How to Combat the Fat Loss Challenge

How to Combat the Fat Loss Challenge

March 25th, 2010

How to Combat the Fat Loss Challenge

How to Combat the Fat Loss Challenge

The biggest fat loss challenge for most people is the part that deals with exercising. While many diets and weight loss plans promote only a drastic reduction of calories or of certain foods that may work well in the short-term, if you want to lose your fat and keep it off, most experts agree that you need to eat a healthy, balanced diet and incorporate some form of exercise into your regular lifestyle. . .for good.

It’s obvious that if you want to lose fat, you should also eat less of the bad kinds of fatty foods. But your body does need some good fat, and if you aren’t providing that, you may actually gain weight because these kinds of fats provide
energy and raise your metabolishm. Good fats are the unsaturated kind (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) which you can get from oily fish like salmon, sardines and tuna and from certain oils like extra virgin olive oil, flax oil, canola oil, soy oil, wheat germ oil, walnut oil and hemp seed oil.
The fats that you want to stay away from are saturated fats (hydrogenated fats or trans-fats) that are usually in commercial bakery products, margarine, butter, animal meats, chicken skin, lard, cheese, whole milk and whatever is made with these products like cakes, pastries, chocolate and biscuits. Besides avoiding the bad fats and getting the good ones (up to 30 percent of your calorie intake should come from these), you also want to eat fruit, vegetables, lean meat, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

How to Combat the Fat Loss Challenge

Now, back to the fat loss challenge . . .the commitment to exercise. There are basically two forms of exercise: strength (muscle) building and aerobic (cardio). Both will contribute to weight and fat loss if performed correctly.
Muscle burns more calories than fat so you will burn more calories even while resting once you’ve increased your muscle tone.

There are all types of strength training exercises that you can do and that don’t require equipment or a monthly gym membership. Cardio workouts also help with fat if you can sustain them for longer periods. But many people don’t have
the time or the endurance for long cardio workouts.

That’s ok! Just do what you can do and it will benefit you. The key to losing weight and fat with exercising is to be consistent. Don’t fall into the trap of over-doing it for a couple of weeks and then either hurting yourself or just
getting burned out. Try to do some strength training two to four times a week and

some cardio exercise

two to four times a week (alternating days).

Do only what you can do and stick to in the long-term. If you’re really out of shape, start out at even just 5 minutes per day and work your way up. Before you know it, you’ll have the

fat loss challenge conquered

and you will be feeling and looking great.

How to Combat the Fat Loss Challenge

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