I think every woman, scratch that, every person has gotten to the point where those few extra pounds were a few too many!

After having two children in the span of 2+ years, I had a few too many pounds, and my vanity wouldn't allow me to continue to use "being a mother of two" as a valid excuse.

But with my schedule, a long tedious workout was not in the picture, so I have been on a search for an easier, safer and effective way to accomplish my weight loss/fat loss goals.

The difference between the two? Well...

With weight loss, your focus is on the number of pounds lost. Which is great if you are 10-15 lbs overweight. But if you have any aspects of an athletic build (you know, dense muscle mass, which in my case has been concealed with a nice layer of fat!) then your goal needs to be fat loss.

There have been many programs created by many people for many different results. What I have found works best over time and is very important to the female population is the combination of weight training and cardio.

I heard a GASP...it's okay, it's not complicated...in fact it's been one of the easiest workouts I've done over the years. You end up spending approx 30 minutes weight training 3 days a week, with a split workout plan where you work upper body then lower on alternating days. In addition you do approx 30min to 1 hour of low intensity treadmill work. The key here is that the low intensity tricks your body into using stored fat as fuel instead of your carbs.

Here's the link: The Best Fat Loss Workout (check out the first place winner's workout)

What I really liked about this workout site is each exercise actually has a picture and video available to demonstrate how to do the execercise properly.

Why is weight training important? We ladies tend to have difficulties with osteoporosis over time and weight-bearing exercises help to prevent long-term bone density loss. (i.e. decreased broken hips in our old age!)

The other component to my current workout regimen has been in place for approximately 3 months with pretty good success.

In Nov 2007 I stumbled on, what I thought was a really good idea...a fat loss patch! I researched it, read actual research articles and finally decided to try it. (My husband did too!) Since February I've lost approx 6 inches all over my body and that's accounting for some muscle groups getting bigger and some areas really shrinking. All of this occurring with little to know changes in my eating habits.

I have never been one to count calories...I actually HATE the idea. Instead it's always been portion control (NO SCALES). Just eating a little less than I would normally and no restricting of food groups, YUCK!

Since this was my first time using a fat loss supplement, I was very hesitant and skeptical. But I have not been disappointed. My energy is better, I have way less cravings and I continue to see results.

So far I have been able to get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes from almost 10 years ago and I'm still looking forward to seeing more results in the weeks and months to come!