by Russ Yeager from Fitness Together, 07/01/07

Last issue we talked about the 5 key “laws” that must be incorporated into any successful fat loss plan. As summer comes to an end, we are going to cover the remaining 5 components that will help you shed that unwanted body fat and feel and look great forever!

6) The Power of Vegetables - Use the power of vegetables to help you reach your goals. Vegetables are the most nutrient-dense food around, meaning that you can eat a tremendous quantity of vegetables and consume very few calories. The high fiber content of vegetables also causes your body to work very hard just to digest the vegetables, which means that the calories you do consume are all burned up just in the digestion process. So, in turn, vegetables are negative calories! If you get hungry you can always add more vegetables with no fear of hurting your fat loss efforts (Fried okra does not count!)

7) Pick a Nutrition Plan That You Can Live With - If you cannot consistently follow a nutritional program then you will never have success with it. A good rule to remember is that any “diet” that you can’t stick with will fail in the long run. To have success you must incorporate a nutritional program that you can follow for the rest of your life. This requires a lifestyle change and commitment on your part. It is also important that you have faith and confidence in your fat loss nutrition program. If you do not truly believe that something is going to work for you, then you will not stick with it.

8) Know the Concequences of Cheating - “Cheat” if you want to, but know the consequences of overindulgence. Having a “cheat” day or cheat meal every week or every two week, in which you allow yourself to eat whatever food you are craving, is a great way to help you stick with your nutritional program. “Cheat-days” give us a mental break and allow us to enjoy some of our favorite foods so that we do not feel deprived. However, don’t fool yourself into thinking that your body “needs” these cheat-days, and be careful of the quantity of food you eat on your cheat day. If your cheat meal turns into a full day of pigging-out on everything in sight then you can easily undo all of the hard work you put in the weeks before.

9) Keep Your Eye On The Prize - Eating to lose body fat is tough. I am not going to lie and say it isn’t. There will undoubtedly be times when you feel like giving up and accepting the fact that you can never achieve your ideal physique and level of health and fitness. When you feel like this take a couple of minutes to remind yourself exactly why you are doing it. Think of how awesome it is going to feel when you finally do reach your goals. Trust me, when you achieve your fat loss goals and reach a new level of health and fitness, it will be well worth the sacrifice you had to make along the way.

10) Be Consistent and Never Give Up - Permanent fat loss requires a life-long commitment to eating healthier and exercising. Don’t become frustrated or give up if you do not seem to be reaching your goals as quickly as you would like. Achieving the body and level of fitness you desire takes time and consistency. If you mess up on your nutrition plan don’t beat yourself up. Instead, get right back to it and keep making progress because with enough determination and desire you WILL eventually get there.

Russ Yeager is the owner and operator of Fitness Together – Norcross, a one-on-one personal training studio that focuses on personalized attention and results. Russ is a Certified Fitness Trainer (CFT) through the International Sports Sciences Association, black belt in Shotokan Karate, writer, and DVD and book author. Russ also owns and operates an online fitness company. For more info on the author visit www.russyeager.com. For more information on Fitness Together personalized fitness programs call (770) 409-0553 or visit www.ftnorcross.com.