Excess body fat is an epidemic sweeping the US and much of the world. It seems everyone wants to lose weight and reduce the amount fat on their bodies. There are dozens of different plans available for doing that. But before you choose a plan to follow, you should give a few minutes thought to the different approaches they can take. Here are the 3 top approaches to fat loss. See which approach appeals to you, then pick a plan that uses that approach to get the best results.

The first approach is diet-only. That is, it is all about losing fat through changing the way you eat. This is the easiest approach for many people since it doesn't require exercise or major lifestyle changes. In the beginning, this approach was very simple: eat less. Unfortunately, it turned out that eating less isn't usually that effective.

So the diet-only approach has evolved to include all sorts of diets: low-fat ones, low-carb ones, calorie shifting ones, and so on. Its fair to say that each of these is effective for some people. But none of them seems to be effective for everyone.

The second approach combines diet with exercise and sometimes other lifestyle changes. They are generally more effective than diet-only approaches, since the exercise portion of the program causes you to burn more calories and perhaps build more muscle. In addition, lifestyle changes like reducing stress and getting more sleep are known to reduce your body's tendency to store calories as fat.

While this second approach is generally more effective, it has a drawback. It is a lot more work, literally. Exercise means finding time and energy to work out. Lifestyle changes require effort and getting out of your settled routine. So the combined approach is a lot harder for people to stick with, even if it is more effective.

That brings us to the third approach. For many, the biggest thing keeping them from losing fat is not that they don't know how, or don't have a good plan to follow. It is a lack of motivation and determination to burn that fat. Finding ways to develop a mind set that ensures fat loss success is the third approach.

We know that our thoughts and attitudes affect our body. Think positive thoughts and you start to feel happier and more energetic. Think negative, defeatist thoughts and you become tired and withdrawn. Become absolutely convinced that you are going to lose that gut and your body tries to make it happen. This makes anything else you do to lose fat more effective.

So those are the three approaches. Choose the diet-only approach when exercise and more comprehensive changes to your life don't fit in. Choose the second approach (diet plus exercise plus lifestyle changes) when you are really committed to losing the fat no matter what, and you are physically able to work out. Choose the third approach (developing a fat-loss mindset) when you are looking to get better results from what you're already doing to cut the fat.