The body depends on two fuel sources for basic sustenace: glucose and fat.  But the ratio of how these two fuels are burned up, differs from one person to the next.  How fit a person is influences that ratio.

The average person burns at a ratio of 50/50.  An out of shape person may burn at a ratio of 70/30, meaning 70 percent of the energy his body uses comes from glucose (stored sugar or blood sugar), and only 30 percent comes from fat.

In a very fit person, the ratio is reversed:  Most of the energy the body uses for basic sustenance comes from fat, while the smaller percentage comes from glucose, so this person may have a 30/70 ratio.

So if at any time (except for very intense exertion), you are burning fat (whatever your ratio is), then the second you step onto cardio equipment, you will be burning fat!  You need not wait 20 minutes before the fat-burning process starts kicking in – this is a myth (also depends on your intensity – the higher the intensity the more glucose you burn).

So, the bottom line is that you want to shift your ratio, so that your body is pulling mostly from fat reserves for the energy needed for basic sustenance (sleeping, sitting, walking).  And this ratio can be shifted by increasing exercise intensity during strength training and performing high intensity interval cardio training.

A grazing habit degrades a person’s internal guidance about when to  eat, making it nearly impossible to tap into hungerand satiety cues, Lippert said. “If you can’t remember the last time  you were really hungry, that is not a good thing,” she said.

When we eat freely and continuously, in any place at anytime, we  begin eating more for stimulation and reward, rather than responding to  our bodies’ needs, said Dr. David Kessler, former FDA commissioner and  author of “The End of Overeating; Taking Control of the Insatiable  American Appetite” (Rodale Books, 2009).

Let’s be honest. You can eat an extra piece of toast and not mark it down. You can make that teaspoon of peanut butter more like a tablespoon and not tell anyone but in the end the tape measure never lies. It’s these small food indiscretions that most people don’t pay attention to but in the end they can be the deciding factor in your fat loss.

REALITY: Women don’t have enough of the muscle-building testosterone to get big muscles, even using heavy weights. Now granted, if they take anabolic steroids, they will develop a masculine physique. The truth is, many women will gain muscle faster than they lose fat because they don’t maintain a calorie management program. A woman needs to be “hypocaloric” so they burn off the fat and reveal the slim, toned muscles underneath. It’s imperative to combine your weight lifting and cardiovascular exercise with a calorie management program.