People who need to lose those extra pounds commonly think about reducing the amount of food they eat. This may like a good solution, but not exactly the best best way to lose weight. The bottom line is, depending on the amount of food you stop eating, it may even be dangerous to your health. So how does one lose weight effectively and safely? Here are some points that you need to consider when trying to burn fat:
Don't skip your breakfast. As soon as you wake up in the morning, your body has just finished an 8 hour fast. Following such a fast without nutrients, your body enters a catabolic (muscle wasting) state and will begin to break down protein. This is a crucial time to consume some much needed food as soon as possible. A healthy breakfast is critical to any successful fat-loss diet.
Consume a meal every 2 to 3 hours. This means that you will be consuming a meal 5 to 6 times a day. Not only does this type of meal regime stimulate muscle maintenance and fat loss, it is also an essential technique for dominating food cravings. You see, when dieters skip a meal, or haven't eaten in a while, their blood sugar drops too much, and their will power becomes weak. In other words, people who go too long without eating are much more likely to cheat on their diet. So in saying this, eating every two to three hours will help remove those cravings that may be the main reason that you have failed all attempts to lose weight in the past.
Improve your lean muscle mass. One pound of muscle requires three to five times more energy to support your body compared with a pound of fat. That means with more muscle, you'll burn more calories, even when you're resting. Plus having more muscle just strengthens you up. And as you get stronger your muscles get bigger, and then you naturally burn more fat.
Increase your intensity. As your fitness improves, your body becomes more efficient, meaning you expend less energy when you work out than when you first started. So you need to mix things up a bit. Change the intensity of workout, and if you can, change your routine. If you stay at the same intensity your fitness will stop improving. Your body will also stop burning fat as to get to the next level you will need to increase the amount of energy you use in your training. Your muscles will also stop getting bigger and getting stronger. This will then prevent your metabolism getting faster.
Well - forget the ones that tell you you'll lose 10, 15, 20 pounds in a week or less. Any diet making such a claim is guaranteed to be bad for your health.
You need carbohydrates in your diet. You need fat. You need calories. You need fiber. Eliminate any of these, or drastically cut down on them, and your diet will not be nutritionally sound. That can be bad for your health.
Basically you need to know that approximately 3500 calories = 1 pound. To lose a pound of weight, you need to eliminate or burn off 3500 calories more than you take in. It should be obvious that attempting to lose a lot of weight shortly is going to mean some drastic changes in your diet.
Most experts recommend you try to lose 1/2 to 1 pound a week. That doesn't sound like a lot. But if you lose just 2 pounds a month, you will have lost 24 pounds in a year. The chances are whatever plan you are following to lose that weight slowly is a plan you can stick with and make a part of your daily routine.
If you normally have seconds at a meal, you simply cut out the seconds. If you have 2 hamburgers on buns for supper, have 1. Don't overload your plate the first time either. You can eat anything you want to eat but you have to eat it in smaller portions.
Change your salad dressing to low fat. You would not believe the difference this would make. Change from drinking whole milk and drink 2% or 1% milk. In a week or so, you will not be able to tell the difference in taste and, in fact, you might find when you drink a glass of whole milk after having made the switch for some time, the whole milk may actually have a sour taste to you.
Go for a brisk 30 minute walk 4 times a week. To burn even more calories, either run or just throw in some short periods of runs during your walk.
Do some pushups 2 - 3 times a week. Strength training is important and, in fact, muscle burns fat. Building up your muscles means your body will actually burn calories long after your workout period is over.
These are just a few examples of some of the small changes you can make that can become permanent. Making small changes like this can help you lose a pound a week and you will be at a weight you can live with in no time.
Weight Watchers actually uses a system that is very well thought out. Each food is awarded points. You get so many points a day, which is calculated using your weight and your weight loss goals.
Margarine may be 2 points while butter might be 3. Switching to low fat salad dressing might save you 3 points a day. You record these points. After awhile, you become use to how much you can put on your plate depending on what you are eating that night.
This is important to everyone. Being overweight can cause a lot of health problems. Keep your weight under control. Your body will thank you.
Both Alex Gwen Thomson & Bob Blick are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Alex Gwen Thomson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Income Tax Return and Wrinkles. Thomas writes tips and articles for people who want to and become fit and healthy.. Alex Gwen Thomson's top article generates over 673000 views. to your Favourites.
Bob Blick has sinced written about articles on various topics from Landscaping, Lose Weight and Fitness. Bob Blick has a degree in health and physical fitness. Among several websites he now maintains, one of his most popular is . You will get a lot o. Bob Blick's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.