1. They fail to consider the consequences of their actions.

Alwyn
Cosgrove (one of the top trainers in the business) once told me, "I get
my clients to think, "Will this help me or not? Is this a positive step
or not?" If you can see that every action that you take is either
helping you lose fat or stopping you from losing fat, then you will
start to make better choices. So remember that everything you put in
your mouth is either for or against fat loss. And every exercise choice
you make is either for or against fat loss. "Get that", Alwyn says,
"and you’re a hit."

2. They neglect to
control their insulin and blood sugar levels - 2 key factors in
determining whether or not the body fat will come off.

If
you eat processed foods you are guaranteed to elevate your insulin
& blood sugar levels. If you do that, your body sends the message,
“Store fat!”, and you won’t make any progress. So avoid white-flour
based bakery products, sugary drinks, and almost any carbohydrate snack
that comes in a bag or a box.

3. They train like it’s the 80’s.

Yes,
I know. Eighties music is popular again. But that doesn’t mean
ineffective training methods from the 80’s like light weights, low
intensity steady state cardio, and endless low-intensity ab work should
also make a comeback. That type of training should stay buried in the
back issues of cheesy muscle magazines. Stick to strength training and
interval training for efficient and effective body changing routines.

4. They don’t take 30 minutes to plan their next day’s food intake.

If
you fail to do this, you will set your fat loss efforts back by a
minimum of 72 hours. Without a good meal plan, you are left to hunt and
gather food in the modern world. And that’s a recipe for fat loss
disaster. You are bound to eat something processed if you aren’t
prepared. You will lose the fat burning benefits from yesterday’s
workout and it will take until the end of the following day to get back
on track. An entire 72-hour period wasted.

5. They don’t eat enough vegetables.

We
can thank John Berardi for making it common knowledge that you should
eat fibrous vegetables at every meal to assist your fat loss efforts.
By doing so, you’ll control your blood sugar and insulin - thus
supporting the optimal hormonal situation for fat loss.

6. They screw up their hormones with poor lifestyle choices.

If
you are out boozing and staying up late on the weekend, you are
shutting down your fat loss and messing up the optimal hormonal
environment for fat burning. I will talk a lot more about the optimal
hormonal levels for fat loss, as I believe this is the underrated key
to building your best body ever.

7. They don’t plan and monitor their training sessions.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training