Shed Body Fat with these 10 Tips
Whether you are a professional bodybuilder or someone who has got a gym membership to lose weight, excess body fat is a foe. If losing body fat was easy, everyone who joins a gym would be in shape.
Losing fat can be complicated and since you’re reading this article, we’re assuming you’re toiling with the same problem. The truth of the matter is that there is a lot of misinformation out there about losing fat. No, there’s no exercise that targets fat loss in specific areas.
No, there is no “cheat” to lose fat faster and easier. And yes, the sad reality is that major fat loss comes from your diet rather than exercise. Losing weight is truly a lifestyle change – not a temporary challenge you need to overcome, complete, and then move back to normal.
With that said, the right guidance and a right approach to your diet, training, and recovery can help you achieve your fat loss goals.
1. Don’t Follow a Program
Save yourself the trouble of finding a fat loss program because they don’t work. Programs have a start and an end date, but losing fat forever needs you to make lifestyle changes. Perhaps some sort of cleans or diet program can help initially kick start you into healthy habits – but the key thing to remember here is that true fat loss only comes from permanent lifestyle changes.
This is especially true as you get older. The hard trugh of it is – as you get older you won’t be able to eat like you used to and still stay healthy and thin. That’s just life. It may suck – but it’s important to really come to terms with that fact if you want to see real change. Don’t go on a 60-day low-calorie diet thinking you’ll get rid of the fat for once and all.
2. High-Intensity Workouts
Be it cardio or weightlifting if you want to lose weight, you need to be following HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Shorten your rest periods between exercises and sets, and try to get done with the workouts as soon as possible.
3. Drink a Lot of Water
For most people, excess body fat stores can be due to an increased carb and fat intake which can be the result of excessive eating. Drinking plenty of water can make you feel full and eat less. Water is also the medium in which most cellular activities take place, including the transporting and burning of fat.
4. Eat 5-6 Meals a Day
Most people make the mistake of skipping meals in order to lose weight and shed fat. Skipping meals is counter-productive when it comes to losing weight. You should be eating 5-6 meals a day at regular intervals and calculate your daily macros in line with your macronutrient goals. Eating at regular intervals will keep your metabolism rate high and you will be burning fat throughout the day.
5. Limit Sugar Consumption
Sugar is the main culprit behind putting on weight. Taking in simple carbs (sugar) right after a workout replenishes muscles, but excess sugar consumed at other times will be stored as fat. Replace sugary beverages like soft drinks and juice with water, coffee, or tea.
6. Eat a Balanced Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You eat something after 6-8 hours after you go to sleep and this is why it is called a break-fast. Make sure your breakfast includes all the essential micro and macronutrients and is in line with your daily nutritional goals.
7. Drink Black Coffee Before Working Out
Caffeine can cause the body to use fat for fuel during a workout, rather than glucose. Drink 1-2 cups of black coffee (depending on your tolerance) before a workout. Avoid drinking coffee at other times of the day and skip sugar and cream while you’re at it.
8. Don’t Over-Rely on Fat-Burners
Supplements can be incredibly effective in helping you reach your goals, but you shouldn’t be overly dependent on them. Fat burners aren’t magic pills and you shouldn’t expect them to work on an unhealthy diet.
9. Use Cheat Meals
There is a difference between junk food and cheat meals. Foods like french fries and potato chips are junk food which only consists of calories. Pizza, hamburgers, etc have other nutritional value and are better suited to be a cheat meal. Eating a cheat meal can bump up your metabolism and can make your body work harder to digest the food. Remember to eat the cheat meal for flavor and don’t turn the cheat meal into a cheat day.
10. Meet Your Daily Protein Requirements
If you want to put on muscle mass, you should be consuming at least 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 100 lbs, you should be consuming 100-150 grams of protein daily.
What is your weight loss goal? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.