It’s interesting to note that the human body is wired in such a way that it loves to hoard calories and absolutely hates losing weight or burning stored fat for energy. If there is a steady supply of calories, more than what is burned, the extra calories get converted into fat droplets which are then stored as fat, around the organs, under the skin, and as belly fat. It’s an evolutionary tactic that has been adopted by the body for survival in case there is scarcity of food in the future. But for weight loss to happen, the body needs to be in a “calorie deficit” mode where more calories are burnt in comparison to the calories that get into the system through consumption of food. The body primarily uses three main food sources as fuel – carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates and fats are the primary energy sources, and in a situation where both carbs and fats are low, the body turns to protein for energy. To lose weight at a steady pace, a person needs to go into fat-burning mode, by tapping into the stored fat resources. In this post, we would list down some tips and tricks on how to turn your body into a fat burning machine.
How Does Fat Burning Work?
Our body needs energy to perform its day-to-day functions, from breathing to digesting food, to keeping the blood pressure normal – energy which comes from food runs the show all the way. This energy gets converted from food into calories and from there further broken down into energy form “adenosine triphosphate or ATP.” Calories come from three food sources – carbohydrates, fat, and protein. When there are a lot of calories available in the system (through food), the body starts to deposit these extra and unutilized calories in the form of fat under the skin, on the muscles, liver, and around the belly area for future use, in the form of packets, in fat cells called as adipocytes. These cells store fat at a higher rate and release energy at a slower rate. However, when we go into calorie deficit by switching to a healthy diet and exercising regularly, the brain triggers release of these energy packs in the form of fatty acids and also puts a break on creation of new fat cells because now there aren’t as many calories to be stored. When fat burning happens, energy stored as fatty acids get released into the bloodstream and are picked up as energy by vital organs. As more and more fat cells empty out stored energy in the form of fatty acids, we start to lose weight. The release of fatty acids from fat cells can happen randomly and anywhere from the body, and that’s why dieting alone will not help you reduce weight from a certain area.
How To Turn your Body into a Fat-Burning Machine:
1. Get Active and Get Moving: Studies have revealed that when you have been inactive and off your feet for more than 4 hours, it leads to a shutdown of an enzyme that controls fat metabolism. Which means, the fat-burning process comes to a halt if you do not get up from your work desk or from the couch for long hours. Get up from your seat every half an hour, perform NEAT activities through the day, and talk on the phone while walking to torch calories and fat through the day.
2. Mix HIIT with Strength Training: HIIT stands for high intensity interval training with alternating periods of high intensity exercises with low intensity recovery. A lot of calories get burned during HIIT workout (Jumping Jacks, Push-ups, Crunches, Squats, Tricep Dips, High Knees, Spot Jogging, Lunges) and since HIIT keeps metabolism high, more and more calories get torched through the day. When HIIT is combined with strength training (bicep curls, plank, tricep extension, etc)., it turns your body into a fat-burning machine because with slower exercise, fat is used more for fuel and energy rather than carbs.
3. Cut out Sugar Completely: If you are a sugar burner, you can hardly be a fat burner! When your diet is rich in refined carbs and sugar, the body will continue to pick carb source for energy rather than tapping into fat deposits for fuel. It’s essential to go low on refined carbs, switch to complex carbs, and maintain calorie deficit to get into the fat-burning mode.
4. Exercise in Fasting Mode: No, you won’t faint by exercising on empty stomach! In fact, studies have proven that fat burning happens at a much faster rate when you exercise and perform cardio in a fasted state, first thing in the morning. Also, in a fasted state, any workout will help you to tap into stored fat in the absence of dietary carbs for fuel.
5. These metabolism-boosting foods help the body to utilize more calories and burn more fat.
6. Fats can Help Burn Stored Fat: Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, almonds, avocado, etc., can help you to burn up to 27% more fat when combined with exercise. Omega-3 fatty acids improve insulin sensitivity, speeds up fat oxidation, and lowers inflammation – and all of these factors boost weight loss.
7. Turn to High-Protein Diet: As we have mentioned earlier, our body burns more calories while processing proteins compared to carbs. Rati Beauty realizes the importance of protein in weight loss and that’s why includes a lot of protein sources in their weight loss programs. Do check out Rati Beauty for more details.
8. Include these thermogenic-foods to burn more calories.
9. Eat a Good Amount of Yogurt Daily: Yogurt works in multiple ways to boost weight loss – it provides ample probiotics for the gut bacteria and keeps fat-burning hormones in balance, the protein content keeps you satiated through the day and leads to burning of more calories. Some studies have revealed that a group of overweight people who ate three servings of yogurt daily for 12 weeks lost more body fat than other people who ate the same number of calories but no yogurt.
10. Sleep Tight: Sleep-deprived people who follow healthy diet and exercise regularly find it difficult to shed weight because lack of sleep hampers the performance of fat-burning hormones and raise the levels of stress hormone (cortisol) and hunger hormone (ghrelin), and fat storage hormone (insulin).
Sleep for at least 7 hours a day, exercise 5 days a week (HIIT + cardio + strength training), follow a healthy diet, get into calorie deficit, and turn your body into a fat-burning machine.
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