Essential Knowledge for Fat Loss

Proper diet is becoming a serious problem in American, with roughly one third of adults in the country obese, and one in six children the same.  Clearly we are a nation that does not understand either the need to maintain a healthy level of living, or they don't understand how to balance a proper diet.  Whatever it is, we need to change.

This happens a person at a time though, and so this Hub is designed to give you some focus on how to go about actually losing fat that you can't seem to get rid of.  I've maintained an interest in healthy eating and proper exercise for some time, and I hope to give you some good advice, despite the fact that this needs to be written for the general reader.  It's on you to study your own body and determine what's best for you uniquely.

Is there such a thing as fast fat loss?  Of course.  Is there such a thing as healthy fast fat loss?  That's a trickier question.  The issue at hand here is how our body's metabolism works, and how we need to work with it in order to develop it into what we want.

One key thing to keep in mind, and this is my overall mentality when it comes to anything health related, is that our bodies developed when humans lived in a hunter gatherer lifestyle.  Which means they were extremely active and ate primarily the meat they caught and the plants they foraged.  So you know how 90% of the grocery store is filled with baked, dried, or canned goods?  None of that existed, and therefore our bodies can have problems in attempting to digest that food.  Can you imagine a caveman eating it?  If so, then it's probably okay to eat.

What you're trying to do is create a new lifestyle for yourself.  You want to eat the kinds of foods and maintain the level of activity that will result in a slimmer you.  So at no point during your weight loss should you engage in anything that is not sustainable.  Eating 500 calories a day is not sustainable.  Cutting your caloric intake to, say, 2200 calories a day, plus adding a half hour of running three times a week, is definitely sustainable.

So what kind of diet should you adopt in order to lose weight?  Again, you want to make sure whatever you change is a sustainable change, as too many fat loss diets don't provide people with enough calories, then their body kicks on survival mode and they literally can't help overindulging in food, and there goes the diet.  This sort of setback isn't fatal to the diet, though it often makes people feel guilty for breaking their diet, and the blow to their resolve is what ruins it for them.  That said, here are a few general guidelines on deciding on a diet.

1. Try starting by counting the calories you're already taking in.  Don't judge yourself.  Just impartially start tracking what you're eating.  You need to know where you are before you can decide where to go.

2. Once you have a good idea of what you're used to eating, try paring it back just a little.  If you eat 2500 calories a day, shave it down to 2400.  Gradual steps.  In the short term, this is easy to do.  Just eat one less bite of everything throughout the day and you're there.  In the long term, you can use it to get yourself down to 2000, or whatever your goal is (please note, I use these numbers as examples.  Your caloric needs will certainly vary.)

3. Add vegetables.  Seriously, very few people in the world eat enough vegetables.  I always go for the frozen varieties as they last much longer than fresh, and they're very similar in vitamin content, but fresh is even better.  Regardless though, you really should eat more.

4. Reduce sugar.  The same process in your body that burn fat also burn sugar, so the less sugar the better.  In reality, eating no sugar at all would be ideal, but that's very difficult in America today, due to so many companies using high fructose corn syrup in everything.  But reducing or eliminating your use of granulated sugar is a great first step.  Stop sweetening your coffee, cut back on cookies, and start working on this asap!

Of course, the other end of weight loss is a good workout plan.  You should get started right away, instead of sitting and trying to find the perfect plan.  If you don't get much activity, then start by jogging 30 minutes 3 days a week.  Or even just walk at first - the movement is going to do you well.  You want to fuel yourself with lean proteins like chicken and eggs, or even low fat grass-fed beef, to get the best result.  Here's some tips for your workout.

1. Don't stop drinking water.  Drink as much as you want, and throw in a couple extra glasses for good measure.  Your body absolutely needs to be hydrated, and if you have to ask if you're drinking enough, chances are you aren't.

2. Vary your exercise as much as possible.  If you're running or walking, mix up your walking routine to keep it feeling fresh.  If you get bored with your routine, then you'll be fighting both boredom AND laziness to get yourself motivated (and yes, we're all lazy!)

3. Try and find someone to do it with you so you can motivate and push each other for results.  Or you can combine this tip with #2 and, say, play tennis one day and basketball the next.  Or go swimming together, followed by a run, or just the old-fashioned going to the gym together.

4. If you go to a gym, the machines are good at isolating muscles, and also teaching you the proper way to move, but classes are even better - they're great ways to have an instructor leading you and correcting any potential mistakes you make.  I'd highly recommend getting as much feedback from professionals as possible, especially when starting out!

This is a very information heavy Hub, yet I've barely scratched the surface.  Really, the most important lesson is to just get started.  Even if it's 10 minutes of light walking a day, it's these tiny little daily changes that add up to big differences, and will ultimately help you build the lifestyle that will keep you fit and slim.