The internet is filled with deluge amounts of information as to how one can lose weight. However, we still find people looking for a solution to lose weight quite frequently. This is because when a diet schedule or a training routine is adopted, it focuses mainly on losing weight. Now that weight can be either protein or fat. When people are losing weight, they do not even give a second thought and think as to what is this loss in weight attributed to. As a result, most of the people end up losing either water weight or precious muscle mass, which leads to fatigue and tiredness eventually, encouraging them to abandon the newly adopted lifestyle.
The problem here is the impairment in recognition. What you should lose is body fat, not muscle or water. It is the nasty fat which has to be targeted if you want to lose weight in a healthy and focused manner. The term getting in shape should be understood in a much better way as it implies not only obtaining a physically fit body but a nutritionally healthy body too. Losing body fat puts you in shape and gets rid of the risk of various diseases like diabetes, heart attacks and stroke which are all attributed to an increased level of body fat.
Through this article, we are going to try and get your attention to losing fat when you plan to lose weight rather than ridding your body of metabolic essentials. We give you the best ways to ensure the loss of body fat so that you are left with an fantastic appearing healthy body.
Targeted work out for spot reduction
Spot reduction refers to losing targeted body fat and for quite a lot of years, it has been considered theoretical however the best way to accomplish spot reduction involves performing your regular workout but timing it correctly.
Exercising when you are in the “fasted” state, which is around 4-5 hours after a light meal causes you to lose fat. What happens is that being in the fasted state, the hormone insulin is active and exercising during that period causes insulin to mobilize fat to obtain energy for the exercising muscles. Another additional thing which happens when you train in the fasted state is increased blood circulation to the belly fat and which causes the fat cutting hormones (catecholamines) to burn that stubborn belly fat quicker.
Hydrate yourself
Water keeps your bowel moving and also keeps the metabolic processes running in a smooth manner. Filling up on water makes you consume a smaller serving of food and let you get full without the calories. Try taking a glass of pure water with every meal to keep yourself from overindulging and letting your workout not be ruined by splurging.
Get rid of the junk
Processed carbs and saturated fats are the biggest contributors to making you a ball of fat. Their consumption is problematic as most of these foods are cholesterol-rich and once cholesterol enters the body, there is no way to get it out. Not only does the tasteful junk make you bulky, it also causes heart disease and diabetes. Putting a stop to the consumption of processed potato chips, sodas and chocolates is something which has to done if you want to lose body fat. It requires quite a lot of effort and resolve but a sexy and sultry toned and lean body, as a result, should be quite the motivation.
Healthy munching
We all need something to munch whenever we are working or watching a movie or reading a book. It’s something which passes the time in a more delicious manner. Losing body fat cannot be accomplished if you are eating clean but munching dirty. Make sure to hit the organic section at the stores for healthier munching options. Walnuts, pecans, almonds make up for great munchies. You can eat them all separate or just get a granola bar. Satisfying your munchy soul with a fruit or piece of vegetable is also recommended.
Amp up the protein
Losing fat requires tremendous amounts of work out and exhausting training routines. During this process, muscles fatigue and break down. This can be avoided by increasing the content of protein in your diet.
An interesting finding which has emerged in the recent years is that not consuming adequate quantities of protein causes the energy intake to be unfulfilled leading to overheating of other classes of foods like carbs and fat causing weight gain and increased total body fat. To avoid this make sure your diet has components like meat, fish, and lentils which are rich sources of protein.
Make apples your staples
Modifying your diet not only involves eliminating items from it but there should be an incorporation of healthier items as well. To lose fat, apples should be part of your diet with consumption of at least one per day. Apples are full of fiber which means that your body takes hours to process it. This gives you the illusion of staying full for long periods and ultimately stops you from overeating. Also, pectin found in apples causes slow absorption of sugar from the gut making it an ideal food for losing fat.
Make your tea green
Consuming high calorie fattening drinks like milky coffees and fancy frappes can cause the waistline to get larger by the day. Ditching unhealthy beverages and adopting healthier substitutes helps lose body fat. Green tea is known to speed up the metabolism. Speeding up the metabolic processes causes the body to burn fat at a higher rate and accomplishes the goal of losing body fat.
Make use of thermogenesis
There are some specific foods which when metabolized by the body require more than the usual energy and that leads to the burning of calories while digesting them. Eating thermogenic foods technically makes you lose fat just by consuming them. Imagine losing fat just by eating-sounds like a dream. Lean meats and cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and garden cress are thermogenic in nature and their digestion makes you lose the same amount of calories as would one long hour of brisk walking.
Say no to diet sodas
Consuming diet sodas if you are on a diet seems about right. However, it could be one of the biggest mistakes you must be making when trying to get lean and cutting down on body fat. Recent studies have suggested that diet sodas are linked to the development wider waist circumference attributed to increased belly fat. Choosing diet sodas as a replacement for a beverage is certainly not advised if the loss of fat and weight is being attempted.
Increase fiber in your diet
Adding roughage and fiber to your diet is one of the best ways to get the nasty fat out and a healthy body in. Fiber is a well-known appetite suppressant as consumption of fiber keeps the stomach full eliminating the need to eat unnecessarily. The appetite suppressing effects of fiber are attributed to its slow digestion by the gut making you feel fuller at all times. Foods high in fiber such as beets, kale, spinach, corn, nuts, and legumes are also beneficial in reducing the amount of free blood cholesterol helping to lose fat more effectively.
Say no to juices
This would seem a rather obnoxious piece of advice as juices are considered healthy and a part of almost every diet aimed at losing body fat. The fact that we stay oblivious to when consuming the all-natural juices is that they contain a natural sugar called fructose, which ultimately gets processed to fat or more specifically visceral fat which is notorious for increasing waist circumference.
