Burning fat naturally isn’t hard if you know what to do. There are three things that help, getting enough rest, eating right, and moving more. It sounds like the same old news but in truth, it’s really exciting because of the fact that it’s so simple that anyone can do it.
GETTING ENOUGH REST
Sleep is often underestimated as an important component in fat burning. The fact is, getting enough sleep can make all the difference in your quest to lose weight and burn fat. While the notion of eating right and moving more is good and important, sleep is likely one of the most important factors that can assist with burning more fat and boosting your metabolism.
Cut Cravings – Studies show that people who sleep restfully at least 7 to 8 hours a night comfortably tend to have fewer food cravings than those who don’t.
Less Belly Fat — People who sleep well have more leptin which is a hormone that controls belly fat. Plus they have less of the hunger hormone ghrelin, which may explain why they don’t crave as much food.
Less Stress – We all know that most people do eat to curb stress, but would you be shocked to learn that more sound sleep at night equates to less daytime stress?
Muscles Require Sleep – If you want to build muscle tissue, which also cuts body fat, and boosts your metabolism, then make sure you get enough sleep each night which is the only time muscles grow.
Fat Gene Suppression – A good 8 hours of sleep also suppresses genes that are linked to obesity. If you have a fat family, it’s even more important for you to get a good night’s sleep if you want to get or remain thin.
Finally, a good night’s sleep boosts energy. Having more energy during the day will allow you to exercise more and thus burn more fat. If you have trouble sleeping at night, you may want to have a sleep study done and seek help from an expert to help you improve the quality of your nighttime sleep.
EATING RIGHT
There are certain foods that have been shown to turn your body into a fat burning machine. Thankfully, everything is natural, and you can customize your plan to fit your diet preferences.
For example, if you don’t want to eat meat, you can instead eat legumes. If you don’t want to eat dairy, you can choose something else from the list.
Pears & Apples
If you want to use pears or apples to help you lose weight, you’re in luck. Both are sweet, crunchy, delicious and low in calories with no fat. The best way to make this plan work is to eat one of either before each meal. You’ll get full on the fruit, and eat less of your other food thus lowering your overall calorie count.
Grapefruit
You’ve likely heard of the grapefruit diet by now. But, the truth is it works. Have a grapefruit before every meal, and drink grapefruit juice with your meals to help boost metabolism, lower your overall calorie count, and give you a good dose of vitamin C as well. It works really well when eaten or drank right before eating something fatty.
Nuts
If you’re on a low-calorie diet, sometimes you can come away from meals super hungry, which sets you up for a binge later if you’re not careful. Thankfully nuts are actually really good for you. They have important omega vitamins, are low in sugar, high in protein, and low in sugar. Plus, being high in fiber they fill you up for a long time. Studies even show that they may help speed up the metabolism. Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, and pine nuts are the best choices. Stick to a handful before a meal or in place of another snack for best results.
Chocolate
Ok, this seems too good to be true, but understand we’re not talking about chocolate candy bars here, nor are we talking about milk chocolate. The chocolate in question is ultra-dark chocolate or cocoa nibs. This stuff doesn’t actually taste that good alone. You may want to put it in a smoothie, or even put some in your chili. The fact is chocolate makes you feel good, stimulating serotonin levels to spike and thus making you feel better. If you feel better you’ll be more likely to get moving, which is essential to losing weight and keeping it off.
Legumes
The fact is any high protein food can be helpful in boosting the metabolism and helping you lose weight. But legumes in all its forms really fit the bill. They are high in nutrition, low in fat, and have literally nothing bad about them. Adding beans to your salads, and other meals can boost the protein in your diet. Plus they are high in iron, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc and vitamin K. All are needed building molecules for a healthy body.
Fish
When you need to be satisfied after a meal, fish is a go-to protein that will give you what you need in a low-fat, low-calorie form. Simply replace high-fat meat with fish prepared in healthy ways such as grilling, baking, or braising in nonfat broth. It’s okay to use fatty fish in your diet like salmon, mackerel and trout. The fat in fish is healthy and will make you feel more satisfied.
Lean Meat
You might get tired of fish, so adding lean meat to your diet is a good choice. Use it as a condiment rather than the main course. Use it in stir-fries, casseroles, and as a topping for a good mixed chopped salad for best results. It will keep you full and satiated and help you avoid eating between meals.
Dairy
Not everyone can eat or drink dairy. But, studies have shown that drinking a glass of milk before a meal can help you eat fewer calories during the meal. It’s imperative that you choose low fat and fat-free choices so that your choice is lower in calories. Adding Yogurt to your morning granola instead of milk is also a great idea since yogurt is very effective due to the probiotics.
Tart Cherries
Cherries are only 100 calories per cup with 3 grams of fiber, which makes them a great choice for a snack. In addition, they are full of B vitamins which are helpful for good metabolism. You can also cook cherries add them to your other dishes whether sweet or savory. They also make an excellent juice shown to possibly be helpful lowering uric acid which can cut down on painful conditions that prevent exercise.
Whole Grains
Fiber plays an important role in keeping you feeling full and whole grains have more than other types of grains. When you eat whole grains you’ll have to chew more than when you eat other types of processed grains which helps you feel full. The process of chewing signals the brain that you’ve eaten enough. Plus, eating whole grains will help keep blood sugar levels regulated.
