Monday, December 31, 2012

9 Fat Burning Tips to Get Rid of Stomach Fat

Desperate to get rid of stomach fat? Let's keep it simple - start eating healthy and exercise regularly. So the first thing you need to do now is - throw out all the junk food and
temptations in the kitchen. The last thing you need is a junk food craving. Remember, cravings can destroy a diet and add inches to your waistline.
Secondly, if you don't have social support network, you will not get rid of stomach fat. Find at least one weight loss partner, but preferably more --to continuously encourage you and work with you to keep you motivated. That way, your actions and goals are made accountable to your weight loss partner.
According to a 2006 research, working out with someone else who has the same goal and loses fat significantly increases your chance to get rid of stomach fat. In other words, you will have a greater chance of success.
Here are 9 more tips to get rid of stomach fat-
1) Avoid the liquid calories
Throw out all the juices, the diet and non diet soda drinks -- and the
sports drinks.
Liquid sugar is great for the body fat to stack on the weight!
And with regards to alcohol, studies have found a link between alcohol
intake and abdominal fat.
So drink in moderation and try to reduce the amount of alcohol intake.
Best yet, don't drink while you try to get rid of stomach fat.
2) Watch the fatty foods
When drinking, watch the fatty foods.
Studies suggest a combination of alcohol and high fat diet can lead to
overfeeding.
3) Forget the fast food
Quality of the food ingredients are poor, high in calories, and bad for
your health.
Even if you think it is healthy, the fast food chains are out for the
big dollar only.
Eating fast food will make you feel terrible, and will not help you lose
tummy fat.
4) Eat plenty of fiber rich fruits and vegetables
Each week, try to load up with lots of varieties of fresh vegetables and
fresh fruits in your fridge.
If you can't buy them fresh, frozen veggies and frozen berries like
blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries are the
next best option.
Look at adding the berries to high fiber cereal, oatmeal, cottage cheese,
yoghurt or smoothies.
Vegetables like zucchini, onions, fresh mushrooms, spinach, broccoli,
red peppers are great, especially in morning eggs.
Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily.
Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8
to 10 a day.
5) Eat 1 handful of natural or dry roasted almonds or walnuts per day.
Eating nuts will not make you fat.
By eating half an ounce in the morning and half an ounce in the
afternoon, the nuts will keep the tummy satisfied and help you lose
weight.
6) For the freezer, look at adding frozen fish and frozen chicken breast
Fish has many benefits, having different kinds of fish each week will
keep the boring diet away.
With the chicken breast, it's great for quick meals with wraps or
sandwiches. Or dice up some lean chicken into the eggs, along with some
swiss, jack, or goat cheeses.
7) For the cabinet - Staples
-Cans of coconut milk, which is great for a creamy taste, but full of
healthy saturated fats;
-Various antioxidant rich teas like green tea, oolong, white, rooibos;
-Stevia, a natural non caloric sweetener
-Raw honey, has good amount of nutrients and enzymes, and can improve
your metabolism;
-whole wheat or whole grain spelt pasta, which are high in fiber;
-No white rice, buy brown rice and other kinds of high fiber rice;
-Organic unsweetened cocoa powder
8) Resolve never to super-size your food portions-unless you want to
super-size your clothes.
9) Workout regularly to get rid of stomach fat
Make workouts count.
Look at a HIGH intensity interval training and resistance training, as
you'll achieve more fat burning results in less workout time.
High intensity workouts have a higher metabolic disturbance which are
effective for reducing stomach fat.
So stay away from the boring, ineffective cardio exercise workouts and
stick with a program like Turbulence Training Routine to get rid of stomach fat. And it doesn't matter if you train in the morning before or after
breakfast, or at night before or after dinner, or before or after lunch -- just workout consistently.
Remember nutrition is the key to get rid stomach fat. It doesn't matter how efficient is a workout, your body fat will not disappear. The point, you can't beat a lousy diet.
To get rid of stomach fat now and for good, live a healthy lifestyle.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Fat Burning Diet - 10 Testosterone Boosting Foods That Burn Fat and Build Muscle

