Fast Fat Loss

By Craig Ballantyne

What is the biggest determinant of success in a fat loss program? What has been shown in research to be the main factor in a woman's weight loss success? You'll be surprised.

Certainly nutrition is a key component. You can't eat at the burger joint every day and expect to fit into your swimsuit (unless you are 14 years old). No way. You need to eat right with protein, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats (yes, fats can be healthy!), and lots of water. Avoid any foods from a bag or a box. Those processed carbohydrates will not help you burn fat or lose weight.

So now that we've covered nutrition, surely your mind has turned to exercise. That has to be the biggest factor in a weight loss program, right? After all, a good training program can boost metabolism, burn fat, build muscle, and help you get lean, sleek abs, right?

Darn right! I totally agree. However, there remains one more factor that is even more important than strength training and interval training. Notice I didn't say aerobic training or cardio training. The traditional fat loss method of cardio might not be as necessary as some trainers would believe. In fact, I listed exercise second because it's not as important as nutrition. You can workout hard for an hour to burn 500 calories, but you can totally wipe that out in about 5 bites of a Big Mac.

See how easy it is for nutrition habits to totally destroy the benefits of exercise? So don't rely on exercise alone.

Heck don't do anything alone.

And that's the secret factor.

Not going it alone. Get social support.

In a research study from Stanford University, and in other recent studies, researchers are finding that social support from health professionals and successful gym buddies is the biggest determinant of your success.

If you have a good doctor, or knowledgeable trainer, or certified nutritionist in your corner, you'll do better than if you tried to figure out everything yourself.

Ditto for your actual exercise sessions. One study found that if you workout with someone that also loses weight, then your chances of losing weight are greater.

There is nothing like a helping hand, and that goes for fat loss as well. Get some social support and you'll succeed in your weight loss program.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over the Internet, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com