Women would literally give their right arm for losing inches from their waist, hips and thigh region, to get an ideal figure, more precisely an hourglass structure. However, we all would agree that losing weight is relatively easy than losing inches because the belly, hip and thigh area have a different kind of fat with different set of receptors (also called stubborn fat), that is extremely resistant to the process of lipolysis or “fat burning.” That’s why, even after losing considerable amount of weight, a majority of women complain of “apron belly” and jiggly thighs. While spot reducing fat from areas that one desires remains a myth, the good news is that both inch loss and drop in pounds can happen at the same time with the right kind of diet and exercise. In this post, we look at different ways to lose inches and not just kgs from all over your body.
When Does Weight Loss All Over Take Place?
We all know that when we consume more calories than we can burn, our bodies tend to store all those extra ones as fat, under the skin (subcutaneous fat) and around the abdomen and internal organs (visceral fat). Calorie surplus on a daily basis leads to weight gain and obesity. On the contrary, when your body expends more calories than you eat, it taps into glycogen stored in your muscles for energy. After the glycogen store has been used up, it then turns to stored fat for more energy. When more and more fat stores get utilized, you start to lose weight. Such a process can happen in two ways – by creating a calorie deficit through dieting and by increasing physical activity. Placing a great importance on the right kind of diet to lose weight can fetch rich dividends because exercise can never outrun a bad diet. One can never undo a bad diet by exercising.
Inch loss is important because the fat around the abdomen predisposes you to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Visceral fat or the fat stored the belly area and around the internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, etc. is considered a health risk. As we have mentioned above, one cannot spot reduce fat and inch loss will happen in the same way as drop in the kgs – calorie deficit!
Losing Inches vs Losing Weight:
When you cut 500 calories a day, you would get to lose 0.5 kg every week, and health experts consider this a perfectly right pace to lose weight. Talking about inch loss, you would shrink one inch when you lose approximately 3.5 kg. You can also burn fat, gain muscle, and lose inches too – this is the way one looks toned. When clothes start to look loose but the numbers on the scale aren’t moving, you are probably gaining muscle and your body is going through a makeover! This means you are losing fat and building muscle, which will help you burn more calories in the future. This way, you will get thin without seeing a change in your weight on the weighing scale. So, we give thumbs up to inch loss over weight loss.
But the good news is that you can achieve both weight loss and inch loss by going on a weight loss program such as on the Rati Beauty app, where you can get to a lighter version of yourself along with slimming down visibly. Here are some other ways to lose inches and not just kgs all over the body:
1. Avoid Empty Calories: Food items that are made up majorly of sugar, unhealthy fats, and are highly processed without any nutritional value attached to them have empty calories attached to them. Some examples include white sugar, muffins, soda, biscuits, cookies, doughnuts, cakes, energy drinks, soft drinks, etc. Empty calories accelerate weight gain, particularly around the belly area. To boost overall weight loss and to slim down, avoid food with empty calories.
2. Switch up Thermogenic Food: Thermogenic foods increase energy expenditure in the body through the process of thermogenesis where the body actually burns calories to breakdown the food, converting these calories to heat form. Here’s a list of 12 Thermogenic Foods Can Help Burn Fat.
3. Reduce Insulin Spikes: Insulin is a hormone which regulates blood sugar level in the body, but it also is a fat-storing hormone, secreted by pancreas. Insulin triggers creation of new fat cells too. When body cells become insulin resistant, it tends to store all extra calories as fat, without actually burning them off. Whenever you eat high-glycemic food such as high sugar, refined carbs, processed and junk food, there’s sharp spike in insulin levels and all calories in excess will most likely get stored in the body as fat, mostly around the belly area. If you want to lose weight and want to lose inches, you need to keep the blood sugar in check and prevent frequent insulin spikes.
4. Drink More H2O: Compromising on water intake, taking less than 8 glasses of water, can slump down metabolism, increase appetite, and affect a lot of fat-burning hormones and enzymes. Do not compromise on water intake, keep yourself always hydrated.
5. Make Metabolism Robust: Metabolism is that engine which torches calories in your body. Metabolism is the mechanism which takes place inside your body that converts calories (made available through food) into energy form. This mechanism is at work even when you are resting, sitting, and even sleeping and needed to produce energy for all bodily functions. Read about 21 Tricks to Boost your Metabolism in this post.
6. Rati Beauty Weight Loss Diet: No more food deprivation, surviving on cucumber and carrots – because Rati Beauty weight loss diet teaches you to eat the right kind of food in the right quantity so that you feel well fed and yet continue to lose weight. There aren’t any diets out there that people enjoy, however, Rati Beauty is an exception, where people absolutely love their diet food.
7. Walk for at Least 10,000 Steps: If you want to create calorie deficit and burn more calories through the day, you need to be on your feet for most part of the day and take at least 10,000 steps.
8. HIIT: It’s also called as high-intensity interval training exercises which helps to burn fat in minimum time. It is a combination of high and medium intensity exercises where your body picks up more calories to burn without burning muscle. You can do HIIT exercises anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. HIIT puts your body into calorie deficit and will give you the maximum weight loss benefits along with following a good diet. It continues to bur calories long after you have finished exercising, isn’t that awesome news! Also, no equipment is required to do HIIT exercise and you can do it in the convenience and comfort of your home.
9. Limit Refined Carbs: Refined carbs have all empty calories that raise blood sugar and pump loads of calories into the body, that get stored as fat cells. Limit refined carb intake, such as bread, cakes, pastries, pasta and switch to whole grains like oats, wheat, quinoa, etc. Here’s a list of 12 High-Carb Foods That You Should Take in your Diet.
10. Eat More Protein: This is a nutrient that keeps one full, burns more calories, boosts metabolism, and helps to build lean muscle. In fact, some studies have pointed out that people who eat a good amount of protein have less belly fat. Whole eggs, seafood, nuts, dairy products, lentils, cottage cheese, chickpeas are some examples of good sources of protein.
11. Eat More Fiber: Fiber is an important factor that is so essential to losing weight. A diet that lacks fiber will not help you shed weight. On the contrary, a diet which is rich in fiber has positive impacts on overall health, from improving digestion to mood swings. Various studies have revealed that a majority of the population does not get enough fiber in their diet and have difficulty losing weight (daily recommended intake is 38 gm per day for men and 25 gms per day for women). Here are 12 Handy Tips To Add More Fiber to Diet for Weight Loss.
12. NEAT activities: NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis and is the energy we use for everything we do in our day-to-day life except for when we are sleeping or exercising. Mopping the floor, climbing the stairs, and even fidgeting legs while sitting at the desk can be counted as NEAT activity.
13. Get Good Quality Sleep: Getting enough sleep is not only important for weight loss but also for better health. Less amount of sleep will wreak havoc on fat-burning enzymes and hormones, increase stress level, and you would most likely wake “hangry” (hunger + anger), and craving for unhealthy food. Get at least 7 hours of sleep or more to lose overall weight and reduce belly fat.
14. Reduce Stress Levels: When you cannot keep a tab over stress, it makes losing weight difficult. Increased stress levels also increase the production of hunger hormone “ghrelin” since it acts to lower stress and that explains why most people tend to overeat when they are stressed out or even just anxious. Stress has also been linked to increase weight gain. Burn the stress off by working out, listening to music, yoga, pursuing new hobbies, or just taking a stroll with your pet.
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