Testosterone plays a very important role for men who are trying to lose weight, build muscle, or even just maintain peak levels of health. Therefore, for a male who is looking to burn fat, their fat burning diet should essentially be a testosterone boosting diet. In this way you are ensuring that this vital hormone plays the key role that it was designed to do. Here are 10 of the best foods for "naturally" boosting your testosterone levels.
1. Beef - I must emphasize here that this beef should be lean beef. You don't want to be consuming too much fat if you can avoid it. The combination of high levels of both protein and zinc in beef will promote testosterone production in the body and the small amount of saturated fat is also necessary.
2. Poultry - As was mentioned above, protein has a beneficial effect on hormone levels. Both chicken breast and turkey breast are, for example, very high in protein and very low in fat: The perfect food for burning fat and building muscle.
3. Oysters - These are absolutely packed with zinc and also have hefty amounts of protein and magnesium. This is the reason why oysters are known as being an aphrodisiac. It is because they have a direct effect on testosterone levels.
4. Beans - Out of all the vegetables available to you, beans have a higher zinc content than anything else. They also contain high levels of protein and even higher levels of fibre, which make them even harder to turn down. The fibre content of beans makes them a must have for any fat burning diet.
5. Brussels Sprouts - These little beauties have within them a magical ingredient known as "Indole-3-Carbinol". This particular indole has been shown to decrease the estrogen (female hormone) levels in men by as much as half! So forget about what they taste like and just eat them.
6. Eggs - Cholesterol is the building block of testosterone. Considering how much cholesterol is found within eggs, you can now see why you should be having them at least once per day. Also, don't be afraid of consuming the cholesterol in eggs, as not all cholesterols are the same: There are healthy and unhealthy types. Eggs are the healthy type.
7. Garlic - The magic ingredient in garlic that will boost your T levels is called Allicin. This ingredient boosts T levels and decreases cortisol levels at the same time. Cortisol is a hormone that competes with testosterone in the body. Therefore anything that can inhibit its production is invaluable.
8. Broccoli - As was mentioned with the Brussels sprouts, broccoli is also loaded with the miracle compound, Indole-3-Carbinol. Not to mention that broccoli also has very high levels of protein for a vegetable and high levels of fibre, and you have a winner.
9. Cottage Cheese - Not many foods have as much protein and as little fat as cottage cheese. In fact, it actually has more protein and less fat than even red meat or poultry. Make sure that you purchase the one that is only 1% fat. Cottage cheese can also be consumed before bed in order to give your body a steady supply of protein while you sleep.
10. Cabbage - You are probably sick of this word by now, but cabbage is also another food with very high levels of Indole-3-Carbinol. Not to mention the high fibre content that all green vegetables have.
So there you have it: 10 of the best foods to naturally boost your testosterone levels. So if you are a male looking to get lean for summer, forget about those fat burning diet tricks, such as only eating carrots for 5 days of the week. Incorporate these foods into your diet and you will transform yourself into an automatic fat-burning, muscle-building machine.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Fat Loss Tips - How To Eat For Maximum Weight Loss

