Follow these 10 “laws" of fat loss and you are guaranteed a leaner physique. Think about it; not too many things in life are guaranteed. Often times we have to put a lot of work into something without knowing whether our effort will pay off in the end. This is just part of life, but with fat loss we know we will be successful as long as we have a solid plan in place and as long as we stick to that plan. The sticking to it is usually the part we have the most trouble with. It can be difficult to stay on a fat loss eating plan, but it becomes a little easier when you consistently remind yourself that a leaner you is right around the corner if you just stick with it. You are probably already familiar with some of these laws. If that is the case then now it is just a matter of bringing it all together and DOING IT!

1)You must create a slight calorie deficit in order to lose body fat. The most effective way to do this is to exercise and control the number of calories you ingest each day. Get use to knowing the number of calories that are contained in everything you eat. This is made easy for us with nutrition labels on store bought food and nutritional information sheets available at most fast food restaurants.

2)You must feed your body smaller meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Eating this way compared to the normal 3 meals a day increases your metabolic rate significantly. It also prevents you from ever getting too hungry, which is when you are most likely to go off of your nutrition plan and consume too many calories.

3)Every one of your small meals throughout the day should contain a source of high quality protein, carbohydrates, and “good" fat, with the exception of post workout meals, which should consist of fast digesting carbohydrates and proteins and very little or no fat. High quality meal replacements are a great way to supplement several of your meals during the day.

4)Drink enough water every single day. Having adequate water enables your body to function properly, including its ability to burn fat. Water also flushes toxins and impurities from the body.

5)Always incorporate weight training and cardiovascular exercise into your fat loss nutrition plan.

6)Use the power of vegetables to help you reach your goals. Vegetables are the most nutrient dense food around meaning that you can eat a tremendous quantity of vegetables and consume very few calories. The high fiber content of vegetables also causes your body to work very hard just to digest the vegetables, which means that the calories you do consume are all burned up just in the digestion process. So, in turn, vegetables are negative calories! If you get hungry you can always add more vegetables with no fear of hurting your fat loss efforts (Fried okra does not count!)

7) Pick a nutrition plan that you can live with and that you have faith in. If you cannot consistently follow a nutritional program then you will never have success with it. A good rule to remember is that any “diet" that you eventually come off of will fail in the long run. To have success you must incorporate a nutritional program that you can follow for the rest of your life. This requires a lifestyle change and commitment on your part. It is also important that you have faith and confidence in your fat loss nutrition program. If you do not truly believe that something is going to work for you, then you will not stick with it.

8)“Cheat" if you want to, but know the consequences of excessive overindulgence. Having a “cheat" day or cheat meal every week or every two week, in which you allow yourself to eat whatever food you are craving, is a great way to help you stick with your nutritional program. “Cheat" days give us a mental break and allow us to enjoy some of our favorite foods so that we do not feel deprived. However, don’t fool yourself into thinking that your body “needs" these cheat days, and be careful of the quantity of food you eat on your cheat day. If your cheat meal turns into a full day of pigging-out on everything in sight then you can easily undo all of the hard work you put in the week before.

9)Keep your eye on the prize. Eating to lose body fat is tough. I am not going to lie and say it isn’t. There will undoubtedly be times when you feel like giving up and accepting the fact that you can never achieve your ideal physique and level of health and fitness. When you feel like this take a couple of minutes to remind yourself exactly why you are doing it. Think of how awesome it is going to feel when you finally do reach your goals. Trust me, when you achieve your fat loss goals and reach a new level of health and fitness, it will be well-worth the sacrifice you had to make along the way.

10)Be consistent and never give up. Permanent fat loss requires a lifelong commitment to eating healthier and exercising. Don’t become frustrated or give up if you do not seem to be reaching your goals as quickly as you would like. Achieving the body and level of fitness you desire takes time and consistency. If you mess up on your nutrition plan don’t beat yourself up. Instead, get right back to it and keep making progress because with enough determination and desire you WILL eventually get there.

© Russ Yeager's Health and Fitness 2006 All rights reserved. Use of this article is permitted for your newsletter, website, or other publication as long as the content is not altered.