1) Proper nutrition. This is the most important element, and anyone who says different is either trying to sell you a “magic pill,” a BS program, or they are just not that smart. You simply must find ways to alter your eating habits. I don’t recommend that you do a complete overhaul all at once and start eating in a completely different manner. That won’t work, because more than likely you won’t stick with it. Start incorporating natural, unprocessed foods (lean meats, dry and unroasted nuts, fruits, vegetables, beans, etc—these are usually single ingredient foods) into your diet and taking out the heavily processed items (fast food, most things in bags or boxes). Once again, don’t try to make the entire change overnight.
2) Strength Training. The most important thing, after nutrition of course, is engaging in strength training. Yes, ladies, this means you. If you only diet but don’t strength train, you are going to lose muscle along with fat. What does that mean? That means that your metabolism is going to decrease, and to continue to lose fat, you’ll have to keep cutting calories. This will leave you looking soft and give you that “skinny-fat” look. The really bad news: if you quit dieting and go back to your old eating habits, you’ll gain all of that weight and then some back. Not only that, but you’ll have a higher body fat percentage since you lost muscle. You must strength train while you diet to maintain or even increase your muscle mass.
3) Bodyweight circuits, intervals, or other conditioning methods. These are the best ways to increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories. Performing several hours of week on long, slow cardio is not only incredibly time consuming, but it can be counterproductive. You are much better off doing bodyweight circuits or performing intervals. These methods will keep your metabolism elevated much longer and will save you much more time. For workouts you can do at home to lose fat fast, I highly recommend you look at Bodyweight Cardio.
4) Moving more. This is a very simple principle. Park in the back of the parking lot anywhere you go. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Just find ways to move more in your everyday life. Maybe you can start walking the dog for 20 minutes a day. Go to the park with your kids. Start up a new hobby. Most people simply spend too much time sitting down. Get up and get moving!
Fat loss doesn’t have to be complicated. You just have to be committed to the change if you want long lasting results. Don’t strive for a quick fix; find eating and exercise habits that you can maintain for life.
This is my motto when it comes to fat loss: revolve your eating and exercise habits around your life, not the other way around. Don’t plan a workout routine or eating plan that doesn’t work with your life. For example: if you know you can only make it to the gym 3 times a week, don’t purchase or design a program for 4 days per week. You’ll fail before you begin. Set yourself up for success, not failure.
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