In order to burn the greatest amounts of fat within a reasonable time-frame, you need to practice the right fat loss principles. See, burning fat is no big secret. In fact, as with any other science, if you want to get the desired results you need to be doing the right things. The law of cause and effect holds true across all disciplines and areas of life.
Therefore, if you want to shed the extra pounds for good, here are 2 fat burning principles you need to practice on a regular basis.
Don't Skip Meals
Many weight loss enthusiasts believe that by skipping meals they could speed up the weight loss process. This a big mistake. In fact, opting for this approach will only lead to weight gain and a myriad of health problems.
If you skip on food, you force your body to enter into starvation mode, thus it'll burn less calories per minute than it used to. This lead to weight loss plateaus or even gains. Not only that, meal skipping makes more hungrier, thus you're most likely to binge and overeat on your next meal. Those late-night cravings can sometime take the best out of you.
Therefore, make sure to properly address your eating needs-even if you're aiming to lose weight. Aim to eat 5 small meals spaced 3-4 hours apart. Opting for this eating recipe will keep the starvation mode at bay, rev up your metabolism levels, and you'll have the needed energy and nutrients to go by your day performing at your best.
These meals should be a good balance of low glycemic carbs (use the glycemic index to plan your meals), lean protein, and healthy fats. Your eating choices will largely depend on your weight loss and training goals. Hence, it's critical to find your balance.
Watch your Blood Sugar Levels
Keeping tags on blood sugar is not only for the diabetic. Everyone should keep a keen eye on their blood sugar and do the possible to keep it on the low. Otherwise, spiking it can compromise weight loss efforts and lead to a myriad of health troubles.
High blood sugar usually forces you body to store carbohydrates as fat instead of making it available as energy for the exercise. Furthermore, the higher blood sugar you've, the hungrier you get, thus you'll be prone to binge and overeat as a result. Well, it's surely not a surprise that sweets can make you fat.
Therefore, you need to avoid spiking your blood sugar at all costs. To help you with that, try the following:
- Use the glycemic index to plan for your food intake.
- Never eat too many carbs at once. Instead aim for healthy mix of good carbs with lower glycemic rates, lean protein and healthy fats.
- Eat your vegetables with every meal.
- Eat carbs within and immediately after a workout. During this recovery window, the body is more primed to sock away carbs as glycogen instead of fat. It'll also speed up your recovery.
These eating guidelines may seem simple, but they're elusive to most people. Nevertheless, the key to success is implementation, not knowledge. Therefore, make sure to gradually incorporate these principles into your eating plan and take action, even if it was just a small change. Everything counts.
David DACK is a runner and an established author on weight loss, motivation and fitness.
If you want more free tips from David DACK, then go to http://runnersblueprint.com/weightlossrunning.html and for a limited time you can grab this special "Weight Loss By Running" (Value $18) report For FREE.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Friday, December 28, 2012

Roadblocks to Diet and Fat Loss - 5 Foods to Avoid For Improved Diet and Fat Loss

Your diet and fat loss go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. If you think you can eat Mcdonald's 3 times a day, do P90X and have a ripped body. Think again. Bodybuilders are built in the kitchen. Good nutrition is just as important, if not more important than what goes on in the gym.
Here are 5 foods to avoid to ramp up your fat loss efforts.
1) Eating too much sugar - The average Western diet is comprised of way too much sugar. We have a sweet tooth and we love feeding it. On average Americans consume approximately 100 pounds of sugar a year. That is an astronomical number compared to about 50 years ago. Our parents and grandparents consumed way less sugar than we do. The massive increase in sugar consumption is one of the main culprits for the scary increase in Type 2 Diabetes or Adult onset Diabetes cases.
2) Loading up on carbs - There are so many low-carb diets out there. The most famous being the South Beach Diet. Carbs have gotten such a bad reputation. Can you eat carbs and lose weight? Yes yes yes. But you can't go nuts eating carbs, you need to have a balanced diet. Your body needs carbs to function properly. The main energy source for your brain is carbohydrates. Try making it through a workout without carbs. Carbs are needed in your diet just not in bunches.
3) Not eating enough fruits and vegetables - This should not be an earth shattering revelation. But for some reason a lot of people do not eat enough fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. Try to eat a smoothie or a salad a day to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption. Smoothies and salads are easy to prepare and have endless possibilities for different recipes.
4) Big Macs - Eating fast food will no doubt negatively affect your diet and fat loss efforts. The Big Mac alone has 550 calories. If you get the meal with large fries and a large drink you will be chomping down on 1,350 calories! That is a good chunk of your daily calorie consumption in one meal! If you must eat fast food, then try some of the healthier options. Get a grilled chicken sandwich instead of the Big Mac. Or maybe even a salad.
5) Alcohol - There are differing opinions on this one. But the fact is drinking alcohol especially in large quantities does not exactly speed up your metabolism. Drinking in moderation is fine, but downing a whole 5th or a 6 pack will not get you the desired results you are looking for.
Avoid these 5 roadblocks to diet and fat loss to get you started on the right path. These are not the cure all for complete nutrition. But they are a good starting place.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Strength Circuits for Fat Loss - Say Goodbye to Stubborn Fat

