Those are a couple questions I get quite often from clients and from the public in general when they find out I'm a fat loss and fitness expert.

After I speak them a little more, I come to realize that many people are all making the same mistakes.

I've narrowed those fat loss diet mistakes down to the top 3 that 99% of the population are making.

1 - Sauces, Dressings, Condiments. There really is no quicker way to ruin your fat loss diet than by dousing your salad, pasta, or whatever food you're eating, with a bunch of salad dressings, ketchup, sauces, or other condiments.

Those things are loaded with calories...and not the good kind of calories either. They're loaded with sugar and fat and lack virtually any nutritional benefit making them the worst of the worst when it comes to fat loss foods.

You will gain fat by eating too much of them...I guarantee it.

You can still eat them, don't get me wrong. You just need to be mindful of how much you use and what kinds you use.

Watch out for things that say "No fat", because if they say no fat or low fat, they're probably really high in sugar. They have to make up for the flavor somehow and that's usually by adding sugar, salt or loads of artificial sweeteners.

When you're eating at a restaurant, ask for all dressings and sauces to be given to you on the side. I recently went with my wife to one of our favorite restaurants and forgot to ask for the salad dressing on the side and when I was presented with my salad, I was disgusted. The middle of the thing was a big soggy mess because it was so loaded with dressing. I had to eat around the middle of the salad and I was disgusted with how the plate looked when I was finished. The bottom of it was loaded with a creamy mess of salad dressing and some soggy spinach leaves.

The same can be said for virtually any sauce that comes with food, whether that be ketchup (or other condiments) or pasta sauces. They're all loaded with calories and will make you gain fat...even though you may think you're eating a healthy food (much like my salad story).

2 - Alcohol. I know I said there's no quicker way to ruin your fat loss diet than by using too much sauces and dressings, but alcohol is a close second. Alcohol is the simplest of sugars and will make you gain fat. There's no argument to that statement.

Alcohol makes you gain fat, or at the very least, stalls your fat loss goals.

One shot of liquor, one beer, or one glass of wine all have around 100 calories (some more). And those calories have zero nutritional value. Not only that, but your body will more than likely store those calories as fat.

Take those numbers even further and it's very easy to see that many mixed drinks have upwards of 600 calories. Have a couple of those on the weekend and BAM! say hello to an extra layer of flabby goo to your gut, butt or thighs.

3 - Not enough fiber. Not eating enough fiber is quite possibly the easiest thing to correct when it comes to fat loss diets. It's easy because all you have to do to increase your fiber intake is to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes or whole grains. All those things are very easy to add to your diet because there's no cooking or thinking involved.

All of those things are virtually "ready to eat" and can be taken anywhere. Take a few pieces of fruit and some almonds to work with you and have them in the middle of your morning when you're starting to get hungry. Not only is it an awesome snack, but because of the fiber, you'll feel fuller longer which will make it easier for you to eat a healthy, fat fighting lunch rather than running out to grab something from the drive-thru or break room.

Add a spinach salad with chicken breast and broccoli for lunch. It's very easy to prepare and easy to transport.

Make a homemade smoothie for breakfast that has lots of raw berries, ground flax seed and real fruit juice and you'll have a vitamin and fiber packed meal to kick off your day. It'll shoot your energy through the roof and have you feeling better than you have in years.

If you correct even 2 of these fat loss diet mistakes, you'll be well on your way to losing fat like crazy and getting the physique you've always wanted. Add some fat burning workouts to the mix and you'll lose stomach fat faster than ever before.

Give it a go. It's not that hard and your body will thank you for it.

Copyright (c) 2008 Ed Scow