By They say slow and steady wins the race, but if you are like most people, you aren’t all that patient in waiting for weight loss to happen. Will that create a more effective long term outcome for you? In my experience, it’s advisable to allow time for weight loss to happen in progressive stages, so as to not cause health issues down the track. It’s key to set yourself up with a weight loss goal, and work towards it with a deadline. Of course, things will happen, and allowing flexibility along the process will be beneficial.
Below are some very successful ways to lose body fat, some more aggressively than your standard diets, as well as exercise regimes. Pick and choose which ones to use and see how it works for your lifestyle and personality. In the long run, you want something to stick to that works, without experiencing the yoyo effect. There is nothing worse than putting the lost weight back on after a short period of time.
Remember, this is a lifestyle, not a 1 month task. You have to keep working at this long term to attain your chosen body fat levels and weight.
5 easy ways to lose body fat fast
- Intermittent fasting. This is not a diet, but a timed approach to eating. There are no specific foods to eat whilst on this approach, but it is recommended you eat well when your feeding window is open. This method is so popular because it’s simple, effective and it also improves your overall health. You will still get huge benefits when opting to fast every other day. Make sure you do get enough protein when within the feeding period, to preserve muscle, and give you enough sustained energy throughout the day. It does get easier as you progress with fasting. Here are some options to try out.
12 hour fasting window
16 hour fasting window
18 hour fasting window
20 hour fasting window
24 hour fasting window
36 hour fasting window
The choice is ultimately yours, and you can pick and chose which days are suitable for whatever time frame. If you have to go out for a breakfast meeting, pick and choose the time to fast and feast. - Make weight training a priority – Never skip leg day! Training with weights is beneficial because it builds muscle mass, raising your daily caloric burn, even at rest. It also improves your insulin sensitivity, balance of cortisol, making it easy to burn belly fat. Opt to train using multi joint lifts, prioritising the lower body whenever possible. The more lean muscle you have, the lower your body fat levels become. Make weight training something you work hard to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, for maximum fat burning and weight loss effects.
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake. There is no doubt that low carb diets help one lose body fat short term. When the reduction takes place, blood sugar levels become a lot more moderate and less insulin is released from the pancreas. Over a short duration of time, your body’s cells become more sensitive to insulin, therefore increasing your bodies capacity to burn fat. Opt to get your carb sources from nutrient rich veggies, for a period of one month. Then slowly introduce nutritious carbs such as sweet potato and oats to your meals. This is called ‘carb cycling’ and is very effective.
One more thing about low carb meals. They reduce hunger, therefore making your overall calorie consumption through the day, a lot lower. That means you will automatically eat less, which is great for weight loss. Consumption of protein, veggies and fats allow for more satiety. - Make sure you get enough sleep on a daily basis. Lack of sleep has been linked to weight loss, and unfortunately, increases belly fat. Your hormone levels alter when sleep deprived, reducing your insulin sensitivity, making it harder to process any carbs you are consuming. It also elevates cortisol levels, increasing sensations of stress and anxiety. This will make it even more challenging to get a good nights sleep!
Don’t underestimate the bodies natural desire to consume high salt, fat and carbohydrates due to low energy levels when sleep deprived. If you are experiencing this, it’s important to change your response as much as possible, still opting for nutritious food until you get your sleep under control. Perhaps think about taking some magnesium to put you in a relaxed state more often. - HIIT training. This form of training really gets to those stubborn body fat stores. Using these intermittent bursts of high and low intensity, creating a perfect extended after burn effect, as well as increasing strength and endurance. Make sure your all out bursts are very intense, followed by short rest periods. This method only requires about 20–30 minutes, any longer and you will be increasing your stress hormones, making it counter intuitive to your weight loss goals.
I do hope these tips and tricks help to get you back into fat burning and weight loss mode if you have been experiencing a plateau