In over 10 years in the Fitness Industry, I have found that this is what separates those who are successful from those who are not.  Those who do not think it will work aren’t successful.  They find every way to sabotage themselves or make excuses (Don’t have time, Too Lazy, Too Hard, whatever)

When you have CERTAIN BELIEF that your actions will lead to success, you’re more likely to stick with it and to keep making better choices.

2. Define What You Want

Get a journal or log into myfitnesspal and log it so you can refer back to it.

• What is it that you want?
• Do you want to be able to fit back into your clothes?
• Do you want your joints to stop hurting because of the excess weight?
• Do you want to have more energy and not feel so heavy all of the time?
• Do you want to minimize the risk of chronic disease as a result of being overweight such as: diabetes, high blood pressure, or even cancer?

3. Why?

What is carrying around excess fat costing you?  Why do you want to change?

4. Be Realistic

90% of people are not going to look like Fitness Models.  They do not have the genetics nor the time to dedicate to looking like a Fitness Model.  As a matter of fact, if you asked many fitness models about the opportunity costs of being excessively lean they would tell you it doesn’t feel as good as it looks.

Be realistic about your goals.  Don’t compare yourself to others. Work on being the best version of you.

5. Commit to playing the tape until the end

If you want to lose fat in a SANE and SUSTAINABLE way, then you need to be patient.  Don’t fall for these scams and quick fixes that champion losing weight quickly. The other day I saw a Facebook post that said:

“Congrats to my client for gaining 1lb of muscle and losing 1lb of Fat in her 3 day plan of my shakes.”  

Nobody builds a pound of muscle in 3 days and more than likely she lost water and glycogen (muscle fuel) in those three days since it sounds like she wasn’t eating very much.

Commit to seeing your plan all the way through and not giving up because results didn’t come yesterday.

6. Determine how long your tape is

People should set time frames for their goals so it doesn’t feel like a march to nowhere.  My personal recommendation is to set the tape for 6 months.  For most people, the first 3 months of a Fat Loss Program is to turn their metabolisms up so that they can burn more energy. (Calories)

Use this time to evaluate progress and it also allows you to develop your eating strategy and develop healthier routines.

7. Address Any Emotional Eating or Unhealthy Relationships with Food

You won’t be successful with Fat Loss if you do not address these issues.  So many Women under eat all day under the guise of dieting and proceed to go home and eat the whole cupboard because they are so hungry.

Other people are sad, lonely, angry, frustrated, bored, and find themselves mindlessly snacking to try and fill their voids.

Still others connect food to reward or use food for self medicating.

If you tend to restrict. then you need to address that issue as well because binge eating often follows restriction.  That’s a vicious cycle that will definitely not lead to fat loss.