No matter where you live, if you’re on the internet or watch TV, at least once a day you’ll see new miracle ways to lose fat, followed by people who swear by the product or technique. Almost everyone touts how easy it is, which is very deceptive and can lead to fat loss mistakes by the viewer. There’s a lot of misinformation about weight loss and even more about fat loss. The two are different. When you lose weight, you could be losing both fat and muscle tissue. Fat loss indicates only losing fat.
Are you constantly doing cardio?
Exercise is important for weight loss. It burns extra calories. There’s no better calorie burner than cardio. There is a problem with doing too much cardio. Even though it torches calories, the calories come from both fat and muscle tissue. When you lose weight, it’s a combination of both. The less muscle tissue you have, the harder it is to lose weight. Muscle tissue requires more calories for maintenance than fat tissue does, so the less you have, the slower your metabolism. Instead of doing constant cardio, add strength training to your schedule. It builds muscle and burns fat.
Are you exercising regularly, but not changing your diet?
You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. If you workout for hours, you still won’t burn enough calories to offset that burger, fries, and shake. You need to follow a healthy diet that contains whole food. People who don’t change the way they eat often don’t consume all the nutrients required to burn fat and build muscle tissue.
Are you buying special “diet” or “low fat” food?
Don’t waste your money. While some are well-balanced and may help you learn how to eat healthier, most are a waste of time and can even set you back in your fat loss effort. For instance, fat-free foods aren’t beneficial for losing fat. Choose a full-fat option. Fat is often removed and replaced with sugar for flavor and another additive for texture. When you eat sugar your blood sugar rises rapidly and drops just as quickly, leaving you starving. Healthy fat is also necessary to create the hormones that help your body burn fat. It fills you up and leaves you feeling full longer so you eat less.
- Some people try to starve off fat, but it doesn’t work. The body goes into starvation mode, which slows your metabolism. It’s also not sustainable, and when you eat normally again, you’ll gain back the weight you lost and more.
- You may be burning the candle at both ends and sabotaging your efforts to lose fat. Lack of sleep causes hormonal imbalances that leave you hungry. You’ll also be tired and less active.
- Some people fail to eat enough high-quality protein. You can’t build muscle tissue without adequate protein. The more muscle tissue you have, the more fat you burn.
- Failing to realize what you drink makes a difference is a big mistake. Soft drinks, fancy coffee, and juices can pack on the pounds. According to a recent study, even diet soft drinks add inches of fat to your middle.
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