20 ways to reduce body weight for good
Weight loss is hard. Unfortunately, there is no single answer for undoing years of beer nights, fast food and salad dressings. Here are 20 options you can use in your next diet to reduce your body fat percentage. Your workouts in the gym and on the running track play a big role – they need to be done regularly and quite a lot. But here we step away from the gym and head into the kitchen to offer a practical list of how you can change your eating habits and get a healthy, strong body.
1. Change your lifestyle.
If you start a diet for weight loss, you may set yourself impossible goals. A diet comes with an end day, when most people return to their previous habits. If you want to lose fat and keep it off for good, you need to make changes you can live with indefinitely. Don’t restrict calories too strictly, and find a training program that challenges you just enough, leaves room for progress and has enough variety that you can keep using it in the years to come.
2. Drink more water.
Water is the medium in which most cellular activity takes place, including the transport and burning of fats. Drinking a large amount of calorie-free water creates a feeling of fullness and reduces appetite. Drink at least 0.6 l of water per 10 kg of body weight. Always carry a 0.5 l water bottle with you and refill it as many times a day as needed.
3. Eat fewer calories than you burn.
First, you need to work out how many calories you burn per day, not counting workouts. You can calculate this with the formula BODY WEIGHT*28.66=daily calories. Next, determine the number of calories burned in your workouts. Half an hour of moderate-intensity aerobics burns 350 calories, and half an hour of lifting weights in the gym burns 200 calories. Add your daily calories and the calories burned in workouts together, and keep your daily calorie intake below that total.
4. Reduce carbohydrates.
Eating too many starchy carbohydrate foods such as potatoes, rice, pasta and bread (and especially together in one meal) gives the body more than it needs, and the surplus is stored in the body as fat. IFBB pro Mike Matarazzo says starchy carbs should not be cut out completely, but the daily amount should be reduced to 3-5 portions, with no more than one cupful of pasta, rice or potatoes at a time.
5. Eat a full, balanced breakfast.
“Your body has been starving all night and needs nutrients to recover,” says Matarazzo. “If you grab something on the run instead of a proper breakfast, it has a negative impact on your workouts and on everything else during the day.” Eat enough protein (30-40 grams), complex carbohydrates and a root vegetable or a piece of fruit to give your day a proper start.
6. Limit your sugar intake.
Eating simple carbohydrates such as sugar replenishes muscle and liver glucose stores after lifting weights in the gym, but when you consume sugar at other times, it solidifies in the body as fat. Satisfy your sweet tooth now and then, but try to eat fruit instead. Replace sugary products such as soft drinks and juice with coffee and diet soda.
7. Carb-rich and carb-poor days.
Nutrition expert and former bodybuilder Chris Aceto recommends eating about 2 grams of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body mass for about 3-5 days (these are the low-carb days), and doubling your carbohydrate intake for the following 1-2 days. Repeat this pattern. If you weigh 100 kg, eat 200 g on a low-carb day and 400 g on a carb-rich day.
8. Drink black coffee before training.
“Caffeine makes the body rely more on fat as fuel during training,” says Aceto. “But caffeine’s effect weakens if you eat carbohydrate-rich food alongside the coffee.” Drink 1-2 cups of coffee during 2 hours of training. Coffee affects healthy fats and proteins when it is drunk with a meal or snack. Don’t use cream and sugar (which add unnecessary calories and fat), and avoid drinking coffee at any other time apart from training, because that reduces its effect on fat burning during training.
9. Avoid big calorie cuts.
“Every competitor who sharply cuts calories in the hope of looking better on show day finds that it is not the best way to diet,” says IFBB fitness competitor Laurie Vaniman. “As a result, your physique looks flatter and more depleted.” The same holds true for non-competitors. Aim for modest calorie cuts. “Smaller bodybuilders should not cut more than 200-300 calories a day, and larger ones no more than 500,” says Aceto.
10. Eat 5-6 times a day.
People on a diet often reduce the number of daily meals in an attempt to cut calories – very wrong! “It is better to eat six times a day versus three, with the same calorie count. A higher number of meals burns more calories (as thermogenesis increases, body temperature rises),” says Aceto. Work out how many calories you want to burn per day (tip 3) and divide them evenly across 6 meals.
11. Take CLA.
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) has become fashionable among bodybuilders as a fat burner. Several studies on humans have shown a moderate effect on fat burning. Try 3 grams a day.
12. Consider using ephedrine.
Ephedrine is a component of the plant ephedra, otherwise known as ma huang. Ephedrine increases the number of calories the body uses by stimulating the nervous system, which causes fat cells to be used as fuel.
Ephedrine also spares protein (you save amino acids for your muscles). Never exceed the recommended daily dose, and consult a doctor before use. Heed all contraindications! (The editors do not recommend it to competitive athletes who undergo doping tests.)
13. Use creatine.
Creatine is a powerful muscle builder that also helps burn fat. The muscle mass added while using creatine raises your resting metabolic rate, stoking your fat-burning furnace. This is critical during weight loss. When the body gets few calories, it may reduce muscle mass and metabolic rate. Start with a loading phase of 5 days, 15-20 grams a day split evenly across 3-4 doses. After 5 days, take 3-5 grams a day with a meal, after training.
14. Eat more vegetables.
Vegetables pack the maximum amount of nutrients into a minimal number of calories, leaving you feeling full on fewer calories. Have vegetables 5 times a day, whether as a snack, on a sandwich or alongside chicken. With your next burger, order vegetables instead of fries.
15. Don’t rely too much on fat burners.
Fat burners can help you reduce fat, but they don’t make up for bad eating habits. If you use the products mentioned in tips 11-13 without training and proper food, you’re more likely to accumulate fat than to reduce it. Fat burners are not miracle pills! Use them together with proper training and a meal plan.
16. Consume 25-35 grams of dietary fiber a day.
“Fiber lowers insulin levels, which also affects how muscular you become,” says Aceto. Fiber absorbs water and takes up more room in your stomach, keeping hunger at bay. Bran porridge, oats and beans are excellent sources of fiber. Check food labels for the fiber content.
17. Eliminate junk food.
“Junk food is food that offers almost nothing besides calories, like french fries, chips and candy,” says Matarazzo. “Cheat foods, like pizza and hamburgers, offer some nutritional benefit, and eating them occasionally can even be good for your diet.” Know the difference!
18. Eat a proper amount of protein.
Many bodybuilders overdo protein when they are on a diet. But protein also contains calories, which can be stored as fat if you consume too much. Eat 2-3 grams of protein per 1kg of body weight. That is 200-300 grams of protein for a 100kg person. This provides enough amino acids to preserve muscle mass while keeping your total calorie count under control.
19. Eat more healthy fats.
“People on a diet consume very, very little healthy fat,” says Matarazzo. “You need to cut calories if you want to lose weight, but you shouldn’t leave healthy fats out of your meal plan completely.” Fats take longer to digest and help keep blood sugar levels steady, so you feel better. Preferably choose avocados, fatty fish, olives, nuts and seeds, and oils such as olive and flaxseed oil.
20. Eat cheat foods only for the taste.
If you love a particular food, you shouldn’t forbid it to yourself. Steer clear of the bad foods – the ones you don’t love or don’t enjoy that much. And when you do eat cheat foods, eat them only for the taste. Don’t eat a whole pizza; take just a couple of slices, savor the flavor and enjoy it. Share the rest with others!
Train right! ArtGym
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Author: Translation
