Weight loss seems so simple.

Eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose that dreaded belly fat for good.

But ask any of the 50+ million individuals who are attempting to lose weight each year and they will tell you it is not that easy.

It’s not just changing what you eat and exercising.

It feels like battle. After all, you are tackling the 10 year daily visit to the vending machine habit, the 20 year snacking while watching TV habit, or maybe the "dinner’s not complete unless I eat something sweet" conviction.

If you want to kick those bad habits that prevent you from eating fewer calories overall and few quality calories, than you need to be prepared to understand and change your behaviors.  

To get you started, here are some pointers to keep in mind:

• Know yourself:  First, understand your motivation. Why do you want to lose weight? If you do not have a reason that is truly meaningful to you, than you will have a tough road to climb.

People who attempt weight loss because they feel they should, but aren’t invested, won’t be able to make the necessary permanent change in behavior. If you can’t identify a reason, brainstorm.

Write down every possible reason why you want to lose weight, set it aside for a day or so. When you return to the list, write down why that reason is important to you (what will it do for you specifically).

When you’ve identified your top 3 and you feel strongly about them, it’s time to get started. If you still struggle, put the list away and return every couple of days, adding answers and revisiting old ones until you have identified your reason WHY.

• Motivate yourself

Once you have identified the very specific reason as to why, hang onto it.

Make visible reminders. The reminders could be pictures of yourself, your kids, a swimsuit model hung in the kitchen, bathroom, etc., or the reminder may be a pair of pants you would like to fit into.

When you are feeling like giving up, try on the pants. Notice how they fit, where they are still tight, where they have gotten bigger. Now imagine what it will be like to fit into them again.

Take an index card and write one sentence summarizing your motivation. Carry the card with you.  Read it when your motivation wanes.

• Coach yourself
  

We are our own worst enemy.

Despite working hard at changing our behaviors and making efforts to make it happen, we subtly tell ourselves things like "I hope I can do this", "I’ve been good, I deserve to take a day off", or "I blew it today, I might as well write today off and start fresh tomorrow."

The problem with these thoughts is they are all negative.  Telling yourself you hope you can do this indicates uncertainty and that some element is not within your control. Remember weight loss is possible. Direct your thoughts positively and keep your motivation in sight.

• Reframe your mind
  

Put exercise in the same perspective as the rest of your life. A lot of people think of exercise as something extra in their lives; something that happens when they have the time. Treat exercise as though it’s obligatory.

When you wake up each day, plan your exercise as just something else that needs to happen.

• Celebrate you!

Do you give your best to your job, your family, and your friends but never devote anything worthwhile to yourself?

Use these behavior changes as an opportunity to put yourself first. Remind yourself you are taking steps toward a healthier, leaner you. If you do not see changes in your body or on the scale immediately, be patient.

Fat loss WILL happen when you remain committed to your goal.

Calories DO matter, so you should have an idea of just how many you are eating if you want to be leaner, sexier, and stronger!  Click here to learn how food companies lied to us!

3 Lessons and a pretty funny story …

The weather was absolutely perfect last week in Louisville.  Cool mornings, virtually no humidity…perfect days to get outside and enjoy the weather.

Well one morning a friend asked if I wanted to go cycling with him.  Excited to enjoy the weather and get out for a ride, I agreed … mistakenly, though, I didn’t ask how long he planned to be out there.

Wrongly assuming we’d be out for about 75 minutes following the same route as the last time we went out, I only had 1 – 20 oz water bottle, with places along the way to refill.

I get to the meeting point … with 3 other riders there waiting … and they all agreed that we should do a 2.5-3 hour ride.

NOT what I planned for.

Lesson 1: ALWAYS ask what you’re getting into if you don’t know.  This will help you with your fat loss; it’s important to understand the "plan" that will help you reach your destination.

Lesson 2: PLAN ahead … hydrating a fueling up for what turned out to be a 40+ mile ride is a lot different than one that’s half the distance.  Planning ahead is one of the keys to losing fat…without a plan, you’ll struggle to reach your fat loss goals.

I was up for the challenge anyhow, though. 

So we’re out on the ride … about 1.5 hours into it … and are heading down a hill, so going about 30-35 mph.

Next thing I know, the cyclist in front of me is braking pretty hard …

…and I see an animal crossing the street.

As I got closer, I saw it was a groundhog — we’re all braking to try to avoid this little bugger, and suddenly it stood on its hind legs and bites at my shoe!

I was attacked by a groundhog!  I tried to move away from it so I didn’t kill it … and it didn’t kill me!  What was probably a 5 lb animal almost knocked me off by bike by biting at my shoe!

If nothing else, it gave us all a good laugh …

Lesson 3 — laugh at what life throws at you (maybe it’s being "attacked" by a groundhog or maybe something more serious — but doing whatever it is with a smile is better than doing it with a frown).

We’re all about balance. 

Sure, we have a reputation for living off tofu and grass, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

We follow a 90/10 rule – eat clean 90% of the time and “let the reins out” the other 10% of the time.

In numbers that means if we’re eating 5 meals each day, with 7 days in a week, that’s 35 meals total. 

With 10% of the meals being “relax” meals, that is about 4 meals each week.

Aim for this same goal and you’ll never struggle with your body weight again.

But there are 3 foods that will totally sabotage your goal of getting lean.

So, OK, if you eat them once in a long while, no worries…but if they are even fairly regular parts of your diet, you’ll struggle.

Bagels.   These things are a nutritional disaster.  They are giant white balls of refined carbohydrates, packing in 350+ calories WITHOUT anything added to them.

They'll cause you to hold onto weight like it’s stuck to your body with glue!

Typical bakery bagels are equal to about 5-6 pieces of bread.  Add in the cream cheese, enjoy it with your morning latte, and you’re in trouble.  

Salad Toppings.  Salad can be considered the perfect food, when made with great ingredients. 

But when that otherwise healthy salad is loaded with high-calorie dressings (~300 calories), fried chicken strips (350 calories), bacon (125 calories), cheese (225 calories), and croutons (125 calories), you’ve just turned what could have been a great meal into a disaster, with over a day’s worth of calories and fat!

Smoothies.  I love a homemade smoothie as much as the next guy – but “healthy” smoothies often go incognito and can pack a serious dose of calories and sugar.  Smoothie King offers one drink with over 2000 calories and many others are well above 500.  That’s healthy? 

Make your own – fresh fruit, some Greek yogurt, and a splash of juice or skim milk.  Now THAT can help you ultimately reach your goals. 

Remember that 90/10 rule.  Stick to nutrition basics.  Maintain a nice balanced exercise routine and you’ll be well on your way to permanent success.

Do you have any others to add?

Here another article talking about strategies to lose that belly fat forever.

Check out a success story of someone who lost over 60 lbs using our simple fat loss strategies.