3 Key Factors for Fat Loss – Part 1

Many people have the desire to lose weight. More specifically, many people desire to lose body fat . However, most of those people do not know how to go about it. They see conflicting messages everywhere, from one fad diet to another, one person telling them one thing about training and someone else telling them differently.

Those who are successful at fat loss know their body well and how it responds to different aspects of nutrition and training manipulation. Those who do not know look to those who are successful and try to emulate their methods. What everyone needs to remember is that everything is individual. What works for one person may not work for another.

However, there are three keys to fat loss that apply to everyone:

1. Goal Setting
2. Nutrition
3. Exercise

Each key is important, and without one of those keys, whilst one may lose weight/bodyfat for a time, they are less likely to keep that weight/bodyfat off.

This article is going to discuss the first key, and make suggestions on how to utilize them effectively for fat loss.


Key #1:
Goal Setting

The first thing that you need to do, before you look at diet and exercise, is to set goals. Look at where you are now, and what you want to be. Your end goal can be whatever you want, because as long as you give yourself a realistic timeframe to achieve it in, you can achieve anything that you want!

Once you have set your long-term goal, then you need to set smaller goals - these are your short-term goals that will help you get to your long-term goal. Goals made should be SMART goals.

Specific: You must be specific in what your goals is - i.e. I want to lose 4% bodyfat in 8 weeks.

Measurable: You must be able to measure your progress towards achieving your goal - i.e. %bodyfat can be measured doing a 6-8 skinfold body composition test every week.

Adjustable: Your goals must be able to be adjusted if for whatever reason something happens and they no longer become realistic for the period that you have set yourself.

Realistic: Your goals must be realistic - i.e. losing 4% bodyfat in 8 weeks is realistic; losing 4% bodyfat in 2 weeks is NOT.

Time-Based: You must set a time frame over which you want to achieve your goal; have specific start and finish dates- i.e. I want to lose 4% bodyfat in the period 13 July to 6 September.


Part 2 (Nutrition) will be posted soon, so keep your eyes peeled for it....