Excess weight gain and obesity are global problems of the modern people today. Not only fat burning is a though task by itself, but metabolism decrease and growing older make the fat burning process even harder. When you are trying to burn fat, the more knowledge you have the easier you can progress and meet your goals. These fat burning facts will definitely help you in the battle against excess fat.
1. Build some muscle – do resistance training
Even when you are resting, your body still burns calories to sustain itself and provide the energy needed for many biological processes such as breathing, thinking, creating heat etc.
But the number of calories burned by muscle mass and fat mass at rest is not the same. One pound of muscle burns about 60 calories a day just to sustain itself, while one pound of fat burns around 15 times less – about 4 calories a day. The more muscle mass you have on your frame – the easier will be to burn unwanted fat.
2. Change the ratio of foods you consume
When you are trying to burn fat it’s not necessary to drastically lower your daily amount of calories. A more important thing is to wisely choose the foods you eat, as well as the timing of your meals. It’s a good rule to start at 40%/30%/30% (protein/carbs/fats) and fine tune your diet from there.
3. While increasing the protein, lower the carbs
Carbohydrates (especially the ones that have high glycemic index, such as simple sugars) are the ones that activate the production of insulin in the body. High insulin levels will slow down the fat burning process and store the excess carbohydrates as fat under your skin. Insulin peaks are also known to cause exhaustion and food cravings.
4. Stop consuming soft beverages
One simple way to burn fat and reduce your overall daily calories is to stop drinking juices and soft beverages. People usually find it hard to restrict the quantity of food they eat, but cutting soft drinks and replacing them with plain water, coffee and tea is way easier.
5. Increase the protein intake
Focusing on taking more protein in your meals will speed up the muscle building and fat burning effect. Your meals don’t need to be complicated, you can have an apple and whey protein shake, or a cup of berries and cottage cheese. These high protein snacks will help the fat burning process and help you to keep the hard earned muscle.
Numerous studies show that high protein/low carb diets cause more weight loss than traditional diets. 1, 2, 3, 4.
6. Consume the majority of carbohydrates after you work out
You should consume the most of the carbohydrates and a large amount of protein after an intense workout. This is the time when your glycogen is depleted and the production of anabolic hormones is increased. You body needs carbohydrates and protein to restore its energy and repair the damaged muscle fibers.
7. Work with weights
Working with weights will actually speed up the fat burning process by increasing your muscle mass. Doing cardio only is not the right way of burning fat as it will make you lose weight, but lots of muscle mass will be lost in the process as well – making you look skinny-fat. You can do 3-4 weightlifting workouts a week for best results.
8. Do not skip cardio altogether
Losing weight by doing just cardio is not the smartest thing to do, but this doesn’t mean you should completely skip cardio training.
Besides the many health benefits it has it also helps you burn fat by speeding up the metabolism. Three or four 20-40 minute cardio sessions a week can drastically change the way you look.
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