Have Your Mocha and Fat Loss Too
By Lynn VanDyke, Master Trainer and Fitness Nutritionist

You have made a commitment to lose 10 pounds in the next 2 months. You are eating well and working out regularly. You are committed in every way possible- except 1. Your specialty coffee drink of choice. Mochas, frappuccinos, breves and everything in between. You just cannot give up your daily cup of mocha madness.

I don't blame you. In fact I think the moment you begin to deprive yourself of anything you start a vicious cycle. You start craving the one thing you told yourself you cannot have. So what if we stop denying ourselves of our heavenly coffee drinks? Is it possible to still be on a diet and drink mochas?

Yes, it absolutely is. And I am living proof that you can still indulge and have a fabulous body. I admit that I drink one mocha beverage per day. So if I can do it, you can do it to. Go ahead you have my permission!

But before you run out the door and order 4 venti mocha fraps you should know a few other things. I think that allowing yourself a treat is good and necessary for long term success. The very first thing I think you should do is this- stop dieting. A diet implies negative emotions. It implies that you are restricting your calories and your joy. It also implies that you are going to stop eating according to the diet at some point. After all, who wants to diet all of their life? Not me.

So let's stop dieting. Let's make a lifestyle change. Let's focus more on things we should eat instead of things we should not eat. Let's focus on all of our accomplishments and not on our failures. In fact, we do not even have failures. We simply had times when we were not as successful as we would have hoped. Let's also get a few other things in place.

Here are 5 tips to fat loss. Incorporate each of these 5 tips into your new lifestyle change. I know that you will see results. You will feel better, happier, and healthier. You will have more energy and more self-esteem. You will feel good about your body because you are living a clean and healthy life. Here are the 5 tips to fat loss-

1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should contain one protein and one carb. The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.

2) Drink a glass of water at each meal.

3) Rest properly. This means taking at least 48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.

4) Cardio should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths. Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions. Working at varying intensity levels will ensure a well-rounded routine.

5) Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week. You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method. Strength training is not hard once you have an excellent routine in place. Focus on proper form and a full range of motion.

All of the above tips combined will result in fat loss. Now that we are living a healthy life and not dieting we can let go of all guilt. So long as you follow these 5 tips to fat loss then you can have a non-fat venti mocha with whipped cream. The key is moderation. The secret to long-term success is to eat well, workout often and never, ever deprive yourself of your mocha.