Debora  A. Wendte, Ph.D.

Your fat loss goal will not happen overnight, maybe not even in a year, but it will happen with hard work and consistancy in both your training and nutrition.Losing Body Fat is Hard! 

Let’s get this straight: Weight loss/Fat loss is not a willy-nilly, sorta do something every once in a while kinda thing. It’s a full on battle.

Stop being a sissy and get in there AND FIGHT!

Drawing Up a Detailed Plan of Attack

Plan! Plan! Plan!  What can you stick with FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

Here are five (5) reasonable exercise rules to follow if you want to be successful and achieve your fat loss goal:

1. At least five workouts per week
2. At least one hour per workout
   
   
3. At least 60-90 minutes of physical activity EVERY day (This does not need to be formal exercise at a gym; e.g., walking, cleaning, gardening, etc.)
4. Select activities you enjoy and stick with them (again, this is a lifestyle change)
5. For gosh sakes, hire a qualified trainer to help you (or at the very least, take an exercise class)

That's it. Stick with it. No excuses. If you really want the results, you will abide by the above 5 rules for the rest of your life.

There are no instant results. It takes time and consistant hard work. If you love to exercise, you will most likely see better results than your exercise-hating counterparts. Keep your expectations reasonable. If you find exercising as pleasant as going to the dentist, don't expect to look like an Olympic sprinter!

Drum roll, please! Here's the tough one: Eat well and you will lose body fat, boost your recovery from exercise and increase your energy for subsequent exercise sessions.

One thing we all need to get on the same page with is correct workout nutrition. Eat right or get out! Take your exercise sessions seriously. Never show up to workout without having recently (within the last 2 hours) eaten  and without a recovery meal (containing a source of protein, carbohydrate and fat) in hand.

A failure to eat well can quickly result in the following problems:

• Prolonged muscle soreness and fatigue
• Poor subsequent performances in your training
• Symptoms of overtraining, which lead to injury
• Minimal gains in muscle mass despite a smart training program
• No loss in body fat (or weight)
• A secondary lowering of your metabolic rate

Be a Visionary

Set a mental picture of the final product you want (be realistic here!), and never lose sight of it. Never!

You should always start with an eating plan that's easiest for you to follow. Keep it simple. Get the basics of healthy eating down first and stick with it. "Diet-hopping" (frequently trying and failing at or giving up on different nutritional plans) is a sign that you are not committed to your goal. Pick a nutritional plan and stick with it for at least 3 months.

At this point I could pontificate about the metabolic processes that take place during fat loss. And if I did, I'd undoubtedly bore the heck out of you. So, here are seven (7) rules for you to follow:

1. Limit or eliminate all empty calories (alcohol, all junk foods, most restaurant foods)
2. Learn your food groups and eat them all
3. Shop at a farmers market (or the outside ring of your grocery store: meats and fish, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nothing else! No pre-packaged foods!)
4. Eat frequent SMALL but NUTRIENT-DENSE meals and snacks
5. Drink lots of water
6. Keep a food and exercise log (track your calories in and calories out)
7. Keep heathly foods with you at work and play (This way you will not be tempted by those morning doughnuts in the office!)

Take the time to prepare all of your meals in advance. It's really not that hard; you can talk to your family, empty the dishwasher, do the laundry, and many other things while cooking.

Keep healthy food choices in your house. Many people use their children and spouses as excuses why there is a lot of junk food in the house. Get real! Shouldn't the entire family learn healthy eating habits? Teach your children early about good nutrition; so that they do not have to pay the price later in life.

Fat Loss Tips at a Glance

Eat Less. Move More.

1. Proper Nutrition. You simply can't out-train a crappy diet. Plain and simple: In order to lose body fat, you must create a caloric deficit while eating healthy amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats. Sorry folks, but there is ABSOLUTELY no way around this.

2. See #1. Oh yes, it really is so important that I listed it twice. Your fat loss goal will never be realized unless you CHANGE YOUR EATING HABITS FOR LIFE! No fad diets! No instant fixes!

3. Move More. Move Better. Activities that burn calories, maintain/promote muscle mass, overall health and wellness, and elevate metabolism are essential in reaching your fat loss goal.  You are looking for activities that eat up calories and increase Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EPOC is defined scientifically as the "recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels." Essentially, you are looking for activities that keep your body burning more calories after the exercise session.  

Here's what you'll be doing:

High Intensity Interval Training - A key "ingredient" in fat loss programming is high intensity interval training (HIIT). Interval work burns more calories than steady state and elevates metabolism significantly (more than other forms of cardiorespiratory training). (The landmark study in interval training was from Tremblay.)  Go buy a heart rate monitor (absolutely necessary!), calculate your heart rate zones (also vital) and take a spin class or enjoy some interval runs and sprints at your local track.

Metabolic Resistance Training -Basically, you're using resistance training as the cornerstone of your fat loss program. Your goal is to work every muscle group hard, frequently and with an intensity that creates a massive "metabolic disturbance" or "afterburn" that leaves the metabolism elevated for several hours post workout. There are many effective ways to accomplish this. A great way is circuit-style or conditoning training. Please have a qualified professional help you work through a circuit that is challenging (Be sure to wear your heart rate monitor.), yet appropriate for your fitness level.