Weight loss is all about controlling your calorie intake. By “lose weight”, we assume that you are looking for fat loss only while keeping your muscle mass intact. Your body needs to be in a calorie deficit state to lose fat. But too much fat loss in a short span of time is unsustainable and unhealthy for the body. To ensure that you only lose body fat and not the muscle mass, it is important to manage your diet properly, exercise regularly and take enough rest.
Loosing weight might seem like a challenge initially but if there is consistency and discipline, you will clearly see results. This post explains the important aspects of losing weight and make it easy for you to achieve your dream body.
3 components of losing weight
Exercise
Diet
Rest
Exercise Regularly
Exercise plays an important role to direct your body for an initiative. With the help of regular exercise, you will be commanding your body to prepare itself for removing toxins and become healthy.
There are two forms of exercises you need to bring to your routine:
1. Strength/Resistance Training
2. Cardio
1. Strength Training
People tend to focus more on cardio when they start their fat loss journey. However, strength training is as much as 3 times more effective in burning calories when compared to cycling or running. That means, a 20 minute vigorous weight training can burn as many calories as jogging for 60 minutes.
Strength Training Exercises at Home:
• Push Ups and Pull Ups
• Squats
• Planks
• Crunches
• Bench Dips
• Dumbbell Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Lunges
2. Increase Cardio
Including cardio into your workout routine helps build stamina in your body. A 20 minute run just after strength training will maximize the fat burn when your muscle is already fatigued. Cardio also helps improve sleep. Follow this over a period of time and you will realize that you feel more happy and confident about yourself.
Best Cardio Exercises:
• Running
• Cycling
• Mountain Climbers
• Rope Skipping
As an alternative to Cardio, you can also include outdoor sports like badminton, basket ball, or indoor activities like dancing or zumba.
Items for Workout at Home in India
Improve your Diet
You might think that exercise should be enough to lose weight but when it comes to effective weight loss plan, diet plays 70% role in it.
What you Eat is What you Reap!
Every diet plan, either for weight loss or muscle building, has to balance out the 3 major components: Proteins, Carbohydrates or Carbs and Fat. Your weight loss diet plan should contain low carbs, high proteins and a good amount of healthy fats. Next we will discuss on how to achieve a proper diet.
3. Increase your Protein Intake
Your body weight decides how much protein you require. A healthy human requires 1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of their body weight.
Balanced home cooked food is generally a good source of all the nutrients you need. Being born and brought up in India, I know we have a knack to use excess oil and spices to cook anything. For example, lentils (dal) is a rich source of Protein but in fact a cooked bowl of it will contain proportionately very small amounts of lentils. So tracking your actual protein intake is important.
Upping your protein intake also increases your feeling for fullness. Hence you tend to eat lesser calories.
Protein Supplements are the best sources of protein to complete your body requirements and recover your muscles faster after strength training.
Best Protein Supplements
Checkout best protein supplements recommended by top professional sportsperson that will show good results.
Best Whey ProteinsBest Plant Proteins4. Eat Healthy Fats
Although it may seem counterintuitive, increasing your intake of healthy fats may actually help prevent weight gain and help you maintain feelings of fullness. Fat takes a while to digest and can help slow the emptying of the stomach, which can reduce appetite and hunger.
Mediterranean diet rich in healthy fats from olive oil and nuts was associated with a lower risk of weight gain compared to a low-fat diet.
Instead of eating more fat overall, try swapping the unhealthy fats in your diet for these healthy fat varieties.
Best Sources for Healthy Fats in India
5. Reduce Carbs
Decreasing your intake of refined carbohydrates may help you lose extra fat.
During processing, refined grains are stripped of their bran and germ, resulting in a final product that’s low in fibre and nutrients. Studies show that a diet high in refined carbs may be associated with increased belly fat.
Conversely, a diet high in whole grains has been associated with a lower body mass index and body weight, plus a smaller waist circumference.
6. Add Vinegar to your diet
Adding Vinegar to your diet is one of the natural remedies to avoid excess fat disposition in your body.
Scientific studies in obese rats and mice suggest that acetic acid in vinegar can prevent their fat deposition and improve metabolism. One other study on humans conducted in 2009, showed results that those who consumed vinegar regularly had modest weight loss.
Best Sources for Vinegar in India
7. Drink Coffee
Caffeine, found in coffee, increases your body’s metabolism. Taking coffee before workout will give you the extra push to lift those heavy weights. You will feel more energetic and focused while working out.
Skip the cream and sugar. Instead enjoy it black or with a small amount of milk to prevent those extra calories.
Take Proper Rest
8. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is the most important and probably the most ignored point by people seeking a healthy lifestyle. Most of your muscle recovery occurs when your body is at complete rest. Also, you tend to eat less since your body demands lesser calories after a good night’s sleep.
FAQs
1. Following Hard-Core Gymmers on Instagram
2. Imagining the final dream body everyday.
3. Reminding that one reason you want to reduce your weight.
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