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Tips to Help You Lose Excess Fat
By Anthony Ellis
Believe it or not, losing a little
or a lot of fat involves pretty much
the same concept - consistent dieting
coupled with cardiovascular exercise
and weight training. This is how the
professionals do it, and it works. If
you are overweight, you may be
hesitant to start a weight training
program, but the benefits far outweigh
any reservations you may have.
Weight training enhances your fat
loss by increasing your muscle mass
and more muscle means more calories
burned (faster metabolism). It also it
gives your skin a more tone, tight
appearance, lowers your blood
pressure, strengthens your bones,
improves your agility, increases your
flexibility, strengthens your immune
system and gives you more energy and a
brighter outlook on life. If you have
a high level of body fat, or you have
never been able to successfully lose
fat, you should consider trying a
complete, well-rounded program that
not only focuses on dieting, but also
includes adequate cardiovascular
activity and weight training.
If you are already very muscular,
and you just want lose a little body
fat, then a fat loss program that
includes regular cardiovascular
activity and weight training is
perfect for you. The best way to get
ripped and maintain as much muscle as
you can is to diet slowly.
The truth is, when you are on a low
calorie diet, your body prefers to use
muscle tissue for fuel rather than
excess body fat. So, the slower you
lose weight, the more likely you are
losing fat and not muscle. Ideally,
you should aim to lose no more than
1lb - 1.5 lbs per week that's it. If
you are obese, then you should try to
lose no more than 1% of your
bodyweight per week. Any more than
that and you are sacrificing muscle.
Women do tend to lose fat at a
slower rate than men, but don't let
this discourage you. Women simply
store fat more efficiently than men
because it is needed during and after
pregnancy. As your body fat levels
drop, you will notice that the fat
loss comes off in reverse of how it
was put on. So, the most recent fat
gains will come off first, while the
old fat that has been there for a
while will take the longest to lose.
The most difficult fat to lose
usually centers around the waist,
belly and lower back areas for men,
and the upper thigh and buttocks, area
for women. The fat in these areas are
the most difficult to totally get rid
of. These areas are comprised of
mostly brown adipose tissue (fat).
This type of fat is difficult to lose
because the low blood flow in these
areas hinders the fat mobilization.
So, if the fat can't be moved into the
bloodstream to be used as fuel, those
love handles will never go away.
That's why thermogenic supplements
help to improve fat loss - they
increase circulation into these hard
to reach areas and mobilize the
stubborn fat.
Remember that you cannot spot
reduce!
What I mean by this is that you
can't pick and choose the areas that
you would like to lose the fat and do
exercises that work those areas
expecting the fat to just magically
disappear in those areas. Your body
does not work that way. The only way
to decrease the amount of fat in
certain key areas is by lowering your
total body fat levels.
As you lose fat, it will come off
all over your body, not just in
specific areas. If you follow a
complete diet and weight training
program for at least 12 weeks, you
will begin to see dramatic changes
occurring with your body, and I'm not
just talking about the obvious
physical changes, I'm also talking
about the psychological and
physiological changes.
You can expect lower body fat (of
course), increased muscle mass,
increased metabolism, increased sense
of well-being, more energy, lower bad
cholesterol level, increased good
cholesterol level, decreased risk of
heart disease, deeper more restful
sleep and most important, increased
self-confidence.
To be successful, your fat loss
program should include the following:
* A calorie restrictive diet, which
requires you to eat no less than 12x
and no more than 15x your LEAN
bodyweight in calories.
* Regular cardiovascular activity
for at least 30-45 minutes 3-4 times
per week. Some recommend a moderate
pace while other recommend a vigorous
pace -- it doesn't really matter as
long as you are exercising.
* Weight training.
* Supplementing your diet with
vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
Vitamin C, L-glutamine, and a good
multi vitamin are the bare essentials.
* Adequate dietary fat, including
high amounts of Essential Fatty Acids
(Omega-6 and Omega-3).
* Regularly monitor your progress.
If you don't track your progress you
won't know if your diet program is
working! Looking in the mirror or just
relying on the scale is NOT adequate.
Here's a great composition tracking
software that I highly recommend
http://www.comptracker.com
It will let you know exactly if
what you are doing is working.
* Finally, make sure that the
program you decide on is compatible
with your lifestyle and schedule.
You can have the greatest program
in the world, but if you cannot
implement it then it is worthless.
There are thousands of fat loss diets
and workouts that will work, but the
hard part is finding one that works
for you and the specifics of your diet
and schedule restraints.
Fitness Consultant Anthony Ellis
has helped thousands of individuals
lose fat and build more muscle. To
read more about his fat loss
recommendations please check out his
site at http://www.fatlosstips.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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