Uh-oh, Five Fat Loss Mistakes

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Straight to it. Here are five of the biggest fat loss mess-ups that
I see men and women doing everyday…fix these, and you’ll lose fat.

1) Not having back up.

Trying to lose fat without social support is the wrong way to go
about this. Ideally, you’d have your doctor, an RD, a trainer, your
workout partner, your spouse, your workmates, and your friends all
behind you. Research shows that you’ll benefit most from a health
professional (i.e. a trainer) and a workout partner that is also
successful. Get those two people on your team first, and then work
on the rest of the group.

2) Not using a structured program

If you ever go into the gym and wonder what you are going to do
first, you’re already wasting your time – even before you choose.
Get a plan, know what you have to do, stick to it, and see it
through. That way, no wasted time wandering around the gym deciding
where to start.

3) Not changing your workout after 4 weeks.

That’s the longest you should go on one program. If it’s been
6-months, give your head a shake. If it hasn’t worked yet, why do
you think it’s magically going to start now. Change it up
frequently. You’ll get more results and you’ll have more fun.

4) Not realizing your results will come from nutrition more than
they will from training.

You want to lose fat? You have to eat right for fat loss. You can’t
train like an animal and then eat junk and expect to lose fat. No
program is that good. None. Diet beats training everytime, like
scissors beats paper. Eat whole, natural foods in 6 smaller meals
each day. Get lots of fiber, lots of protein, lots of vegetables.
Eat healthy fats, avoid trans fats. Drink lots of water and tea. So
simple, so effective. Eat for energy, not for gluttony.

5) Not knowing when to quit.

I get emails everyday from readers asking if they can add even more
cardio and more lifting to their current workout plans. After all,
if some is good, more training must be better?

Listen, you have to draw the line somewhere. You can’t keep adding
more and more exercise. First, there is diminishing returns from
each additional set you do, and from extra cardio. Second, your
body can breakdown fast from too much work, particularly when you
are dieting. Overtraining and low calories go together like oil and
water. Neither of these combos will make your engine run optimally.

And finally, focus on quality over quantity. The "volume approach
to fat loss" from the 1980′s (characterized by lots of cardio and
lots of carbs) didn’t work. For good reason. Stick to high quality
nutrition, and high-quality training.

The only thing that matters is results. Not muscle soreness, not
feeling exhausted after each workout, and not feeling deprived of
food.

Quality work and quality food for a better body.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training