If you're looking to lose some unwanted body fat, this article will show you 5 simple, proven ways to shed more fat in less time.
1. Drink more water throughout the day
Water is used in every physiological process your body undergoes, including vitamin absorption, digestion, and waste removal. In order to make sure these important processes are not disrupted, you want to drink enough clean water.
Drinking water will also help you feel more full throughout the day, so you're less likely to be hungry and less likely to snack.
One trick to help you eat less during your meals is to drink a tall glass of clean, cold water before you eat. This will help you feel less hungry, so you'll eat less during your meal.
Try to drink at least a gallon of water each day. Keep a bottle of water at your work desk, in your car, and one handy at home. The importance of water for good health cannot be overstated. You can live weeks without food, but only days without water.
2. Eat five to six smaller meals each day
This will keep your metabolism running smoothly and efficiently. Eating a smaller meal every 3 to 4 hours will help speed up your metabolism so that it burns through food quicker.
Eating one or two larger meals each day will cause your metabolism to slow down. If it's not presented with food more often, it doesn't burn through it as fast.
Skipping meals altogether will cause your body to hold onto stored fat as a defense mechanism. Your body isn't sure when it's going to get its next meal, so it conserves stored fat to use in case of future calorie needs.
Each meal should consist of high protein (builds muscle), moderate carbohydrates (fuel for the body), and low fat (used for energy and organ protection).
Foods like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, and milk are good sources of protein. For quality carbohydrates, eat complex sources like whole grains, cereals, breads, vegetables, and beans. Fats should be kept to a minimum and they should come from sources like fish oil, olive oil, flax seed, and whole fish.
3. Do three to four cardiovascular workouts each week
This is how you'll burn the majority of your daily calories. Cardio increases your metabolic rate, so that you'll burn more calories throughout the day, even while resting.
30 minutes of cardio, three to four times a week, is enough to raise your metabolism and help burn calories. Any more than that could lead to overtraining.
Choose cardio machines that get more of your body moving. the more you move your body, the more calories you burn. The Stairmaster, biking, and running on the treadmill are all good examples of intense cardio that will move more of your body.
4. Weight train three to four times a week
Weight training will not burn a sufficient amount of fat while you're doing it. Weight training will help you burn more calories and fat in the future.
When you add more lean muscle tissue to your body, you have to expend more energy (burn more calories) just to maintain that lean muscle tissue. So when you're at rest, even sleeping, you'll burn off more calories with this additional lean muscle. The more calories you burn, the more body fat you will lose.
That's why weight training is an important part of the weight loss equation. The more lean muscle tissue you have on your body, the more calories you will burn off as a result.
5. Begin to slowly reduce your calorie intake
In order to lose body fat, you need to expend more calories than you consume. Or simply put, burn off more calories than you eat.
Begin by reducing your daily calorie intake by 150 to 300 calories. Start cutting out extras like butter, cream, mayo, sugar, and any high-calorie dressings or condiments.
Instead, use spices or low-calories sauces to add flavor to your food.
As you reduce your daily calories, begin to observe in the mirror what effect it's having on your body composition. This will help you decide whether or not you should reduce your calories again or if you're making progress where you are.
If you don't see results after a couple weeks of reducing your daily calories, reduce them again by 150 to 300 calories.
This slow, methodical drop in calories will allow you to find the number you need to keep losing fat, without sacrificing lean muscle tissue. If you eat too few calories, your metabolism will slow down and you'll also stop adding lean muscle tissue.
Over time, you'll find the number of daily calories you need to keep losing body fat, without losing lean muscle tissue.
There you have five simple, proven ways you can lose more fat in less time. The more of these tips you use, the quicker you'll begin to see positive changes in the mirror.
