Most diets are structured on one principle'to cut calories taken in. But problems occur when you cut calories too low as in most diets and you hurtle your body into 'diet shock'. You have triggered an ancient survival mechanism that is hardwired into our genes to stop us starving in times of famine.

If you activate this mechanism when you go on a diet, you will be working against your body and simply will not get successful weight loss. You will not know where the level is that will trigger this 'survival mode' so it is always best to stay above the World Health Organizations bottom level starvation diet of 2100 calories for men and 1800 for women.

When you cut calories back below these levels, as in most diets, your body responds by lowering your metabolic rate (the rate your body burns fuel) If the restriction of calories continues the body drops the metabolic rate down even further by using its own precious muscle tissue for fuel. It will do all it can to hold on to its fat stores, chewing into your muscle tissue instead which damages your health long term.

You thought you were doing well but suddenly the brakes go on. Now you are disillusioned and depressed because you are not losing weight like you thought you would. And to top it off you do not feel well, you have less energy and you are hungry all of the time.

Somewhere in a "diet", you begin to feel deprived and you might even feel like you are being punished. Eventually you fall off the wagon and go back to your old eating habits?perhaps even bingeing a little?.or a lot. But you are not in the same position you were before you started the diet. You have gotten rid of some of your fat burning machinery and your body has learned to get by on fewer calories.

So what do you think is going to happen to those extra calories now? Yes, they will be stored at more body fat. Not a good situation at all. In fact it is completely the opposite of what we wanted to happen, to get into better physical shape.

The way to lose body fat is with a really simple formula. First you must be strength training. Anyone who wants to lose body fat must be doing this type of exercise. It will help keep your muscle tissue which is your fat burning machinery. Without it you won't lose much body fat. The muscles are where the fat is burned so get a proper program set up by a fitness professional and get stuck in.

Then you need to be eating right and the formula is simple for this as well. You need to eat 5-7 small meals every 2-3 hours each one around 300-400 calories with 20 grams of protein as the center piece. Add raw and cooked vegetables and a small amount of complex carbohydrate like rice, pasta or sweet potato. The 'secret' to eating this way is to prepare everything for the next day the night before. Take it with you wherever you go during the day so there is no excuse for not eating correctly.

Lastly forget all long, slow, steady state activity like walking, jogging or cycling. Replace this with 1-2 sessions each week of interval training. These are short bursts of intense activity followed by slower recovery periods. An example would be 10-15 seconds of sprinting followed by one minute of walking. Repeat 8-12 times.

This is the formula for weight loss and is the opposite of dieting. It is called lifestyle changes and is permanent not just some fad or 'diet' you go on and off and never works anyway. How could anything that plummets your metabolism and punishes your body, mind and soul ever give you what you really want. A lean, strong, shapely, energetic firm toned body. This new way will give you this ? try it and see for yourself.