Fitness Tip: LOSING BODY FAT (not just weight)

How To Lose Fat

Fat loss is simple, burn more calories then you consume. If
you can fully understand that then you are on your way to losing
fat. There are 6 simple steps. Here they are:

1) Count how many calories you eat in a normal day. Thats right,
wake up, and eat like you would normally eat and count the
calories in everything you eat and everything you drink and keep
track of it on a piece of paper or on your computer.

2) At the end of that day, add up the number of calories you
ate/drank. Be as exact as possible. Once you add it all up, you
now have the total number of calories you consume daily. Also,
weigh yourself.

3) Starting the day after you counted calories, eat 500 calories
LESS then you normally do. So, lets pretend that the day you
counted calories you counted 2000. For the rest of the week, you
would eat 1500 calories a day. Understand? All you have to do
is subtract 500 from the total number of calories you consume
in a normal day, and eat this new number of calories every day
for the next 7 days.

4) Instead of eating 3 big meals a day (breakfast, lunch and
dinner), or eating all day all the time, spread those calories out
over 5 smaller meals. Eat one meal every 2 and a half to
3 hours. Doing this will speed up your metabolism.

5) Cardio. Cardio is a must for fat loss. If your serious about
losing fat, but don't want to do the cardio workouts, then you
are wasting your time. Jog, walk, swim, jump rope, ride a bike,
take an aerobics class, whatever.. just do it! All it takes is 30
minutes a day, 3 - 5 days a week. I say 3-5 days a week
because I don't know if you have 5 pounds to lose, or if you
have 50 pounds to lose. So, depending on how much your
looking to lose, figure it out. 3 times a week is the minimum
though.

6) At the end of that week, weigh yourself. You'll notice a
difference just after one week! Now, don't expect to see a 20
pound difference. Losing 1 or 2 pounds a week is good
progress. So look for a 1 or 2 pound weight loss at the
end of the week. Don't sound like much? You can lose 5-8
pounds a month! Thats around 75lbs a year! So if you have
ALOT of weight to lose, you can lose it. If have just a few
pounds to lose, you can lose it.
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credit: trulyhuge.com

Originally posted by Lost_Spoiled
Hey chosen... in regards to that... why weigh in right after you wake up?

For instance I weigh in in the A.M. then when I weigh towards day end.. I'm 5 pounds heavier... then lighter again the next morning ... then heavier etc...

You should always weight yourself as soon as you wake up because you body is usually empty then and therefore, lightest that it's ever going to be that day. That is, all that was digested the day before is usually excreted from the body in the morning.

In regards to weighing in, you're setting yourself up for failure. Because when you see your body losing 2 pounds in the morning and then gaining 3 by that afternoon, you may think that you're never going to reach your goal and eventually give up the diet and exercise. You should only weigh yourself once a week. Reason being, your weight flucturates daily. Of course, you won't be any lighter at 3 PM than you were at 8 AM because you've already eaten at least 2 to 3 meals and drank several quarts (if not gallons) of water. The same goes that you may be 2 pounds lighter today then you were yesterday, but 1 pounds heavier tomorrow than you are today. This is caused by the water intake as well as the calories. So pick a day of the week and weigh yourself on that day, in the morning, and before you've eaten breakfast.

What you have to understand is that fat loss is a process that requires 3 stages: diet.............exercise...........rest. You can't achieve your goal without the rest because this, believe or not, is when the fat loss process is at it's greatest. When exercising, you're burning bodyfat & calories. When you diet, you're minimizing the intake of fat & calories. Then when you rest (sleep at night), the muscles that you used to exercise are still burning bodyfat.

Chosen is right. In accordance with his great advice, just remember that when you wake up, your body needs to get rid of excess crap so go pee, then weigh yourself.

Simply put, you weigh less in the morning because you are getting rid of water weight and/or feces which in turn makes you lighter. And like Chosen said, you weigh more in the evening because you have probably eaten 2 or more meals plus lots of liquids throughout the day.

Also watch the sodium intake. Salt holds lots of water in the body! :)

Its funny you should break it down to the basics. I have a friend in her 80's who counts calories and she walks in a pool everyday for an hour because of arthritis. She has been able to get off diabetes medication that she just had to start taking a year or two ago by doing this.

My doctor says that the Atkins diet works because people eventually get so sick of eating the same stuff the just eat less. I remember when Dolly Parton lost weight years ago, she said she ate everything she wanted but just half of it.

What do you think about all this water drinking that we are supposed to do to lose weight? And do you guys have any information for beginning strength training!

Thanks for a great thread, chosen!

