This article will show you 3 very common mistakes that you must be sure to avoid at all cost. Be sure to pay careful attention to all 3 of these concepts because they could make a world of difference for you!

There is so much information out there that it is time to set the record straight about 5 of the most common mistakes that so many people make when trying to achieve effective and long lasting fat loss.

Mistake #1: Not keeping a food log

Permanent fat loss without keeping an accurate food log is next to impossible. If you were trying to save money, wouldn't you want to keep a record of where you were spending the most?

The same concept applies to keeping a food log. You may not realize this, but it is incredibly easy to underestimate how many calories we take in everyday. Fat loss occurs when we consume less calories then we currently do. It really all comes down to that!

By having a record of what foods you are eating and what time you are eating them you are laying a roadmap that you can consistently tweak and adjust until you reach your goal!

If you are trying to lose fat and are not currently keeping a food log, go buy one online or get a notebook you can use as soon as possible. But beware, you may have to spend extra money on new clothes very soon if you do.

Mistake #2: Focusing too much on slow cardio

Did you know that slow cardio can be one of the worst ways to achieve long lasting fat loss? This may seem very counterintuitive but bear with me.

Slow cardio can be effective for burning calories and can work well in the short term. It is in fact very good for your cardiovascular system and for preventive measures. For fat loss, the same principles do not necessarily hold true.

What happens is that when you do the same cardio workout (30-60 minutes) at a slow pace, your body adapts very quickly. If you go too slowly, you will not burn significant calories or even break a sweat. You see, once your body adapts, it becomes more efficient at doing the same workout. Once this happens, you burn fewer calories with each repeated workout.

If you went outside to run a mile right now, it might feel pretty difficult. But if you ran a mile 5 times a week for 2 months, it would get a lot easier. What happens is the same workout becomes less and less of a challenge the more you do it. As a result, you burn less calories due to the fact that the same workout is not as challenging as it once was. For fat loss, this is one of the worst ruts to fall into.

Trying to lose fat with doing the same cardio workout over and over is sure to lead to a plateau and almost all your results will come to a screeching halt.

The solution is to use a different method of cardio called interval training. It is faster, more effective, and burns lots more fat calories than slow cardio.

Mistake #3: Avoiding strength training

Fat loss that is permanent largely depends on your body composition and your diet. One of the best ways to do this is to increase muscle mass!

The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn while exercising and at rest. It has been said that every pound of additional muscle burns approximately 60 more calories per day.

If you gained just 3 pounds of lean muscle mass, that would come out to an extra 1260 calories per week! Combine this with reducing your daily calories by 300 and you are losing approximately 1 pound per week!

Many people think that strength training will not help their fat loss efforts because of the myth that is makes you "big and bulky." If you hold this belief or have ever thought it to be true, you are making a huge mistake that could be devastating to your fat loss goals! Unless you are eating and training specifically for huge muscles you will have nothing to worry about. If you are training for fat loss you are training to make your body smaller. Your body cannot respond by developing "bodybuilder" type muscles.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the biggest fat loss mistakes that so many people make. That being said, fat loss does not have to be a struggle. You just need to take in less calories and burn more. Choosing the right foods at the right time and the proper type of exercise will help you achieve your goal fat loss results!