When trying to lose weight, there are several different approaches one can take. When I say lose weight, what I really mean is lose fat. In this article I’ll be be talking about the basics of fat loss through diet and exercise.
When trying to burn fat, there is one very important thing to keep in mind. Your diet has a bigger impact on your progress than exercising does. Forget all of the home gym and miracle ab machines (complete with beautiful fitness models). You need to focus first and foremost on what, when, and how much you consume.
Let’s start with some information about calories. If you want to lose one pound of fat, you need to eat 3,500 fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its weight. No, this does not work if you eat zero calories in two days. Spanning out the deficit, like 500 fewer calories a day over the course of a week, is the way to go.
An easy way to figure the amount of calories you should be consuming is to multiply your target weight by 10. So, if you’re looking to get to a weight of 170 lbs, try eating around 1,700 calories a day. Regardless of your target weight, do not eat less than 1,400 calories a day.
Another major component of fat loss involves eating only from the following fat-burning food groups, like fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, protein, milk, and water. Make sure that you eat protein at every meal, and consume up to a gallon of water throughout the day. Have more fruits in the first half of the day and more vegetables in the latter half.
Don’t forget that when you eat is also important. It is imperative that you eat breakfast soon after you wake. This gets your body going for the rest of the day. Then, you need to eat ever couple of hours. Breakfast or lunch should be your biggest meal.
Fat loss involves both diet AND exercise, because without exercise, you’ll a bit of muscle instead of fat. Exercising helps maintain and tone your muscles, while burning extra fat. Not exercising while trying to lose weight will never really get you healthy look you’re going for.
With regard to exercise, I would first suggest finding an activity that you enjoy as a sport or hobby. Studies indicate that you are more likely to stick to your exercise program if it is enjoyable. Rediscover the joys of riding your bike with your kid, or joining a sports league of some kind. If you prefer a good old fashioned workout, mix it up with endurance, interval, and weight training.
Learn more about bodyweight exercises. Stop by David Stevens’s site where you can find out all about that and a healthy diet and what it can do for you.
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