Burn the Fat, Stay Healthy: 5 Tips to Keep Your Diet on Track

Trying to lose weight is not easy. Millions of people start a diet with the best of intentions, only to give up within a few days or weeks. How do you burn the fat without losing your mind too? Here are five tips to help you lose weight, not your sanity.

1. Lower your expectations

You’ve seen the ads online and on TV…”Lose 9 pounds every 11 days,” “20 pounds for $20”, plus endless celebrities promising to help you lose incredible amounts of weight. Despite disclaimers that these “results are not typical,” the amount of pressure this can put on your effort early on amounts to sabotage.

Forget the claims and focus on a realistic goal of 1-2 pounds per week. Not only does it ensure that you’re actually burning fat instead of weight (a subtle but vital difference), but it can also eliminate the disappointment of not living up to your advertised goals.

2. home support

One of the most important pieces of any fat loss program is support. You need your immediate family to buy into your new lifestyle to avoid temptations. It doesn’t help if you’re trying to lose weight while your spouse walks around the house eating cookies and ice cream! So send the candy and junk food to the curb! Plus, doesn’t it make you feel better to know that you’re not contributing to the growing problem of obesity in children these days (if you have children, that is)?

3. Do not advertise your diet

Of course, there are limits to telling others about your dieting efforts. Your close friends and family can be a blessing…your coworkers, not so much. It’s great to be excited about your goals, but announcing to the world that you’re on a diet can backfire. Believe it or not, people will be watching what you eat and won’t have a problem commenting on it! How many times have you heard people say “is that in your diet?” Spare everyone the discomfort, calmly continue with your diet and exercise plans, and just wait for people to start noticing the new you. Trust me, I’ve been there and they Will notice… and THOSE positive comments can be the BEST motivation you will find.

4. Resistance training

Everyone knows that cardio burns fat. But did you know that weight training not only burns fat but CONTINUES to burn calories for 12 to 18 hours AFTER you’re done? It’s true! Weight training is essential to any good fat loss program. It burns calories, helps preserve and build muscle, speeds up metabolism, and helps you sleep. Also, the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will burn 24/7, even while sitting on the couch! It truly is one of the best things you can do to increase your fat loss… and again, I mean FAT loss, not weight loss!

5. Don’t eliminate food groups

You’ve seen diets… low carb this, low fat that. Have you ever been around someone in the early stages of that carb-cutting beach diet? Even the best people seem to turn into raving madmen! There is absolutely no need to eliminate any of the food groups from your diet. Eating a balanced diet reduces cravings, where cutting something out only makes you crave it more and you end up having a tantrum. Well, not really, but it certainly feels that way! In fact, even having a small “cheat” meal once or twice a week can be a huge mental boost.

Following these five tips, along with a solid diet and exercise program, can almost guarantee success. Like I said before, the praise for the new you is worth it!