To Lose Body Fat

In a world where body image is so heavily emphasized, so many people just want to find a fast way to lose weight. Through various drugs and surgeries this is all technically possible however these “solutions” are not only risky and potentially dangerous but they also help people learn what it really takes to lose weight. Finding easy ways to lose weight fast is only half the battle; keeping the pounds off is what’s most difficult. Natural weight loss takes commitment, but if someone is dedicated and willing to change several aspects of their diet, exercise, and mindset, losing weight fast becomes not only possible but inevitable.

In many cases, people quit their exercise programs prematurely when they don’t see results right away and assume their workouts aren’t working. Although exercise is an essential part of weight loss, the primary factor is dealing with food. Depending on the weight loss program, dietitians can suggest a number of different ways to adjust the diet to help expedite weight loss.

Calorie Restriction – Although this can be done by simply eating less, chances are that because an overweight person has become so accustomed to eating larger amounts of food, feelings of starvation may occur, which can result in binge eating. To prevent all this, patients are often advised to eat foods that are high in fiber and low in calories. Foods such as whole grains, vegetables, certain fruits, and skim milk all cause the stomach to feel full yet are still low in calories.

Restricting Empty Carbs – Not everyone eats too much; the issue however comes from the type of food they eat and particular empty carbohydrates. Empty carbohydrates are foods such as sugar, white bread, cookies, and sweets which are loaded with simple sugars yet contain very little if any nutritional value. If your body is not burning calories at the moment these types of foods are consumed, they are quickly stored as fat for later use.

Adequate Hydration – Drinking water frequently not only rinses the body of toxins, but it also reduces the desire to eat. Drinking adequate water also allows the body to remain hydrated especially while working out, which allows the person to burn more calories and fat without feeling tired or dehydrated.

With their diet now in check, a person then faces the task of adding an exercise routine to help accelerate their weight loss. Combining both diet and exercise really is the best way to lose weight fast naturally.

Cardio Workouts – Aerobic exercise is by far the most effective type of workout for losing weight. This is mainly because in aerobic workouts, the body rapidly breaks down glycogen (fat) into simple sugars (glucose) which are then directly used to provide energy for the body via a system called the Krebs Cycle. This breakdown results in the production of water and CO2, both of which are expelled from the body. Aerobic exercise breaks down stored fat more efficiently because it requires a lot of energy in a short period of time. Moderate amounts of cardio also improves the body’s metabolic rate; how fast the body processes foods and burns fat.

Mix it Up – Although running on treadmills or tracks are great cardiovascular workouts, they do get boring. This can lead to disinterest and cause someone to fall out of the routine. Fix this by alternating the type of cardio routine you perform often. Some great ideas for a good cardio workout include running, boxing, hot-box yoga, kick-boxing, dancing, swimming, skiing, soccer, and many more. If you’re not into the workout, chances are neither is your body.

When people think of a fast fat loss diet, extreme dieting often come to mind but in reality the only safe, effective and natural way to lose fat fast is through nutritional alterations and exercise. For the best results good nutrition can be paired with both aerobic and strength training forms of exercise.

Before you begin a fast weight loss campaign it’s important to keep in mind that your body is programmed to maintain your current weight. This can be very frustrating for some people, who often conclude that their weight does not change no matter what they do. It is true that substantial weight changes don’t occur overnight (except for water-weight fluctuations), but everyone is capable of altering their weight.

The simplest, and often most effective method for fast fat loss is to calculate how many calories your body needs a day to maintain your current body weight and then consume less than that. This creates what is called a “calorie deficit”, in which your body doesn’t have quite enough fuel from the calories consumed during the course of the day and therefore must used stored energy in the body (i.e. fat).

To calculate the amount of calories your body consumes in a given day, otherwise known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), use the following formula:

Women: 655+(4.3 x weight)+(4.7 x height)-(4.7 x age)
Men: 66+(6.3 x weight)+(12.9 x height )-(6.8 x age)

Increase this BMR by a certain percent (20=very low, 30= light activity, 40= exercise most days) , depending on your daily level of activity.

Now that you have calculated your adjusted BMR, you know how many calories your body uses in a given day. Take that adjusted BMR and subtract 500 calories to get your target number for weight loss. Now it is your job to keep track of the number of calories you consume, which is not fun in the beginning, but gets much easier. This can be done online, with smart phone applications, or with a pencil and paper. Keep in mind that everyone’s body is slightly different, so you may need to make adjustments to create a larger or smaller caloric deficit. Additionally, while the foods you eat are up to you as long as you stay below your calorie limit, most suggest consuming foods that are digested slowly and make you feel full longer like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and protein. Also note that creating too large of a deficit may cause your body to think you are in a state of starvation, which will lead your body to absorb food calories more efficiently.