In one of my previous articles I stated that 'there is no fat loss exercise'. By that I meant that there is no standalone exercise that will torch body fat just be completing it alone. However, there are fat loss exercise protocols; it is the way that you piece together the exercises, the rest periods and the number of reps/sets that will determine the effectiveness of a fat loss exercise protocol. Resistance strength circuits are one such protocol that are excellent for torching stubborn body fat and helping push you through your physique plateaus.
You've heard of circuit training, right? There are circuit classes at your gym, there is BMF, boot camps to name but a few. These are great in their own right for fat loss and improving your conditioning levels, but the chances are there is not much external resistance involved. Adding strength based exercises into a circuit will bring you massive benefits to your health and fitness.
What are Strength Circuits?
Circuit training involves grouping a series of exercises together into one long set with minimal rest periods (typically 15-30 seconds) between exercises. Once you have completed the prescribed exercises a longer rest period (60 seconds-3 minutes) is given before the circuit is repeated.
Your aim should be to work every muscle in your body in the circuit. Bicep curls, triceps extensions, ab curls and some light jogging will not cut it. Choose big compound moves such as squats, deadlifts, rows, kettlebell swings and pull ups. These exercises will give you more bang for your buck and have you working at a good intensity within a very short period of time.
Why does circuit training work?
The main aim of fat loss is to hold onto any lean muscle mass you currently have and drop stored subcutaneous fat (the fat you can 'see') and visceral fat (excess fat around your organs) and circuit training does a very good job of doing this.
The high intensity nature of circuits coupled with the added resistance aspect brings to great benefits to your training:
i) Higher Growth Hormone (GH) production: GH is a great for fat burning and muscle maintenance/growth.
ii) Increased Insulin sensitivity - insulin is the hormone that is responsible for shuttling blood glucose into our cells. The problem with low insulin sensitivity is that our bodies release more insulin than is required to 'do the job' when we eat a carbohydrate laden snack. This results in inevitable fat gain which then lowers our insulin sensitivity, which then causes more fat gain and so on - you can see the problem. Circuit training helps by allowing your body to use less insulin to carry out it's role effectively. Your body can return to 'fat burning mode' more quickly.
iii) Muscle retention - if you have read my blog before you will know how precious lean muscle mass is. It is important for posture, strength and enhancing your metabolism. Non-resistance based programs couple with low calorie/protein diets will cause muscle breakdown, which in essence makes your fat loss goals that big harder.
iv) Time efficient - It is a great form of training as well if you are short of time. Well planned circuit training sessions can last from anywhere between 20 and 45 minutes. This is exactly what you are looking for when you are trying to burn fat - short, intense and effective workouts.
How should I fit it into my schedule?
In my opinion there are two ways you can successfully incorporate strength circuits into your routine.
  1. As a standalone 4-6 week program - carry out 3 circuits a week with a days rest in between each workout.
  2. As an addition to your strength training program - I would recommend 1-2 strength sessions and 1-2 circuit training sessions each week.
Listen to your body. If you are feeling weak or low on energy in between sessions, allow yourself more rest time and evaluate your nutrition and sleep regime.
Strength Circuit Example
A1 - Compound leg exercise i.e. squat: 6-8 reps
A2 - Upper body compound exercise i.e. pull ups: 6+ reps
A3 - Full Body Exercise i.e. kettlebell clean and push press: 6-8 reps on each arm
A4 - High Intensity Exercise i.e. kettlebell swings: 15-20reps
A5 - Core exercise i.e. Kettlebell rack walks: 30 seconds or 10-20 reps.
B (Optional) - 20 minutes of steady state cardio
Protocol - rest 15-30 seconds between each exercise. Once you have completed all five exercises allow yourself 90-180 seconds rest. Aim to complete the circuit 3-5 times in total depending on your current fitness levels and exercise experience. Choose weights which allow you to work at a high intensity, but not to failure (this will keep injury risk lower and long term performance higher)
The "Takeaway"
Strength circuits are a great standalone protocol or addition to your current regime to help you break through plateaus and enhance fat loss. Sessions should be kept short and intense more maximum effectiveness. Remember to keep rest periods to a minimum and intensity to a manageable high.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Simple Ways To Achieve Fat Loss

