The holiday season is a great time to gather with the family, exchange gifts, and indulge in your favorite dishes. However, these extra calories can stick around after the festivities are done. Don’t be tempted to try crash dieting to finally lose those pounds—it won’t work. So what can you do? Here are 8 effective tips to blast fat quickly and keep it off for good.
Recognize Hunger.
Your body is constantly checking on your stress levels and your blood volume. If you are dehydrated, oftentimes your body will give you a signal – your mouth may become dry and you may start to feel a rumble in your tummy. This may feel like a hunger pang, which can have you quickly reaching for a snack. To ensure you don’t confuse dehydration with hunger, remember to keep track of when you last ate and aim to have 6-8 small but healthy meals a day. When you feel a hunger pang, try and drink a glass of water first and wait fifteen minutes to see if you still feel the same way. A natural appetite suppressant might also be a viable option for you.
Since water is calorie-free, it is essential for fat metabolism which is part of hydrolysis. Furthermore, studies have actually shown that having two cups of cold water can increase your metabolic rate by up to 30%!
Do resistance training.
For those looking to blast fat and build muscle, a combination of cardiovascular exercises and weight training is essential. While making sure you get enough aerobic exercise is important for staying active, weight training can help to burn calories and boost your metabolic rate. resistance exercises with appropriate weights can keep your body burning calories for up to 40 hours after the workout has finished. Though it may be tempting to rely only on diet to lose weight, failing to build muscle through exercise may lead to slower metabolism and difficulty reaching weight loss goals.
Get better results with HIIT.
HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training, is an effective workout routine that promises great results in just a short period of time. Working out with HIIT involves circuits of high-intensity exercises which alternate with short rest periods. Through this type of training, you benefit from an increased heart rate as well as a higher fat burn rate.
Exercises like jumping rope, star jumps, mountain climbers, plank jacks, and burpees are just some of the options available to choose from when engaging in an HIIT workout. What makes HIIT so beneficial is that it not only help you burn more calories during your workout, but it also burns calories for up to 24 hours post-workout due to the intense effort you give while exercising.
Cut down on the amount of carbohydrates you consume.
By limiting your carbohydrate consumption, especially sugary and starchy products, you can help the body to use its stored fat, causing a decrease in fat deposits. Focus on low-carbohydrate food sources, like vegetables and oats, and set your daily meal plan so that you are having your carbohydrates earlier in the day. This way the carbohydrates will be utilized for energy sooner, and the fat reserves in the body will remain untouched.
Eat the right fats.
Consuming healthy fats can be key to blasting fat and building muscle. Essential fatty acids, such as omega-3’s found in nuts and fish, as well as monounsaturated fats in olive oil and fish oil, can help reduce fat, enhance post-workout recovery, and build muscle. Including these fats in your diet can help you reach your fitness goals more quickly and effectively.
Bump up your protein intake.
Key to achieving a lean form and blasting your excess fat is an improved metabolic rate that preserves muscle mass. A study conducted by the American Journal of Physiology revealed that a high protein diet can actually increase muscle mass without requiring exercise and burn fat more quickly and effectively.
Lose the booze.
Having excess fat around the mid-section? It could be due to the high-calorie alcoholic beverages that many people tend to consume while snacking on salty snacks. To get rid of this so-called beer gut, you should focus on reducing or completely eliminating alcohol from your daily diet. Doing so will also help boost your ability to burn fat.
Get good sleep – in quantity and quality.
When in a sleep-deprived state, it becomes difficult to recognize cues sent by the appetite-regulating hormone, leptin. Without sufficient sleep, your body is less able to recognize when it is full, leading to an increase in the appetite hormone ghrelin, which intensifies the feelings of hunger. This can be detrimental for any weight-loss goals, so focus on trying to get at least 7-9 hours of uninterrupted, quality sleep each night.
Lose Fat Your Way
Dropping the extra fat doesn’t have to be a tedious and time-consuming journey. To make it go smoother and quicker, you should take a comprehensive approach. Make sure to stay hydrated, get plenty of sleep to lower stress levels, eat the proper types and amounts of food, and be mindful of your exercise regimen. With this approach, you’ll be able to successfully melt away the fat in no time. Learn more How to Kick Sugar Cravings to the Curb..
References
(2010). High-intensity intermittent exercise and fat loss. Journal of obesity, 2011, 868305.
Curr Sports Med Rep. 2012 Jul-Aug;11(4):209-16. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0b013e31825dabb8.