Deep down however, we all know, these diets, if you can call them that are nothing but fads, which will not be effective long term solutions for fat loss.

But what if I told you there were 3 things you can do today, things that didn't require you to change your whole life, or spend a ton of money buying special diet foods, that will not only allow you to lose fat safely, but without reeking havoc on your metabolism and ruining your health in the process. And almost more importantly will help you keep the fat you lose off, permanently.

I'm not going to try and fool you and say that the three things I will be discussing are the end all/be all of fat loss however they are a good place to start. If you would like more info I would suggest checking out a fantastic fat loss ebook called Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle, by Tom Venuto, you can find out more about it by searching for it in your favorite search engine.

The first thing they will never tell you about fat loss is that when you combine too much fat and carbohydrates in one meal, it doesn't matter if you ate a fast food meal or a healthy one. This combination can lead to high levels of blood fats and a big spike in your insulin levels, which is not good if you want to lose fat or be healthy.

Ideally you should aim to not go over 10-12 grams of carbs or fat at the same meal. So for example, a boiled skinless chicken breast and an apple would be a good example of a protein and carb meal, and if we use the same boiled skinless chicken breast but instead of the apple we substitute say a handful of nuts, this would be an example of a protein and fat meal.

You don't have to be fanatical about it, I'll admit I am not, but when I'm at home and am preparing my own meals, I try to follow the above guideline.

The second thing they will never tell you is that aerobics are NOT the best way to lose fat. Why? Well, simply because aerobics are not going to build you much muscle, and it is muscle that burns calories and changes how you look.

The one thing that happens to most people is this, they go on a diet and 10 or 20 pounds later, they see themselves in the mirror. But guess what, they still are soft; all they did was create a smaller version of their former selves. If you want to lose fat and really look good, weight training is the way to go.

The third thing they will never tell you about weight loss is that the body burns calories on a 24 hour cycle, so eating before bed is not going to make you fat.

Yes, it is true, if you eat a whole pizza before bed you will gain fat; however, if for some reason you need to eat your normal dinner later than normal, it is not going to make you gain fat.

I once knew a fellow who brought the carts back into the supermarket. That fellow worked like crazy out there, hour after hour pushing in 20 or more carts at a shot.

One day I asked him what he ate that kept him going for all those hours, you know what he told me, usually when he got home he would eat half a coffee cake and then go to bed-and this was at like 12 O'clock at night, and this man never gained an ounce.

Yes, this is an extreme example, but I just wanted to illustrate the point that the body does not, automatically turn what you eat late at night into fat.

I hope the above three tips will help you achieve all of your fitness and fat loss goals.