Everyone wants to lose weight these days but not everyone knows how to get started on a successful path. Well, getting your body into a fat burning state is simple but not easy. It is simple because all you need to do is burn more calories than you consume. It is not easy because in our society calories are cheap, tasty and readily available and your body does not want to lose fat because it is programmed to store fat in case of a famine.

In order to force your body in a hypo-caloric state (read fat burning) you need a three pronged approach. Number one is the most common, diet, your consumption of calories has to be under control so you can at least prevent the gaining of weight before your exercise program has taken shape. Number two is cardiovascular exercise, you must exercise in a manner that will make your body lose fat right away and cardio is the best method for this. Number three is resistance training and it is just as important as the first two but often overlooked. All three are important so lets get into more detail so you know how to put your own three pronged plan together and start burning fat!

When people want to lose weight they always go on a diet. Diet is Die with a t as Garfield used to say and it never works! It never works because people just starve themselves instead of changing their thoughts and habits about food. The key to a successfull diet is not to diet at all but the just eat healthy and learn to provide your body with the nutrition it craves. What is healthy eating that will cause weight loss? Well generally speaking cut out all the junk food first, they are full of empty calories that will make you fat and not provide your body with the nutrition it needs. Next, start eating vegetables and fruits every day and pretty much every meal. That means breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks in between have either vegetables or fruits in it. The fruits and vegetables you will now be consuming are loaded with fiber and nutrition that will satisfy your body and fill your stomach with quality food. This will reduce the amount of junk food you will want to consume. The next important aspect of a healthy fat loss diet is to eat quality protein throughout the day. Quality protein comes from meat and beans and is necessary to satisfy your hunger and maintain muscle mass on your body. The other nice thing about protein consumption is it takes a lot of caloires to digest meat. So when you eat a steak or chicken breast your body has to work hard to break it down and convert it to useable energy and protein. This is great because you are getting a return on your calorie deposit, so to speak. If every meal you eat has some protein and some veggies or fruits in it you will constantly be eating meals that provide your body with calories it can use to be healthy and satisfied. Notice I have not asked you to count calories or eat only crazy foods for a month or anything like that. That is a short term approach to a long term problem and will not work in the end. The key is to simply eat healthy, natural foods that your body is supposed to be given and to reduce or eliminate processed foods that are hard on the digestive tract and make you gain weight easily.

As for the calorie burning side of things, let's focus on getting some quick results here with cardio exercise. People need fast results or they will get discouraged easily so don't feel guilty for wanting a quick fix, it is natural. Exercise that will burn fat quickly is any form of cardio such as walking, jogging, calisthenics, earobics, sports, biking and so on. The key is to find out what you enjoy doing and to start right away. Do not wait for some special day to begin your exercise program, start today. Put your shoes on, go outside and go for a nice walk. Get active! Now, the real key to results here is to first get into a routine, yes, but once you are in a routine you must push yourself to constantly get better at your chosen activity. If it is walking, constantly try to walk faster or further each time you go out. You have to push yourself or the results will stop. Also, you must chose an activity that is difficult enough to get you sweating, gasping for air (once you are healthy enough to train this hard), and quick fatigued afterwards. The simple truth here is you need to work hard. I am sorry but walking on a treadmill at a pace where you can talk and sip your water will simply not do it. If you are walking then power walk or hit some hills. If you are doing aerobics then go all out and leave nothing in the class. Myself, I prefer to do body weight circuits and I stop when I am lying on the floor totally out of breath. Work hard to get results! Also, despite what the media says, you need to train pretty much daily. That's right, not twice a week or three times a week but daily. Every day you need to try and burn a whole bunch of calories from your body in order to get tangible results. The fact is that cardio will only do so much and eating a few extra calories can negate the results pretty easily. This is why it is so important to find activities that you love, it will make it easier to get out and do them as part of your daily routine. For example, I used to do martial arts because it was fun. I would go every day and work my but off. I lost a ton of fat and got in great shape but then the gym moved and it was too far for me. So, I had to find something else right away. Now I train at home doing body weight exercises and using kettlebells and dumbbells. The message here is be resilient, do not let circumstances prevent you from getting your daily dose of exercise.

Resistance training is the third prong in our approach and is extremely important for both men and women. It is important because it will improve the tone and shape of your muscles and also increase your resting metabolic, meaning you will burn more calories at rest. Resistiance training, when done properly, will build muscle and this is a good thing. Ladies you will not get muscle bound, you will look better with some muscle on you. For both men and women stronger muscles have a nice tone and shape to them making you look better everywhere from your legs to your back and arms. The other nice thing about having more muscle is it will make your body burn more calories when at rest. You see, muscles have to be maintained with calories while fat does not. So, the more muscle you have, the more calories your entire body burns in order to maintain them. The way to maintain them is to lift heavy stuff and make them strain. If you can make your muscles strain from difficult resistance training like weight lifting or using machines at a gym your body will maintain and build muscle. It is a survival reflex, you are telling your body it must maintain a certain amount of muscle in order to thrive in your world. Resistance training can be done at home or in a gym but the important thing is to do it. You can train up to five days a week with weights but two or three times a week, if done hard and properly should be fine. The key is to find a solid weight training routine and then stick to it. Once it becomes easy either increase the weight or change the routine. Constantly stive to increase your strength in terms or repititions you can do and the amount of weight you can lift. That is the only way to keep your body working hard to build muscle and therefore burn fat.

In summary, in order to burn fat and lose weight you need a three pronged approach; a healthy diet, a cardio regime, and a resistance training routine. Without all three your results will not be very good and I doubt they will last but if you can make them a long term and regular part of your life you will get into great shape and lose the excess body fat forever! So good luck and if you have any question please post it in the comments.