Burning fat is an ongoing endeavor. To keep it going through the day you need to eat every 2-3 hours, by ensuring that you choose the right food and timing. Since losing weight is the number one concern, with most of the people I interact with, I will try and highlight the tips which will help you get there without too much of a change in your lifestyle.
The only thing required from your side would be a honest approach and getting back on track even if you slip up. Without digressing, lets get right to it –
Consume fewer Calories: The First and foremost thing would be to restrict the amount of calories going into your system. The moment you reduce the calories going in, you will get into a deficit mode which will help your system dig into the body fat stored at different places. According to me, this is the key and all the other steps, towards a leaner you will come after this critical one.
There is no one way of getting this right. However you can keep an eye on added sugars, deep fried food and if possible, consume food cooked at home as often as possible.
Work on Carbs overload: Most of the people I work with or even chat up with, in my health seminars usually go overboard on Carbs.Mind you Carbs are a key to our well being. However anything more than required, will become your biggest nemesis. Focus on slow digesting carbs, like whole wheat,legumes,eggs and poultry which will not only ensure you are satisfied, but also take care of your blood sugar levels through the day.
Increase your protein: Protein plays a critical role in your body switching to a fat burn mode. Another important role it plays is in maintaining your metabolism.Are you aware that the body burns more calories processing protein than it burns to process carbs or fat. Hence keep an eye open to ensure you consume at the least 1 gm of protein per body weight.
Therefore if you are man/woman of say 65 Kg then you can aim to consume 50-65 gm of protein per day. Aim for lean protein like legumes, low fat milk, tofu,nuts,fish poultry and eggs. Remember the key is to consume the recommended protein intake through the day and not at one sitting. Ideally the protein source should be from different sources to give you long lasting results.
Eat more but in small quantities: Every time you eat, your body’s calorie burning mechanism goes to work. Therefore eating 5-7 times a day, makes more sense rather than piling on food in 2-3 meals in a day. This is one way to get lean, without actually reducing your calorie intake.
However remember not to eat more than a fistful at any point of time since your stomach is the size of your fist.Initially this may sound next to impossible,however with small shifts and ingenuity,you can get there and also end up surprising yourself.
Do not go overboard in the Exercise department: One critical mistake most end up doing is to push very hard, when it comes to working out be it with cardio or weight training. If you go overboard in the gym, your testosterone and growth hormones will go into a free fall. Your metabolism will follow suit. Therefore work smart and ensure you focus more on quality rather than quantity.
As a thumb rule, I do not spend more than 60-75 minutes in exercising and rarely push myself to exhaustion. keep a sharp eye on your rest period whilst exercising. If possible try to change the time of your exercise routine i.e. work on an empty stomach to increase the fat burn and for a couple of days fit in a late evening workout. Variety is the spice of life & so it is with the exercise habit.
If you can manage to hit the exercise mode at different times of the day the results can be magical.Who says weight loss is difficult,it is as easy as you think it is.Remember Fat burn works differently with each one of us and you might not see immediate results when you begun the journey. However these steps will make you fitter and before you realise it people will be coming up to you and asking you for your success secrets.
As always I would love to hear from each one of you. Do feel free to share your thoughts and feedback at my mail Id coach@satishrao.in or on my Face book Fan page