Tag Archives: Calorie Reduction

Temporary Weight Loss Will Occur From Sweat But It Would Mostly Be Water Mass Not Fat Mass

22 Jun

Everyone sweats throughout the day. Sweat can be induced by hot weather, exercise,  eating spicy foods, etc. The general presumption is that when you sweat you lose weight. This is in fact true. You do lose weight, but most of the weight is water mass. Many athletes who have to make a certain weight before a competition, easily lose 10-15% of their body’s water weight prior to the weigh in. But all that water weight that’s lost is regained in a few days after they rehydrate.

Extra sweating by using the infrared sauna have been touted as a means of burning fat cells. The concept is that IR waves penetrate the skin and breake down fat cells. However, there have been no studies that prove the long term benefits of fat loss using IR saunas. One small study at the Binghamton University had people use the infrared sauna three times per week for 45 minutes. After four months, the sauna users lost 4% body fat compared to the control group (where the body fat did not change). However, the researchers failed to control the participants’ diet and exercise outside of the study. Therefore, it is hard to determine the cause of their weight loss.

Are you ready to #finishitwithfinishfit?

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What Contributes To Belly Fat In Women?

2 Jun

We all know that belly fat can be caused by lack of exercise and poor nutrition. What’s not often discussed is that hormonal imbalances can significantly contribute to creating belly fat in women. Here’s a step by step approach on how to tackle each in order to lose belly fat:

  1. Hormones

One such hormone that can contribute to abdominal fat deposits in women is Estrogen. Estrogen is produced by fat cells which in turn cause fat production. This cycle of hormone and fat cell production is what causes abdominal fat gain.

Stopping this Estrogen cycle and joining a health and fitness program is the best way to counteract hormonal imbalances. The following steps outline some things you can try to improve your hormone imbalances:

  1. Get you hormones evaluated. A hormone profile can show the ratio of estrogen to progesterone in your body. You would be considered estrogen dominant, if this ratio was out of balance.
  2. Start an estrogen-lowering program. Your physician will determine whether you will need to increase your progesterone levels with bio-identical hormones.
  3. Increasing fiber intake (choosing fruits, vegetables and whole grains high in fiber) or substituting with fiber supplements (i.e. 30-50 grams/day). This will help lower your Estrogen levels and it will help reduce your belly fat.
  4. Add Indoles (i.e. broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower) to your diet or add  supplements such as indole-3-carbinol.
  5. Increase essential fatty acids in your diet. They are considered essential because your body cannot produce them (that is, they’re only obtained through food). Essential fatty acids regulate the body’s prostaglandin production which in turn help regulate estrogens.
  6. Add vitamin C to your diet.
  7. Exercise:
  8. When it comes to exercise, it’s best to choose a cardio regimen or a class that focuses on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This type of program will burn the most belly fat and it will also help induce the “After Burn” effect. Essentially, it will help you burn more fat calories for 2-3 hours after you’ve completed your workout. It’s also important to do strength training along with a HIIT, because strength training will help you build muscle mass. Muscle is the engine in the body. The more of it there is, the more belly fat calories the body will burn at rest.
  9. Nutrition:
  10. Studies have shown that you should use the following Macro-nutrient breakdown in your diet (Carbohydrates=25%, Proteins=40%, and Fats=35%) to help burn the maximum amount of belly fat. There are many calorie tracking apps that can help you do that.
  11. You should stay away from sugar and or sweetened drinks.
  12. Make sure to have protein with every meal. Protein will satiate you. Moreover, there have been several studies that show that amount and quality of protein consumed is inversely related to fat in the belly in women.
  13. As stated earlier, reduce the refined cards in your diet (sugar, candy, white bread, etc). This should will be easy to do, especially if you keep your protein intake high.
  14. Increase the soluble fiber in your diet. Soluble fiber may be particularly effective at reducing the belly fat (i.e. plant foods like vegetables, fruits, and legumes). As mentioned earlier, soluble fiber does this by lowering estrogen levels.

Are you ready to #finishitwithfinishfit?

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How to Reduce Your Overall Calorie Intake

27 Jun

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. Thus, if you cut back or work off just 3,500 calories, you will lose an entire pound of fat. While it is possible to cut back on your calorie intake and increase your exercise regimen in order to lose pounds quickly, it is important to note that doctors recommend that you lose no more than 2 pounds of weight per week in order to ensure that your body properly adjusts to the weight loss.

Here are some tips to help you safely drop 3,500 from your regular routine:

Run

Running for about 1 hour at a slow pace will help you lose approximately 350 calories, depending on your body type, speed and terrain. Thus, if you run for one hour five days a week while maintaining a consistent diet, you will safely lose one pound.

It is important to understand that many people who just begin running will eat pasta and other foods high in carbohydrates in order to compensate for the exertion. They think that because they worked out so hard, they deserve a treat. After all, they justify, the pasta will help to keep their energy levels high.

However, what they may not realize is that while they are justified in thinking that the carbohydrates will infuse their workout routine with energy, they are not actually setting their bodies up to lose weight. When you burn 350 calories but intake 450 over a high-carbohydrate pasta dish, you are adding more calories to your body than you otherwise would have.

Running does, however, help to boost our metabolism and change your muscle tone so that you burn calories more efficiently. Instead of inhaling a pasta dish after a run, select instead to have a large salad and splurge for the carbohydrate-rich croutons.

Eat In

When you eat out at a restaurant, not only are you subjecting your body to an array of high fat, high calorie foods, but you are also tempting yourself to eat a larger portion than you might normally eat. Therefore, what could be a simple 500 calories meal can easily turn into a 1500-calorie fat fest. In order to lose weight by cutting calories, it is essential that you are aware of exactly what you are putting into your body. Especially in the beginning of your new routine, it is important that you prepare your meals and monitor your level of hunger.

When eating out, generally you are in a social situation where food is not a priority – but spending time with your friends is. For this reason, people tend to eat more than they normally would. Non-dessert eaters often even spring for the extra round of calories. If you must eat out, help yourself avoid temptation by selecting a salad rather than a plate of pasta or burger. You will be amazed at the difference in the amount of calories you intake when you make simple choices such as meal option.

By reducing your overall calorie intake and increasing your level of physical activity, you will be able to lose those 3,500 calories without much trouble. Make sure that you stay focused, motivated and on task. You’ll shed unwanted weight in no time!

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