Take your time with eating
Gulping down your food quickly and hastily causes you to eat more than usual and makes you gain weight. The brain needs more than twenty minutes to register and deliver the idea of fullness to you. Speedy eating does not give your brain the time to perform this function and you end up consuming more food. To ensure the loss of body fat, make sure you eat your food slowly, savoring every moment and letting your body accept it in a relaxed manner. Making use of chopsticks rather than forks and chewing your food thoroughly help you in eating your food slowly.
Get adequate sleep
Sleeping for an adequate amount of time is as essential as getting a proper workout or following a strict diet. There is a direct relationship between sleep and appetite. Whenever we do not get the right amount of sleep, a hormone called ghrelin gets activated and leads to increased appetite and overeating. Also reduced sleep makes one crave junk and find healthy food not as palatable in comparison.
Add leucine to your diet
Leucine is an amino acid which makes protein. The attractive feature regarding leucine is that it promotes the development of lean body mass with trimming down on the excess fat. The puts your body into a rather athletic frame and can be found abundantly in beef, chicken, tuna fish and lentils.You can check this list for Leucine-rich foods.
Make use of the melon
Watermelons are considered a good add-on in the diet if wanting to get lean and aiming at losing body fat. There are various reasons why this summery treat is such an amazing fat cutter. It contains a whopping 91.4 grams of water and zero cholesterol which means you are gaining absolutely no fat with its consumption. Another amazing fact is that two cubes of watermelon provide you with 80 calories but no fat which means that you get a good amount of energy without gaining weight.
Make your meals hotter
If you want to lose some fatty pounds and are not a fan of spicy food, then you might as well start developing a knack for it. Many studies over the years have proved that spicy food consumption causes more calories to burn leading to burning of body fat and loss of body weight. The magic element in spicy foods is Capsaicin. Capsaicin boosts metabolism causing everything to run at a super high speed which helps in fat reduction especially the abdominal fat. Another possible effect which helps in losing body fat is suppressing appetite and keeping overeating at bay.
Develop active routines
Workouts, weight training, and diet regimes are a good way to kick-start loss of body fat. But the key is maintaining all this, to ensure that all your effort wasn’t for just a few months. Staying lean requires a lifestyle of activity to be adopted. All your daily activities should be centered on staying active and agile. Make sure you work standing rather than sitting to prevent gaining weight. Another useful way is to go on a cleaning spree. Vacuuming, dusting, washing all keep you on the move and make you lose weight even without you realizing it. And not just that, you are left with a spotless house as well.
Keep fidgeting
Scientific research has proved that this rather annoying habit could be a possible way to lose body fat. Fidgeting causes the body to be in a constant state of motion promoting burning of calories even when you are not working out. Tapping your feet while sitting on a desk, twiddling your thumbs when sitting quietly, moving your head sideways when listening to music all cause your muscles to be engaged at all times promoting loss of fat.
Use exotic cinnamon
This exotic spice has incredible fat cutting properties. It essentially leads to a reduced waistline by ridding the body of LDL cholesterol also called the ‘bad fat’ and mimicking insulin in function causing rapid metabolism of sugars and carbs. Cinnamon has also been proven to be an appetite suppressant and reduces unhealthy food cravings. It can be consumed by adding half a teaspoon in your morning coffee or by making cinnamon tea with ingredients like lemon and honey which also help in reducing body fat.
Try intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting has been found to reduce body weight by 3-8%. It involves the process of fasting for 16 hours and consuming food in an 8-hour window often called the 16/8 method. Fasting for a longer time and having a shorter eating window makes you consume fewer calories along with reducing 4-7% of waist circumference. Intermittent fasting aids in losing belly fat without stripping the body of essential nutrients as an 8-hour window for food consumption is available.
Get your Vitamin D levels checked
It was accidentally found that vitamin D helps you lose weight. During a particular obesity study, it was observed that people with adequate vitamin D levels lost more weight after calorie cut down as compared to the ones with lower vitamin D levels. The science behind weight loss with vitamin D consumption is regulation of leptin-a hormone which gives the sensation of feeling full. Vitamin D causes the release of leptin which makes one feel satiated preventing overeating.
Try vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is a commonly used condiment but has been absolutely underestimated when aiming at losing weight. An active ingredient in apple cider vinegar is acetic acid which is known to lower blood sugar, speed up metabolism and reduce belly fat with an accelerated fat burning quality. It is also an effective appetite suppressant. All these characteristics make apple cider vinegar ideal for trimming those unhealthy chunks of fat. You can add it to your salad dressing or can simply add a spoon full to a cup of lukewarm water and drink it every morning.
Laugh
The International Journal of Obesity published a study which established that laughing for 15 minutes a day burns 10-40 calories easily. Laughing reduces muscle tension, increases oxygen delivery and causes the release of endorphins. It also causes an elevated heart rate and extra movements which could be possible mechanisms by which calories are burnt at a faster rate.
HIIT training
HIIT training is a training modality which incorporates aerobics. It stands for high-intensity interval training. As the name suggests, HIIT involves training intensely for intervals with a background of a basal workout regime. A session could last twenty minutes and would incorporate two minutes of walking followed by fasting running for 30 seconds done periodically for the whole twenty minutes.
Do not give up
Losing weight and body fat is a long strenuous process. It is very easy to lose motivation along the way give up without ever reaching the goal. This is because results are finally visible after months of resolve and efforts. The key is to understand that consistency matters the most and differences can never be observed overnight. It can take weeks or even months before you start seeing a significantly observable change. So giving up mid-way and losing hope are some things that you need to steer clear of when losing weight.