For years, we have been told to diet the excess fat from or bodies and throw in some fast walking to hasten the process. The trouble with this is that the low calorie restricted diet would throw the body into diet shock with the body holding onto the fat and using precious lean muscle tissue for energy.

What is diet shock? It's a description of what happens to your body when it enters into emergency energy conservation to protect itself against the rigors of starvation.

This situation lowers the metabolism (the rate the body burns fuel) creating greater muscle loss and once the diet was broken the original fat would return and usually some more creating a vicious cycle.

There is a better way to lose weight (body fat) and it is strength training. If you are not incorporating a strength training exercise program into your weight loss program then you can look forward to disappointing results.

If you want your weight loss regime to work you will have to perform strength training and there is no getting around it. It is absolutely imperative that during the course of a lifetime not only for your weight loss goals but also for general health and wellbeing that you must use this valuable tool.

Strength training builds and tones lean, valuable fat-burning muscle and for every 500 grams of muscle that you gain, you will burn roughly an additional 50 calories per day - even at rest.

If there is a secret to weight loss it is increasing your metabolic rate. You need to train your body to be efficient at calorie burning when you're being inactive. Remember that a person with toned muscle sitting in front of the TV is burning more calories at that moment than a flabby person.

So let's do the logic. If you don't challenge your muscles, they atrophy (waste away) at a rate of about 500 grams a year. Your weight may stay the same, but your body composition will change. Less muscle tissue, more body fat, same weight - and that's not the best scenario, as we all know too well. As the fat would take up more space than the same weight of lean muscle tissue you would end up with a bigger, softer body.

Sure, you can lose weight with aerobics (walking, jogging, biking etc) alone. But all too often, you'll wind up being a "smaller" version of an overweight flabby person. Significant muscle tone, definition, vitality and strength are rarely - if ever - achievable from cardio work alone

To melt away more body fat that you would have thought possible all that is required is that you perform a minimum of two strength training sessions per week. This would need to be a proper program with the correct level of intensity created buy a Fitness Professional. Anything less and it is unlikely to be effective and produce the desired results.

The main benefits of this program are to increase your lean muscle tissue which will elevate your metabolic rate. You will now be able to eat more food which means you won't need to starve anymore to lose weight. Fewer calories have to cut back from the daily intake of food and successful weight/fat loss will become more likely.

To understand the dynamics of strength training is to remember that lean muscle tissue takes up considerably less space (and is much more aesthetically pleasing) than fat tissue. Too often, people who are having success with their exercise program step on a scale and get discouraged because they haven't lost as much weight as they hoped to. Their clothes fit better, they feel better, they have more energy and they look great. But they're still sweating the numbers on the scale.

Your better bet is to pay attention to your measurements. Is your waistline getting trimmer? Are your legs firmer? Do your clothes fit and hang better?

You can also get your body composition tested at your local gym or health club to give you a better picture of what's actually happening as you lose body fat and gain strength, because it breaks your weight into lean tissue and fat tissue. And it's highly motivating to see those numbers change.

Strength training is your greatest asset and secret weapon in weight loss and weight management. And there's a very good chance that you're going to love it.