationship with food.
2. We’re not about getting you to do a ton of cardio or exercising 5-6 days per week… knowing that you’ll fail after 12 weeks is over. We’re about helping you adopt a fitness system that works for you and your life… so that you get back into shape.
3. We don’t care if you’re vegan, vegetarian or have other dietary requirements. We’ll show you how to get results with whatever dietary requirements you have. Just know Peters done every diet you can think of.
4. We don’t want you doing repetitive rounds of challenges only to binge off rounds. This is not smart training and definitely not holistic.

We want you to get results where

• You’re able to fit back into the clothes that make you feel sexy!
• You look and feel good about yourself again
• You have consistent energy throughout the day
• You have better sleep
• You have good blood results
• You feel confident out in public
• You are physically strong

So if you want a more sustainable health and fitness program then you can apply to work with us here.

7. Who Can Sign Up For Our 12 Week Transformation Challenge?

Anyone who is ready to commit, take action and wants to see results. 

If you live in Brisbane, GREAT! You can see us in person. But if you don’t, no worries, we’ll coach you online.

Whether you see us at the studio or we coach you online, our style and professionalism are the same.

Our online clients get way better results.

It might be because they ask more questions since they can’t see me.

I prefer it when clients ask me a ton of questions…

Why?

Because if you don’t ask questions, I assume you know it all and you’re all good.

So, whether you’re an entrepreneur, a mom, or even a student, we can help you.

As long as you’re serious about achieving your fitness goals and you’re willing to put in the work.

Still not sure if Peter Nguyen Fitness is right for you? 

Check out our testimonial below and see if this is right for you

8. Some of Our 12 Week Challenge Before and After Photos.

“I’m 21 years of age and before I started seeing Peter, I always weighed around the 100kg mark. I had a terrible immune system, I was always getting sick. I was tired, I had really next to no confidence and most importantly I did not fit into what I wanted to and I decided I needed to change. When I met Pete, my goal was to lose some weight before my 21st in April. I ended up losing 16kg and a recent 8-week challenge I did with Peter, I lost another 5kg. Pete customises my training and diet to suit my schedule. I was still eating the food choice that I like to eat whilst losing weight at the same time, which is the one thing that fascinated me the most. Step by step he shows you how to train, how you should be eating your food. My confidence is up and I fit into things that I never thought possible. Thanks, Pete for all your coaching!

Nikita Martinz 

“I have lost over 8kg in less than 4 months with Peter. He fitted my weight loss around my lifestyle rather than my lifestyle around weight loss. NO STRICT DIETS!!!! Peter takes a holistic approach to making a sustainable transformation and is there supporting you every step of the way.”

Therese O’Connor

“Pete was my coach for a period of 4 months where he transformed me into the best shape of my life! He was able to motivate me and I always felt he was giving me 100%. I always struggled with diet and Pete incorporated foods that I enjoy into a food plan that worked wonders! Eat pizza and lose fat, gotta love that! Would recommend him to anybody wishing to meet their own fitness goals.”

James O’toole

“Peter is the complete package when it comes to managing a fitness program. He guided me through his step by step coaching program which helped me lose the weight that I wanted. I was fascinated by how flexible my diet was, which is amazing as I get bored really easily. When I first started with Peter I weighed slightly over 90kg. Within a few short months the weight fell off and I was 10kg lighter. I had not only lost my excess weight but I had a lot more energy throughout the day, I felt healthier.”

Marc Cook

9. Sign Up For Your Body Transformation Challenge TODAY!

Reading about other people’s transformation is one thing but…

making your own fitness transformation happen is another story.

It’s about time you make the right choice for yourself and use our 3-month challenge plan to transform your body.

Peter will guarantee you results if you are willing to put in the work and follow his guidance.

If you are a beginner, don’t stress… he’ll construct a weight loss workout plan based on your strengths and weakness.

If you’re ready to get started… and you want amazing before and after then sign up here.

Let’s work together on your fitness goal… so you can regain self-confidence and feel good about your body again.

See you on the inside!