If you carefully create a calorie deficit you will lose weight fast. If you want to lose body fat even faster however, you should also consider adding exercise to your regime. The most effective exercise routines will include both aerobic exercise (running, swimming, biking), with strength training (weight lifting). Sustained aerobic exercise will burn calories and help you reach your deficit, and strength training will burn calories as well as build lean muscle. Lean muscle can replace fat and help burn more calories even while at rest. Also keep in mind that you can do strength training without getting bigger looking, lean muscle is just that–lean. Both forms of exercise can also increase your metabolism.

As mentioned above, everyone is different in their starting weights, BMRs and activity levels, but in the end if you create a calorie deficit through nutrition and exercise you will lose weight.

When trying to lose weight, you may wonder if there is a “Lose body fat diet” that you can follow and how much does it matter what types of food you eat when trying to burn fat?  Well, you may be surprised to know that even more than exercise, the largest factor in weight loss and especially with body fat loss is proper nutrition.

Proper nutrition is just so vital as this is what will be feeding your muscles as they grow and your fat is burned.  Without eating the right foods, your muscles will starve and you’ll find yourself back to where you started.

Here’s a great list of foods that should be part of your fat burning diet:

Skim Milk, which contains very little fat yet loaded with calcium acts as a metabolic trigger, boosting your metabolism.  Many studies have shown that those who daily consume low fat dairy products such as skim milk and low fat yogurt burn twice as much fat as those who don’t.

Whole grains such as whole grain cereal and whole grain bread are excellent sources of fiber and complex carbohydrates which help keep insulin levels low and your metabolism high.  You might have heard a lot of talk about how carbs are keeping you fat but this is not true at all.  Your body needs carbohydrates to function normally and starving your body of carbohydrates is no way to lose weight.  What you should stay away from are the processed carbs such as white bread.

Fish such as salmon and albacore tuna is probably the best meat for your body.  Not only is it highly rich in protein but is also a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids.  These fatty acids help keep your leptin hormonal levels down which as a result increases your calorie burn rate.

Dark colored vegetables such as tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, peppers, and asparagus are extremely healthy for your body especially if they are eaten raw or lightly steamed.  Dark colored veggies particularly contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals and vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber; the best combination for burning fat and feeling full.

These foods should definitely help you shed fat but instead of having a preset lose body fat diet, use the foods listed above as well as other fat burning foods and prepare yourself a variety of meals each day.  If you need ideas there are lots of great fat burning cookbooks you can buy.  The goal here is to change the way you eat so that it becomes part of your healthy lifestyle and no longer a “diet”.

If you’re aiming to lose body fat you’ll probably ask yourself what the ideal body fat percentage is.

Firstly however it’s important to understand a little about the role of fat in the body and why fat is a actually a good thing.  I know that might sound strange in this day and age of the media constantly telling you fat is bad but the truth is fat is essential to your body and without this essential fat your body would not be able to function normally.  Attempting to go below what’s known as your “essential fat” is not only bad for your health but extremely dangerous.

A typical human body has anywhere from 50 to 250 billion fat cells which are stored in many different areas throughout the body including the thighs, waste, buttocks, around your organs such as the kidneys and liver and even within muscle.  Fat has many uses within the body including the insulation and protection of vital organs but the main purpose of fat is to store energy for future use.  When your body needs energy it can break down the contents of fat cells using enzymes to release fatty acids into the bloodstream which can then be transported to any area of the body.  Your body can then convert these fatty acids into a usable form of energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Now that you know a bit about how fat is used in the body and why it’s important, with this frame of mind should you set your ideal body fat goal.  Unsurprisingly there is no one ideal percent body fat for everyone but you can set a realistic goal for yourself by taking into account your age, gender, and body type.  You should also determine whether you are aiming to be at an athletic level of body fat or just in a healthy range.  The following are some charts indicating the ranges for body fat percentage in both men and women:

Body Fat Percentage Chart for Men

Body Fat Percentage Chart for Women

As you can see from the charts above, your ideal body fat percentage is very dependent on your age and gender.  Another thing that’s evident from these charts is that the ranges for women and men are very different. Women naturally have more body fat than men and for good reason. Fat is vital for reproduction so in case of pregnancy fat stores are maintained on a woman’s body.

Lastly, it’s important to note that your ideal percent body fat is also very much dependent on how you feel and what level your individual body performs it’s best so do not think that lower is automatically better.