Weight loss success secrets - Part 3 of 4

By Jeremy Likness

In this part, we will look at the five top ways you can begin to succeed at discarding unwanted weight and keeping it off.

1. Work the Right Muscle

In order to lose fat, you have to work the right muscle. That muscle is your brain.

There are hundreds of diet and workout programs available. Most of them have testimonials to support just how effective each program really is. Does this mean that only one program 'works' and everyone else is simply not telling the truth? No. Many programs do work.

In the author's years of coaching, it was found that people can shed fat and leave it off following a variety of diets. It didn't matter if they ate lots of protein or if they were strict vegans; if they choose to lift weights, perform yoga, or run long distances for exercise. Despite the differences between these nutrition styles and workout plans, there was one common thread for success: mindset.

The biggest mistake you can make is to adopt a 'diet mentality.' It is the idea that you will suspend your ordinary way of doing things for a period of time until you 'fix it' and then you can get it all 'back to normal.' This approach is doomed to failure and is the reason why so many people bounce back. It is the old habits that created the excess fat in the first place, and those same habits that will put it back on.

Losing fat is about releasing the thoughts and habits that put the fat there in the first place. You may have heard people say, 'It must be a lifestyle change.' This sounds cliché, but is very true. That is why you should never dive headfirst into a new diet program or follow some workout routine you don't enjoy. How can you possibly stick with something you don't look forward to doing?

Make small changes over time to your eating habits. Don't try to do it all at once. And if you haven't exercised in years, there is no need to start running sprints or bench pressing hundreds of kilograms of weight. You can simply start going for a walk. Find a sport you can enjoy with a friend. Get active. If you have children, take them to the park and play with them. There are many ways to make it a healthy lifestyle change rather than a quick fix.

2. Focus on the Entire Program, Not Just One Piece

The author is often asked what the most important part of a successful fat loss program is: diet, weight training, or cardiovascular exercise?

The answer is all three! Research has studied the effects of changes to diet or training both separately and integrated. Almost every study supports that the best program will combine everything from nutrition to aerobic exercise to resistance training.

There are ten pillars of ultimate fitness that you can focus on to succeed:

1. Mindset, as discussed in the previous point
2. Motivation and Inspiration - in other words, it's not just making the decision or the lifestyle change, but having a strong, compelling reason to stick with it. That reason should be bigger than any obstacle you may face.
3. Goals and Vision - do you build a house without a blueprint? Is it easy to find a new place without directions? Your journey to good health will be most effective when you put together a plan, with a list of goals and vision of what you wish to accomplish.
4. Nutrition - nutrition not only helps you shed fat, but also impacts your health in many ways.
5. Supplementation - for various reasons you may not be able to receive everything you need from foods, therefore supplementation with products such as a quality multivitamin can help bridge the gap between you and your best health.
6. Resistance Training - people often mistake this with lifting weights. Resistance training, however, can be any type of resistance, whether it is the resistance from a dumbbell or your own body. Yoga is a form of resistance training, as are calisthenics. You can work with bands and tubes, free weights, machines, or many other forms but there are many benefits from resistance training, especially for individuals looking to shed fat.
7. Cardiovascular Training - resistance training will prepare most of your muscles, but cardiovascular training is specifically for your heart. This important muscle has been tied to general health for ages and for a good reason. Keep your heart healthy, and as an added bonus you will burn more calories to help shed those extra pounds of fat.
8. Flexibility - this is often overlooked, but important. Engage in some sort of stretching or flexibility program such as yoga to keep your joints supple and capable of moving through a full range of motion.
9. Breathing - the breath is the life. Breathing impacts your training, your state of mind, even levels of hormones in your body. By focusing on breathing, you not only train your body to pull in more oxygen, but you also help your body recover and relax.
10. Meditation - be still. Just a few moments a day can make a tremendous difference over time. Numerous studies show that regular meditation can help improve mindset, health, and mood. By managing stress, it will also help you lose fat.

In the next segment, we will discuss the final three components of a successful weight loss program.