With so much advice on how to lose weight out there, it's hard to know where to start. The good news is that you don't have to buy fancy equipment or diet books to start losing fat. Creating a plan that makes sense for your physical needs and sticking to it is the best way to slim down.

Jump-Starting Fat Loss with a New Diet

Consume a well-rounded balance of protein and fat

Studies show that eating lean proteins like chicken, lean beef, beans, and healthy fats found in fish, avocados, nuts, and seeds promotes fat loss. Choose proteins and fats that are hormone-free and unprocessed.

Avoid getting your protein and fat from dairy products; studies show that dairy can lead to the accumulation of more fat.

Choose olive oil and grapeseed oil over canola oil and butter when you cook.

Drink a lot of water.

Studies show that drinking plenty of water actually increases the body's metabolic rate, leading to more fat loss. Aim for 2 litres of water per day, more if you're active

Replace alcohol, soda (including diet soda), coffee, and other drinks with water.

Start your day by drinking a large glass of water when you wake up, before you eat breakfast.

Eat breakfast every day.

Starting your day off with a healthy breakfast gives you the right foundation for eating well all day long. If you skip breakfast, you'll be more likely to eat too much or lose your will power to eat nutritious foods later in the day.

Eat a lot of protein and fiber at breakfast to keep you full for several hours. Fruit, eggs, and vegetable smoothies are great breakfast choices.

Avoid eating pancakes and other baked goods for breakfast. These give your body a shot of sugar without wholesome nutrients, so you'll get hungry faster. Plus, you'll be starting the day at a dietary disadvantage.

Don't eat foods with empty calories.

Don't eat foods with empty calories. For some people, it really is that simple. Certain foods are more easily converted to fat in your body. They provide a lot of calories, but the calories don't come with the nutrients and fiber your body needs to stay healthy. The first step to losing fat is cutting back or eliminating foods like:

Sugar. Sugary sodas, baked goods, and candies can lead to a greater accumulation of fat.When you cut these foods out of your diet, you'll likely see results within the first week.

White flour. Processed white flour that is used to make bread, pastries, cakes, pasta, and other wheat products should be avoided.

Fried foods. The process of frying food makes it much less nutritious, leading to more fat. Cut back on french fries, fried chicken, and any other food with a fried breading. Most fast foods fall

Lift weights

Exercising with weights builds up muscle and keeps your metabolism high for an extended period of time, helping you to lose fat.If you're new to weightlifting, get started by joining a gym and asking a personal trainer to help you with some beginner's exercises. Keep these tips in mind:

Work each muscle group. Make sure you do exercises to work out your arms, back, chest, abdomen, and legs for full-body fat loss.

Lift the heaviest weights you can. Lifting 5lb weights probably isn't going to provide enough resistance to build new muscle tissue. Lift weights that are heavy enough to cause you to break a sweat and start panting by the end of the set.

Don't overdo it. Make sure you have a few rest days between workouts, and don't work the same muscle groups two days in a row. Your muscles need time to repair after workout sessions to get stronger.

Get into cardio.

Mixing resistance training with cardio workouts is the key to successful  fat loss ,Cardio exercises get your heart pumping and help you burn a lot of calories. Any type of cardio is fine, but try to choose an exercise you enjoy doing, so you'll be motivated to stick with your workout regimen.

The best type of cardio to do for fat loss is HIIT (high-intensity interval training). HIIT involves doing intense bursts of cardio with short rests in between. HIIT keeps your body guessing and burning more calories than long periods of steady intensity.

Biking, swimming, and running are great cardio exercises. Do one of these activities for half an hour four times a week, or mix them all up.

Work out with a friend. Sometimes having a friend along can turn a dreary workout into a fun catch-up session. Find a friend with similar goals and motivations, and set up a schedule to exercise together several times per week.