Submitted by Admin
There is no shortage of advice when it comes to weight loss. Some advice is accurate and based on evidence, some not so much, and a huge portion of advice is completely and utterly false. That’s why It’s always a good idea to consult a doctor or a professional dietitian before starting a weight-loss strategy. It’s often hard for those who are concerned with their health and weight, to navigate through the sea of myths that pollute the weight loss industry. However, we have compiled a list of simple and effective tips that can get you closer to your ideal healthy weight.
Tip No.1: Increase Your Protein Intake
When it comes to muscle building, the importance of protein is no secret. But a protein-rich diet is also effective for weight loss as it helps the body to modulate appetite, energy intake, and metabolism. The energy received from protein has a higher satiation effect than the same amount of energy taken from fats and carbohydrates partly because it takes more energy for the body to digest protein.
Eating more protein not only helps you to maintain muscle mass but also helps you to lose fat, especially when combined with exercise.
Tip No.2: Intermittent Fasting
Everyone knows about the benefits of controlling the number of calories we consume for weight loss, but a few might know the benefits of managing its timing. Within the first two hours of eating, our body is in a fed state and considers the recent food as its primary source of energy. In this period, the body stores the excess energy as glycogen in the muscles, liver, and kidneys. After the first two-hour period, the body changes its energy consumption behavior and starts using the stored energy taken from the food. After eight hours the body changes the proportions again to avoid the depletion of glycogen and starts to look for other sources of energy mainly the stored fat.
So by extending this period, we can burn more fat around the body as fat cells are long-term reserves for providing energy. For example, you can have two 12-hour fasting periods in a day by having meals at 7 am and 7 pm. Alternately, you can have all your meals and snacks within 6 hours to have an 18-hour fasting period. Cramming all your food consumption in a limited window of time also naturally reduces your calorie intake.
Tip No.3: Supplement Options
Unfortunately, there is no easy or global rule for evaluating the efficacy of supplement options. There are occasions and instances where supplements are beneficial, and there are supplements that are actually effective. But given the fact that FDA does not regulate supplements and companies don’t need FDA’s approval to put their dietary supplement products on the market, it’s important to do thorough research about any option you’re considering to take.
For instance, glucomannan is a water-soluble fiber that contains natural prebiotics that helps to feed probiotics which results in digestion improvement. Glucomannan also causes a more gradual sugar absorption, decreases the absorption of fats, and absorbs up to 50 times its weight in water. So, taking it before a meal causes it to swell inside the stomach and give a feeling of satiety which decreases your calorie intake.
To learn more about which supplements have scientific evidence to back them up, check out independent sites, and read up on reviews, such as this Night Shred review.
Tip No.4: Drink Black Coffee
Drinking coffee in the morning doesn’t just increase your mental alertness and physical energy, but helps you lose fat as well. Caffeine is a stimulant that boosts your brain activity and increases your metabolism which leads to burning more calories. Black coffee has no calories and the nutrients in a cup of black coffee are not significant enough to change the metabolism so, in effect, it keeps the fast going and is perfect for those who practice intermittent fasting. Just skip sugar, cream, or milk to avoid excess calories.
Tip No.5: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High intensity interval training involves short periods of extreme exercise (as hard as you can) followed by periods of active recovery and rest. These extreme exercises can be any sort of activity such as sprints, cycling, or jump roping so long as they are very intensive. Those who have limited time for exercising can greatly benefit from HIIT as its short bursts of activity allow for getting intense exercise in a short amount of time.
Since the intensity of the workout has a larger effect on EPOC—which is the burning of the extra calories long after a workout due to the body’s increase in oxygen consumption—than its duration, HIIT is an efficient way to lose weight through workouts.