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As you probably know, burning fat is not easy. To be successful you must develop a plan, have a discipline approach and then have the ability to follow through with it. Often people embark on a fat loss program only to end up stopping in the middle of it because they are frustrated with their results. Burning fat effectively is a topic that consumes the thinking of many different people.

The truth of the matter is that fat loss takes time. It took you many years to pile on the fat; it is not going to come off overnight.

There are a couple of things that you can do to maximize the amount of fat that you burn….

1) The key word is intensity

If there is any such thing such as a secret to burning fat, it is this — intensity. I’ve seen people slaving away for hours at the gym or on a treadmill with no visible fat loss.

The amount of time that you spend in the gym doesn’t count; what counts is what you do when you’re in the gym. Everything you do should be done with high intensity, whether you are doing cardio or lifting weights. You are not there to talk to the entire gym. You are there to work. When you workout with high intensity is when you begin to kick your body’s fat burning into high gear.

2) Track all of your calories.

Counting calories is the in thing these days. The unfortunate truth is that most are not aware of what a calorie is. If you want your body to burn calories faster then it is important to know exactly what they are.

Every food that you eat contains energy to varying degreses. Calories are ways of measuring that energy. Fats contain the most calories per gram (9) while carbohydrates and protein only contain four calories per gram.

You need a certain amount of calories each day to maintain your body as it is today. If you give you body more calories than it needs you will gain weight; if you give it fewer calories than required to maintain its present state you will lose weight.

So, first and foremost, you need to figure out how many calories your body actually needs. There are many different ways and formulas you can use to do this. Search the internet and you will quickly find different ways that will you you a fairly accurate calorie maintenance level.

This is not rocket science. When you have determined what you caloric maintenance level is cut that figure by 15% to 20%. This will put you on the right path.

3) Eat frequently.

You need to forget what you have been told about eating 3 times per day. You need to eat 5 – 7 times per day. Just remember, however, that you cannot eat the same amount of food at these meals. Your intake of food must be much smaller.

If you starve your body it will attempt to store more fat as a way of protecting itself from starvation in the future. So the more often you eat the better. This way the body doesn’t think it needs to store any food and it will use most of it for energy.

A good way to do this is to eat every three hours or so. Hopefully, this will help your body to shed excess fat.

Regaining lost weight can be frustrating. Would you like to find a way to not only lose weight but to make sure that it doesn’t return? Below you find a few ways to help you achieve your weight loss. However, be reminded that there are no super secret shortcuts. You don’t have to live with that excess fat that you don’t want, you can get rid of it.

If you are going to get rid of your excess fat then it will require a lifestyle change on your part. I am not talking about going on a diet, this is a change in the way your run your life? Are you ready for that? You must be cognizant about what you eat. You cannot look good externally if you are not watching what you are feeding yourself internally. You really are what you eat! To get rid of excess fat you will need a nutritionally sound diet. You need to feed your body the amount of calories it needs, but you also need to make sure that it has the proper nutrients.

How many calories does your body need? This is where you need to start if you are going to get rid of that unwanted fat. Opposite of what most people think, you should not cut your calories drastically in order to get rid of excess fat. There is a bad side effect of cutting calories too much. Your body will kick into survival mode and will refuse to burn fat. Instead it will create fat. The most that you should ever cut you calorie intake by is 20%. You will want to cut out some calories, but not so many that your body is starving and will hold onto everything that you eat.

If you want to get rid of excess fat then you need to take a look at how many times a day you are eating. Ideally you should eat 5 – 7 small meals throughout your day. This will better prepare you body to lose excess fat. Your metabolism will keep going strong all day and your blood sugar and insulin levels will stay steady by eating more frequently.

Your body needs certain macronutrients in order to rebuild. The proper amount of macronutrients are as follows; 45% carbohydrates, 35% protein and 20% fat. A lean protein, high fiber carbohydrate and a healthy fat should be eaten at each meal. All changes that you make are not a temporary fix and should be maintained even after you reach your goals. This new way of eating is not meant to be done only for a certain period of time. You must develop it into a lifelong habit. Your goal is to make your new way of eating permanent. Incorporate these changes into your routine and you should be able to get rid of much of the excess fat that you are carrying around right now.

Fat Loss

1. Eat smaller more frequent meals – not only is your metabolism boosted every time you eat something, your body can more efficiently process smaller meals. Instead of having 3 large meals in a day, try to break them up into 5 or 6 smaller meals.

2. Drink more water - regular water intake helps to flush away waste products in the body. Get at least six to eight 8 oz. glasses per day. An easy way to do this is to keep a water bottle handy and drink from it frequently.

3. Be inefficient – do you need to go to the kitchen to get a couple of things? Break it up into to two trips even if you can do it in one. Being inefficient like this can easily double your activity level, burning calories without even trying.

4. Eat more protein – sources of protein include foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lean red meats, etc. Your body burns more calories processing protein than either carbohydrates or fats. Protein also helps to support your muscle tissue, which burns calories all day long!

5. Take the stairs instead of the elevator – any time you can add in a little more physical activity, do it. This doesn’t mean you need to slog up 20 flights of stairs. Even a flight or two done regularly will add up.

6. Don’t let yourself get hungry – when you get hungry you will have a much greater tendency to overeat when you do finally get something to eat. As well, because your body is starting to go into starvation mode, it will be much more likely to hold onto whatever you give it.

7. Order small portions at restaurants – it’s tough to order small french fries when “supersizing” your order is such a great “value.” Take note, however, your real savings will occur in the calories that don’t end up on your backside.

8. Eat more fiber – fiber is very filling. By eating more fiber you will find yourself full sooner. This feeling of fullness will last a long time as well.

9. Wait 20 minutes between servings – your brain takes at least 20 minutes to register that you’re full. By waiting that long, you’ll give your brain a chance to realize that you don’t really need any more food.

10. Cheat on your diet – one thing I always make my clients promise is that they will cheat on their diet. The only thing I ask that they do is to cheat ONLY when they have planned to cheat. By planning when you are going to eat the foods you crave, you take back control of your eating habits.

This way you no longer “give in” to your cravings. You “reward yourself” for sticking to proper nutritional habits. Do this once or twice a week and you will feel far more in control of your eating.

In conclusion, if you follow even a few of these 10 easy tips in the long term, you will certainly notice a difference in your overall weight and health.
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Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at BetterU. He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

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