Bubble, water is good to lose weight and for all around health for the simple fact that it helps curve appetite and quickly fills you up. Drinking at least 64 oz a day helps flush out toxins and keeps the muscles full. Furthermore, being completely hydrated with water creates a sense of well-being and helps the body to function better, regardless of the type of activity. It also helps the skin bring out its true color and feeling nice and smooth.
I personally drink bottled spring or distilled water daily.

As far as strength training for yourself, that depends: what are your goals?


joe

A few things to add:

Watch out for idle snacking. Whether it's a certain time of the day or a particular activity that triggers it, lots of people eat more when they aren't paying attention than they realize. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, put some into a bowl so you know exactly how much you're eating. Also, try to snack on lower-calorie foods most of the time. Foods with a lot of fat and protein are more dense and high-calorie than those with mostly carbs like popcorn or produce.

Pay attention to dressings and sauces. They can have lots of fat and sugar in them but most people discount them when thinking about how much they're eating.

Finally, measure your food. Not every time of course, but find out what a normal serving size is supposed to look like and see how it compares to what you thought the serving size was. Most people eat a lot more than they think they do when they just estimate the serving size, so this will help you accurately count the calories you're eating.

Hi Joe,

My goal is to start an easy program to build muscle in order to burn calories and lose weight. Sort of overall fitness in addition to cardio routines.

I do cardio activity 5-6 days a week. I either walk/run on a treadmill for 35 or 40 minutes and alternate it up with an elliptical machine for the same amount of time.

I'm 50, about 60 pounds overweight, diabetic, and my knees get a little cranky. I need to lose weight mostly for my diabetes, to get my sugar levels closer to normal. I have exercised for years, and although I'm not in tip top shape (obviously, lol), I'm not completely a slug either.

I used to be about 40 pounds heavier than this (yuk) but I've lost that weight and kept it off for 5 years now. I now need to up the ante and get my health in order.

Thanks for any direction you can point me in!

What is your weight training regime like Bubble?

Okay, guys, I have a question about water ..... I absolutely abhor drinking water. I can usually down a glass after I work out or drink a bottle but to drink 64oz a day just about kills me. How badly will that inihibit my continued weight loss?

Right now I'm doing cross training about 45 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week (don't have more time than that, bummer) and I usually eat 4 small meals a day with no snacking. Is not consuming that much water really going to make that much of a difference?

So Lost,

On this Slim in 6 they count calories I presume?

Do you have a spreadsheet of some kind you could point us to that we could download for nutrition or calorie counting?

You look like you are making terrific progress! You have inspired me! Thanks!

Originally posted by molly
Okay, guys, I have a question about water ..... I absolutely abhor drinking water. I can usually down a glass after I work out or drink a bottle but to drink 64oz a day just about kills me. How badly will that inihibit my continued weight loss?

Right now I'm doing cross training about 45 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week (don't have more time than that, bummer) and I usually eat 4 small meals a day with no snacking. Is not consuming that much water really going to make that much of a difference?


Molly, start at it gradually. Since you work out regularly, your body needs water all the time. Not just a bottle. Try this: When you get up in the morning, drink 10-12 ounces, no bigee. Before lunch, drink about 8 oz. Before you train, make sure your body is hydrated by drinking at least 10-12 ounces, you'll sweat it out in no time depending on the intensity of your workout. For every pound of water you lose by sweating (and it's real easy to sweat 2 or more pounds if you're training hard) you need 12-16 oz of fluid such as water, gatorade, or a high carb sports drink to replenish what you lost. Also to put back your electolytes.
Before bedtime, 8 ounces or more is sufficient.

Drinking lots of water helps to speed up metabolism (just like weight training and good eating habits) by helping the digestion process. In effect, your stools are easier to release due to water making the intestines and bowel lining function properly and is a faster way to flush out toxins in addition to peeing.

As a result, with continued and consistent training, more fat deposits are easily rejected from the body.

Simply put, if drinking lots of water creates a sense of fullness in the body and fills the muscle bellies up, where is there room for fat deposit? It would be hard for fat deposition for the simple fact that water is constantly flushing it out. :)

Does that help any?


joe

WOW!!!

That's interesting reading that I'll have to give a try.:)

I did the same thing as Dolly Parton, ate basically what I wanted, but half the portion I used to. Switching to a salad plate was a huge help. That, coupled with moderate exercise (30 minutes, 3x a week), took 90 pounds off my body in one year, and I never felt deprived.

I've been giving the low carb thing a go recently to try to get another 15-20 pounds off. I'm 5'7" and read that the healthy weight range would be 118-160. That's a huge range! I hover between 175-180, so am going for the high end of that range.

Why is the last 20 pounds so much harder to get rid of?