When it comes to fat loss, we need all the help we can get. If you’re struggling with some extra weight and don’t even know where to start, then this article will do you some good. The truth is that trimming our body into shape isn’t an easy job and melting fat away into oblivion requires the know-how. There are many ways to go about this challenge and we’ll give you some tips that make your journey bearable. Working to get the body you want and with it, optimal health doesn’t have to be troublesome, in fact, it should be a life-changing and rewarding experience that will make everything better. Enough with the pep talk, here are some straight forward tips to make fat loss happen faster for you.
Losing Weight Isn’t the Same as Losing Fat
This notion alone will make your life much easier. When you work out continually, you’re melting the fat away which reflects on the numbers scales pop up every time you weigh yourself. However, your muscles are getting much more active than they used to be, which means you build more of them as you progress and that results in the number on scales going up. Have no fear, if you’ve been doing all in your power to purge your metabolism from fats but the scales aren’t budging as much as you would want them to, then it’s your muscles that are taking the lead, and this is excellent news. The muscular body burns even more calories and fats, so no need to panic.
Don’t Overdo It
We’re all familiar with that rush we get when we start working out, results start to show and we want to accomplish more as fast as we can. While this is a noble notion, you should be careful with it, because exhausting yourself isn’t a solution either, because you will lose the will to exercise, eat well and honestly just living becomes a painful experience. Stretch your training throughout the week and do it wisely, don’t go for high-intensity workouts that will leave you half-dead every other day, but rather strategize. The science behind this advice is simple – the more energy you spend in your workouts, the more you will want to eat and your appetite will spike. And we all know what happens when we’re constantly hungry – falling off the wagon of eating healthy, caving into temptations and going for snacks full of carbs and fats, only for all of it to end in feeling guilty. Have an intense exercise regimen three times a week and give it all you’ve got, for all other days, incorporate some cardio into the program, and that can be anything from jogging to cycling and swimming. Keep your priorities in check and with it your exercise intensity and appetite.
Know When to Snack (and When Not to Snack)
Losing fat has a lot to do with your diet, not just with your exercise habits, as you very well know. Cutting carbs has to be a must so that your body can use fat as its primary energy source, which means that you will have to make much wiser food choices than you did thus far. This means steering clearing from processed foods, sweets, sodas and focusing more on healthy meal prepping, eating wholesome foods and lots of raw products that will nourish your body and enhance its ability to shed fat. Also, you should take extra care on what you snack and when. Being under pressure to have a snack a couple of times a day won’t do you much good and the same goes for snacks imminently before a workout. Explore how you react to training when you do eat something and when you do it on an empty stomach and find what feels better. If you’re irritable and cranky when you’re hungry, then chances are your workout won’t be as productive as it could be if you were to eat something nutritious. The main point here – only snack when you feel like your body needs it, not because you should.
High-Intensity Interval Training Is Inevitable
This is probably not what you wanted to read, seeing that HIIT day is something most of us dread. However, high-intensity interval training can do wonders for your body because it boosts your metabolic rate and enables the body to lose fat much faster. The biggest perk of HIIT is that your body will continue to burn more calories long after you’re done with working out, and it can stay in that state for about a week! Losing more calories daily just because you include HIIT into your workout regime twice a week is a pretty sweet deal, even though it might not seem so when you’re fighting to catch your breath mid-workout.
Fat loss is something your body has to learn how to do properly, which is why you can’t just jump into it, the results won’t be as rewarding and lasting. Take your time, adjust your diet, workout in your everyday routine so that it caters to your fat loss goals in every possible way. Only then will the results will be undeniable. – Monica Nichols
Monica Nichols is a 32-year-old fashion designer and freelance writer from Omaha, Nebraska. She’s been writing for diet.st since 2014 and in her free time she likes making pottery and playing with her pet cat