So the calendar has switched over and it’s 2010. You’re interested in losing weight and think you should buy the latest supplement or give a new weight loss infomercial a try.

But what if we told you the secret to losing weight is right around the corner at your local grocery store?

[I can't remember the last time I went down the "pop" aisle? You shouldn't be going down it either!]

This is where it all starts – The input to the output. The snap of the ball before the touchdown pass. How you go about something as routine as grocery shopping could be holding you back from the fat loss goals you deserve to achieve.

Here are three important strategies to keep in mind the next time you’re heading out to the grocery store to “pick-up” a few things.

Shop With A List

Failure to plan is a plan for failure – and in grocery shopping terms that plan starts with a list. If you have no list then don’t even bother shopping for food.

When you take the time to put a list together before you go, your chances of sticking to it improve immensely. No extras falling into your cart, no specials or gimmicks to fool you. It’s just you and the list!

Eat Before You Grocery Shop

Don’t go to the grocery store if you’re hungry. Making nutritional decisions is no fun when your stomach is barking at the moon at anything that doesn’t require more then a rip of a bag.

While feeling hunger, you are also more sensitive to the smells around you which combined with the drop in your blood glucose can make your cravings impossible to ignore.

Therefore, before you set foot inside of a grocery store grab a quick snack that incorporates vegetables, healthy fats or protein.

Inside The Grocery Store

Take a good hard look at the layout of a grocery store. The center aisles are bursting with frozen or processed food items. The perimeter is where the produce, dairy and meat (protein) live and that is where you should be spending the majority of your time.

If by chance you do enter a center aisle (cans of tuna or spices are acceptable reasons) then get what you need and proceed to the perimeter. Do not make eye contact with the Dorittos!

Be wary of the head and the foot of the aisles as well. You’ll find these stocked with sale-of-the-week items that almost always do more damage then good.

If you’re shopping with a list you should be in and out of grocery store in 30 minutes or less. Any more time and chances are you’re letting the wrong foods hitch a ride in your cart and all the way into your kitchen.

For ideas on putting together your grocery shopping list take a look at the Every Other Day Diet book by Jon Benson. With five different food plans to choose, there is no weight loss or muscle building goal forgotten.

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