When it comes to reducing total body fat, you have to think of it like getting out of credit card debt.
To get out of debt, what do you do?
Spend less than you make.
And to reduce body fat, you need to consume less than you expend.
You have to be very particular about what you do and decide to eat because…
BEFORE YOUR BODY CAN BURN BODY FAT, IT HAS TO BURN OR USE THE CALORIES YOU EAT FIRST.
Here are 5 tips to help put you on the fast track to fat loss and keeping it off for good.
I. CUT BACK ON CARBS
One of the main problems with people wanting to lose fat is that their bodies don’t know how to burn that stored fuel (fat) around their waistline. That’s all body fat is at the end of the day…fuel. And your body just doesn’t know how to use it.
Step one in telling your body to burn fat is to cut off its current primary fuel source…carbs (or glucose).
Their nothing wrong with your body using glucose as fuel sometimes. In fact, you want your body to use Glucose during intense workouts or intense physical activity. The problem is when your body uses glucose non-stop all day for everything.
I would encourage some wanting to lose body fat to start with as little daily carbs as possible (30-50 grams per day) and test that out.
II. EAT ENOUGH FAT BUT NOT TOO MUCH
So we removed your body’s primary fuel source, and now we have to substitute that fuel with, dare I say, FAT!
Now, you need to understand something. This isn’t me saying "You can have unlimited amounts of fat". That can be dangerous. What I am saying is this...
With a reduced carbohydrate intake, start adding a little more fat to your diet. Foods like beef, chicken, fish, avocado, olive oil, and nuts and seeds are all great choices to start with.
Fat is more filling due to its higher calorie content (9 calories compared to carbs 4 calories). That’s why I want you to add a little at a time.
CHECK POINT TO-DO LIST:
Cut back your carbs to 30-50 grams per day.
Start adding more fat-rich food to your diet (meat, oils, nuts and seeds).
When you take these two steps, you’re basically telling your body to "burn stored and dietary fat. Not glucose".
III. CONSUME ENOUGH PROTEIN
Alright, so we know what to do for carbs and fats. That leaves us with protein. And my rule for protein is the same for those looking to lose weight and/or build muscle.
The ideal amount of daily protein you should aim for is your “ideal” body weight in grams per day. You can also use the .7-1.0 grams of protein per “ideal” pound of body weight.
So roughly speaking, a woman who wants to weigh 100 pounds [and currently weighs 120 pounds should consume around 100 grams of protein per day.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This amount for the above example is under the assumption that she is weight training 2-3 days per week. Without the weight training, this amount of protein might be too much for her or even dangerous!
Speaking of weight training…
IV. WEIGHT TRAIN 2-3 DAYS PER WEEK
When dieting, your body will often lose a percentage of muscle mass. To prevent this from happening, you need to use those muscles via weight training.
Without the weight training combined with the low-carb dieting, your body will look for and find glucose stored in your muscle tissue and use that as fuel. Or worst-case, break down the muscle itself to be used as fuel.
However, when you use your muscles regularly via weight training, you basically tell your body “Nope, you can’t use these muscles as fuel because I need them for my workouts".
So now you’ve got your body backed into a corner.
It can’t use glucose as fuel via food because you’re not giving it glucose and it can’t use your hard-earned muscle because it knows you need them for your training.
So what’s your body going to do for fuel? You probably already guessed it, its only options are stored and/or dietary fat.
Why’s your body so stubborn?
You might be wondering…”Why is this the case?”
“Why must I go through this in order to burn fat and not sugar?”
Two reasons,
The first reason and without going too into detail, the West in particular, and other parts of the world have a carbohydrate-based diet. And your body is going to primarily burn what is most ubiquitous.
Next time you’re in line at the grocery store, look around and see what macro is most dominant. Do you see mostly carbs, protein, or fats?
The second reason is…though fats are a more efficient fuel source, they are not the easiest to use at first. Ever tried starting a fire without a tender bundle?
You need to really focus and “stranglehold” your body into burning fats but here's the good news. When that happens, it’s really hard to go back to burning glucose full-time. Because your “metabolic furness” is now a roaring fire now.
V. TAKE LONG WALKS FOR CARDIO
If you’re a long-distance runner, I’m sorry but you’re not going to like this tip.
Running for long periods of time is fine every now and then but done in excessive amounts can lead to muscle loss.
If you want to maximize your gains in the gym and body fat reduction, taking daily long walks for 30-60 minutes will do just that.
Although I can’t say you’re allowed to “walk til you drop”, it takes copious amounts of walking combined with fasting in order for your body to use muscle tissue as fuel.
BONUS TIP: VI. GIVE FASTING A TRY
The purpose of these tips is to help you accomplish fat loss without muscle loss as quickly and painlessly as possible. Call it the easy way. The hard way however would be to just stop eating altogether (i.e. fasting).
If you decided to just stop eating for an extended period of time, though painful and uncomfortable, your body would eventually get the hint and start burning fat as fuel and not glucose.
Of course, you can meet in the middle and try practicing intermittent fasting where you spend anywhere from 16-24 hours without eating food.
You can experiment with different times and durations to see what works best for you and your schedule. Just be sure to check with your doctor firstto make sure you’re healthy enough to take on such a task.
