Tips for good Fat Loss Program

Fat loss or fat burning, is very popular amongst the world of fitness. Before I discuss fat loss tips, I would like to share some facts about obesity or being overweight. As per an article “Global population of obese and overweight tops 2.1bn” published on www.bbc.com dated 29 May 2014 (Source: The Lancet), India is ranked third in obesity which is common factor for many diseases like High Blood Pressure, Stroke, Blood Vessel damage, Heart Attack etc. It’s a very grim issue and people affected by obesity spend oodles of money to get rid of this. Many victims of obesity end up choosing wrong course to get rid of obesity due to lack of information about it.

In this article our focus is not tell you what all steps you should take to reduce the fat or fat loss etc but our prime motive here is to make you aware what all are essential and nonessential factors for a good fat loss program and how to measure your progress during fat loss program. We advocate choosing a right professional for fat loss program and keep the following points in mind always while opting for fat loss program.

Some Essential Rules for a good fat loss program:

• Workout with weights about 3 times a week.
• Eat at least 1g protein / lb of lean body mass a day.
• Eat some fruit, veggies/salad, and some essential fatty acids (EFAs) every day.
• After that if you are still hungry eat whatever you want
• Most importantly, adjust your food intake so that the desired rate of weight loss is maintained.

Oops confused!!! Ok let me simplify this complicated schedule for you. The recommended rate of weight loss depends on your current body fat level. Generally, if you are having the higher body fat, the rate of weight loss can potentially be higher too. The time you start losing fat rapidly you will start losing strength in the gym. In this case, increase your intake and go for a smaller rate of weight loss. In general, a rate of about 1-2 lbs per week is recommended.

Any fat loss method that follows the above rules is close to optimal and other suggestions given in Essential Rules will not have significant impact on body composition i.e the percentages of fat, bone, water and muscle in human bodies. If you already have a meal plan, just check if these rules are followed and adjust if not.

Nonessential Factors

Nonessential factors are more important to know than essential factors as sometimes we follow the nonessential than essential and dissipate time and energy for something yielding no results. Here is a list of factors that may have insignificant effect on body composition:

• Meal timing vs. meal frequency,
• Cardio vs. fat burners,
• Protein / Carbohydrates / Fat distribution throughout the day,
• Carbohydrates vs. fat ratio,
• Sodium intake,
• Moderate alcohol intake,
• Use of supplements vs. meal replacements,
• Clean food vs. Junk food (sugar and saturated fat).

Make use of these factors as technique to make the diet convenient rather than an intricate issue.  A group of people have an easier time dieting with eating more calories and doing cardio or taking fat burners while others have an easier time without cardio and fat burners. My experience says that the end result (body composition improvement) is not significantly influenced. One example here will be good to understand this complex phenomena is about protein supplements. I take whey powder to meet my daily protein intake as a matter of convenience. I can get all my protein from other sources as well but it is time taking exercise. Another example is meal frequency and timing. This technique should be used to reduce hunger as much as possible throughout the day. For some people that mean eating small meals 6 times a day, for others it means eating only once or twice a day. It is up to you which road you will take to reach the desired destination.

 Watch your Progress and Adjusting Food Intake

• Weigh yourself once a week, always at the same time (e.g. right after waking up).
• Don’t panic if your weight stays the same or even goes up for one or two weeks.
• If your weight does not go down for more than three weeks, slightly reduce calories.
• If your rate of weight loss is above the desired value, slightly increase calories.
• The change in daily calories from those adjustments should not exceed 500 cals.
• After adjustment, stay on the new value for at least three weeks before adjusting again.

If you have never had a fat loss diet, it’s always better to start with more calories and reduce slowly until the desired rate of weight loss is maintained. If you stay patient, you will not have to adjust very often. With more experience, you will not have to count calories anymore, but as a beginner it is probably a good idea.

Most important is the psychology of a human being which matters a lot. Here are some psychological tips and tricks which will help to easily stick to the fat loss diet:

• It is likely to happen that you will not “find” changes in the mirror until your body fat gets low to level it becomes visible but don’t panic, as long as the rules are followed, everything is right on track.
• Assess your physique right after a workout as at other times its dependent on water retention and the mind will play tricks on you (telling you your progress sucks, etc.).
• Keep one day, a party day (pig-out day) eat whatever you want eat so calm your taste buds. I had one every week on my last diet. It’s perfectly all right till the rules are followed.
• Take it easy! It’s better to think less. Enjoy imagining it others coach not yours.

Good luck!

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