There are literally dozens of ways that can help you achieve fat loss. However, you really have to be sure that all those methods are actually healthy and whether the results will last for the long term. So before falling prey to many of the false promises and getting duped it is always better to use natural and genuine methods to lose your extra body fat. You have to formulate a plan according to your body and follow it consistently. This will help you to reduce your body weight and stay healthy as well.
One of the simple ways for attaining fat loss is to follow a low carb diet. The foods you eat should contain more proteins and have a low GI index. This is nothing more than the measure at which glucose from your ingested food is released into the blood stream.
Avoid foods like biscuits, cakes, white pasta, white bread and other carbohydrate based foods. It is also better not to take in foods that contain high amounts of sugar like ice cream and sweetened drinks. Such foods are rich in calories as well. When your body feels short of carbs it starts using the glucose from your body.
You can also achieve weight loss by doing regular exercises. By going through the weight loss regimen properly you will be able to reduce your weight faster. Your workouts should include cardiovascular exercises also that increase your heart rate and burn more fat. You should work out for at least 20 minutes continuously daily for getting the best results. Weight training and circuit training are also good for speeding up weight and fat loss. To make your workout more interesting you can change the type of exercises everyday by alternating various kinds of exercises in your workouts.
Some people talk about using various fat loss products available on the market. However, they may not have the same effect for all. So if they have worked well for one person they may not be the same for you. Do not go by what was good for your friend. Understand your own body and use methods and foods which are suitable for it.
Make sure to drink a lot of water because it is a natural cleanser. It will help you to flush out unwanted toxins from your body. In the same way, use a lot of fat burning foods which can aid in burning more of the unwanted fat. Some of the common fat burning foods are apples, peaches, oats, whole grain, beans, milk, lean meat, eggs, salmon, beef, turkey, green tea, and broccoli. Include these items regularly in your diet and you will be able to reduce you weight when you combine this with regular exercise.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Fat Loss Tips - The Other 6 Commandments of Fat Burning

In a previous article, titled "The 6 Commandments of Fat Burning", I shared with you 6 fat loss tips, which if followed, will supercharge your weight loss progress. Now that you have hopefully put the other tips into action, I present you with the other half of the equation. By combining these commandments with those mentioned in the previous report, your weight loss progress will be unstoppable.
1. Eat Frequently - Every time we eat meals that are high in protein, we get a small spike from our metabolism. Therefore, we should take advantage of this and eat a minimum of 6 small meals everyday. Don't ever leave it more than 3 hours before eating again and you will help to ensure that your metabolism is working at peak capacity for the entire day. The optimum time would be every 2.5 hours. Of all of the fat loss tips to perform, this is the one that must be followed every single day.
2. Only Low GI Carbs Before Gym - Never eat simple (High GI) carbohydrates before training, as you will not burn as much fat as you would like if you do. In order to prevent your insulin being spiked, eat only slow-digesting carbohydrates, such as fruit, sweet potato or rolled oats. These will provide you with the endurance that you need for your workout and won't impede your fat burning efforts.
3. Never Forget Post-Training Nutrition - It is important that you refuel your body with quality carbohydrates and protein immediately after training. You have a 1-hour window of opportunity: Never leave it longer than 1 hour. This is the one time that you can actually eat fast-digesting carbs, as your body will not store them as fat during this time. Rather, your body will soak them up almost immediately in order to begin recovering.
4. Time Your Cardio Right - In order to get the most out of your cardio training, you need to be doing it at the right time. I personally recommend my clients to never perform cardio training after they have eaten in the last 3 hours. For this reason, perform your cardio in the morning when you first wake up and never after eating any form of carbohydrate. You can however have a small amount of protein and even a coffee (no sugar or milk) beforehand.
5. Don't Overdo It - You need to train hard in order to see results. You even need to be increasing your intensity if you want to see consistent results. But don't fall into the trap over over-training. If you push your body too far, you will not burn as much fat as you would like, as your body will not be able to function as it should.
6. Glycogen - Glycogen is essentially made from carbohydrates that have not been used by your body and is stored in your muscles. When your glycogen levels are down, you are able to burn fat more easily. Every 2 weeks, eat no more than 90 grams of carbohydrates for 2 days then return to your normal diet.
By combining these fat loss tips with those covered in the previous article, which covered the first 6 commandments, you will have a comprehensive knowledge of how to lose weight. If you make these commandments a habit, you will see that achieving the body of your dreams is just a matter of repetition.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com