Green Tea
The studies are in and drinking green tea will help you lose weight. You must drink 7 or 8 cups of decaffeinated green tea each day to see results but that’s easy to do because you can replace a lot of the water you drink each day with the tea. Also, it’s important that you do not sweeten the tea with sugar or other sweeteners that add calories for it to work. You can also use green tea extract if you really hate it. No one is really sure why it works but studies are looking promising.
Spicy Food
Want to rev up your metabolism fast? Try adding hotness to your food in the form of chili peppers, hot sauce, and other spicy condiments. Spicy foods increase metabolism not only while you’re eating it but for a substantial amount of time after. In addition, spicy foods help you eat less because you take more time between bites and often feel satisfied sooner. Spicy foods can also aid in digestion and contrary to popular belief do not typically cause heartburn.
Soup
Soup isn’t really a metabolism booster but a calorie blocker. Eating food with a lot of water in it will fill up your tummy and help you eat fewer calories. You can add soup as a first course to help you eat less of your meal thus lowering the calorie content of your day and helping you lose pounds. To make this work avoid creamy dairy and butter-rich soups and opt for those with clear broth and lots of veggies. You can, if you want a thicker broth, blend beans or some of the starchy veggies like potatoes into the broth to help satiate you more.
Leafy Greens
For starters, most people don’t get enough leafy greens into their diet, which is sad because they can bulk up a diet for a very low-calorie impact. Plus, adding leafy greens to each meal will make it more interesting and satisfying. You’ll feel great due to the extra nutrition and you can do more with them than you think. Adding one to two pounds of leafy greens to your day will seriously do the trick. At less than 80 calories per pound, you can’t go wrong.
Probiotic Rich Food
One of the hardest types of fat to burn off is belly fat. There is clear evidence that one reason a lot of people, especially women, have a lot of belly fat has to do with a lack of good gut flora. Having an overgrowth of bad bacteria in your belly can make your tummy look fatter than it is. It can also add 20 lbs. to the scale. Eating probiotic-rich foods over a 12 week period can make a huge difference in your weight.
Fermented Food
Most people never eat fermented foods on a regular basis; even pickles are relegated to a condiment. Foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, coconut yogurt, miso, tempeh, and kimchi are important to add to your diet. They improve that important gut flora we were talking about earlier and are relatively low in calories too. Having balanced gut bacteria improves metabolism, regulates the immune system, and helps you feel better overall which puts you in a better mood. When people are in a good mood they make better life choices.
Water
Okay, water is not a food. However, it’s an essential element for ensuring that your body chemistry works well and stays balanced. Most people need 64 ounces of water a day. It’s not enough for most people to go by thirst.
Many people are walking around chronically dehydrated and since we have trained our bodies to ignore the thirst signal from a young age sitting in a classroom all day long we mistake our thirst for hunger. Replace all your beverages for water (or unsweetened, non-caffeinated green tea) in order to ensure that you get enough. You’ll eat less, and feel better. Plus, you’ll improve your thirst vs. hunger drive.
Eating right involves ensuring that you get enough calories to maintain your ideal weight without getting too few calories. Eating too few calories can cause your body to go into starvation mode, making it hold on harder to the fat it has. For women, the lowest they should go without doctor’s supervision is 1200 calories a day, for most men about 1800 calories per day should be the absolute minimum.
Try not counting calories at first. Eat soup, and a salad with fat-free dressing before your meal which consists of at least 1/2 the plate with vegetables, 1/4 the plate with a starch and 1/4 with a protein like lean meat, fish or beans. Eat until satisfied, no more, no less.
GET MOVING MORE
Finally, moving is an important factor in boosting your metabolism. You don’t even have to work out as much as you may have thought to boost your metabolism and build fat-burning muscle.
Rebounding – This exercise burns more fat due to the increased oxygen intake without causing too much stress to the joints. It really gets your blood pumping and strengthens your musculoskeletal system. Start with 10 minutes a day and build up to 30 for best results.
Resistance Training – You can use weights or bands, or even your own weight to practice resistance training. It builds muscles which burn more fat and boost your metabolism. Do this every other day. You can do simple exercises like planks to get started.
Interval Training – Studies show that increasing the intensity of any work out whether it’s walking, resistance or weight bearing for short bursts for a minute or two helps improve fat burning for any type of exercise.
Have Fun – Adding more activity to your life for fun is a great way to burn more fat too. Instead of going out to eat with friends and family try bowling, dancing or hiking instead. If you can buy experiences instead of more food, you’ll be glad you did.
Moving more, even around your house can help. For example, instead of just standing there when the microwave is heating up your tea, try doing some squats. If you have a sedentary job, get up every 90 minutes and go for a fast walk around the office.
Try hand-delivering paperwork to your boss instead of scanning and emailing, for an excuse to keep moving throughout the day. Ask your employer to offer standing desks as a choice to keep from sitting all day long.
It’s clear that sleeping enough, eating right and moving more are the best and most natural ways to burn fat fast. While it may seem oversimplified, it’s really that easy.
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