Weight loss tips: How to reduce body fat

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Kevin Mangelschots

Being overweight is a huge problem in modern society. And a big part of why people are too heavy these days is because it’s a luxury issue due to an overabundance of resources.

Never in history has there been such an ampleness of food, or more specifically, unhealthy nutrition. Sugar-overloaded foods and drinks like chocolate waffles and soda, but also greasy nourishment such as fried snacks and pizza are popular examples.

But what everyone can do is learn how to reduce body fat by applying the following weight loss tips. Let’s get started.

How to reduce body fat?

A woman measuring her waist with a tape measure.

  1. Tracking your calories

    Tracking your calories is the single, most important tip that allows us to lose weight in a healthy, controlled manner.

    Simply put, count your calorie intake and output during the day.

    You can write it down in a notebook, or use one of the many available calculator apps that are available today. This way, you’ll know if you need to lower or increase your caloric content to lose weight steadily instead of crash dieting, which isn’t sustainable anyway.

  2. Drinking water

    Image of a water bottle pouring water in a glass.

    By far the easiest advice from this list to start implementing into your life is simply drinking more water.

    Water is essential for survival, as our bodies are made of about 60-70% liquid, and we can only survive about 3 days without it. That shows how essential it is for all the processes happening in our bodies.

    But specifically, regarding fat loss, drinking water boosts your metabolism. And that means we get to lose weight for free due to burning more calories than our peers who do not drink enough water do.

  3. Intermittent fasting

    Intermittent fasting is a form of dieting that’s becoming increasingly popular in recent times.

    You are eating during specific periods when intermittent fasting, alternating with specified time blocks when you’re not allowed to eat anything. Fortunately, you are always allowed to drink water since it contains no calories.

    Why is this diet so effective to lose weight, you ask? Because your feeding period, which is the specific duration you are allowed to eat, is so small that it’s almost impossible to eat the required calories to get fat.

    This logically means that not being able to eat as many calories as what got you obese in the first place will make you lose weight.

    Remember that dropping weight is nothing more than burning more calories than you ingest.

  4. Exercise

    Picture of men and women in a gym class exercising.

    Not only is working out mandatory for general health purposes, but it’s also a great way to burn off the excess caloric intake that we consume during the day.

    Both weightlifting and cardio training burn a lot of calories, making it possible and easier for us to lose weight.

    Training also prevents your metabolism from slowing down while being in a calorie deficit, which will help to keep your engine burning to burn off pesky fat.

  5. Eat more fruit and vegetables

    A plate of healthy food.

    Vegetables and fruit both contain lots of fiber and water, making them very filling while containing only a small number of calories.

    There are also a lot of micronutrients in fruits and vegetables that our bodies need to operate smoothly. So, consider eating them not just to drop weight, but also to keep your body fit.

  6. Snack on healthy food

    It’s often very tempting to start snacking in between meals because we get the desire to eat something.

    We typically fill these gaps in between our planned large meals by snacking on unhealthy nutrition such as cookies, chocolate, and other related junk food. However, we can all make the switch to snacking on healthier alternatives like fruits, nuts, and vegetables, to give you an example.

  7. Get a good night’s rest

    Image of a woman sleeping in white bed covers

    Sleep is one of the most vital things we need to keep our bodies fit and operating smoothly. It’s required to recharge our batteries that we deplete while being active by exerting ourselves during the day.

    An insufficient amount of sleep is a big risk factor for becoming obese, as a good deal of research articles have shown. This means that you should aim for at least 7–9 hours of sleep each night to keep your body and mind in tip-top shape!

    It should be noted that younger people generally need more sleep than older folks.

  8. Eat healthier instead of dieting

    Fit dark skinned woman cutting healthy vegetables and fruits.

    While starving yourself may make you drop a lot of weight in the short term, it won’t pan out as a sustainable, or healthy long-term strategy.

    It has been suggested that people who crash diet tend to gain more weight over time. Probably because they inevitably revert to the same poor eating patterns once again. What’s more, is that they regularly develop even worse compulsive eating habits than they did previously to compensate for the mental fatigue of crash dieting.

    Following a weight loss regimen is mentally and physically exhausting. That’s why I recommend people eat healthier instead of depriving themselves of nutrients, which is something no one can maintain over an extended period.

    If you start consuming healthier foods than you did before, then weight loss will occur naturally.

  9. Eat more protein

    Protein-rich foods like eggs, meat, poultry, legumes, and dairy have always been a large part of a balanced, varied diet. But now it seems that protein also plays an equally essential role in losing weight.

    Eating protein-rich meals will help you to feel full faster. And if you feel filled, you will naturally eat less, which means you will consume fewer calories. Protein also helps to boost your metabolism which leads to burning more calories.

  10. Don’t stress too much

    Image of a fit woman holding a yoga pose at the beach.

    Our bodies will start to release the stress hormone called cortisol when we are under chronic stress for a prolonged time. Not to mention the host of detrimental long-term effects of chronic stress.

    A high level of cortisol has been shown to increase our level of appetite. This causes overeating, overdrinking, and in general, binging a lot more.

    While most of us lead busy lives, there are still several things we can do to prevent tension from taking control of our existence. Lifting weights, running, yoga, and practicing mindfulness are some good ways to wind down after a stressful day. These are my best tips to relieve chronic stress and anxiety that I find effective in reducing mental strain during my everyday life.

    Perhaps most important and efficient is socializing with close friends and family. Feeling connected with those around you will have a positive effect on your mental state due to reducing stress by lowering cortisol levels in the process.

  11. Cut back on the alcohol

    A group of people drinking multiple different alcoholic beverages together.

    Beer contains roughly the same number of caloric content as a soda drink. This means you’re consuming a lot of empty calories if you’re getting tanked during the weekend. (Or during the week, who am I to judge.)

    Furthermore, alcohol prevents your body from burning stored fat, as our bodies prioritize alcohol to break down first.

    It can also lead to a temporary increased appetite, making us eat more. All this means we will consume more nutrients which makes us gain weight.

  12. Drink tea

    Coffee and tea contain caffeine, which speeds up our metabolism for a short while after consuming.

    That’s why they act as fat burners by burning calories at a quicker rate than you would otherwise. Be sure not to overdo it, though, as too much caffeine can prevent you from falling asleep and can even cause heart palpitations in extreme cases.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What burns the most body fat?

 

Working out, specifically cardiovascular movements burns the most body fat by cutting through a lot of calories.

It’s one of the most common and easiest forms of training to perform. Not to mention that it’s great for your overall well-being as well since it develops the heart and lungs explicitly.

What foods reduce body fat?

    • Eggs
    • Coffee
    • Protein
    • Fish
    • Tea
    • Chili peppers

These are just some examples of foods that can help you reduce body fat by being healthy and calorie-dense, but many more exist. Try to find healthy alternatives that you enjoy eating!

What fat is the hardest to lose?

Image of a man with a naked upper body with a fat stomach area and someone holding a beer in front of it.
 

Belly fat is the hardest to lose since it’s one of the first places where fat gets stored, and is typically lost last when dieting down.

The reason why it’s so hard to lose fat around our stomach is because it’s one of the best places to store excess weight since it hinders us the least in that spot and because it’s deemed “active fat.”

Active fat differs from dormant fat because it releases hormones that hinder our capacity to lose weight, particularly in the abdomen area.

Does coffee burn fat?

Image of a cup of coffee resting on coffee beans.
 

Caffeine helps us to burn fat by boosting our metabolism, and by increasing lipase.

Lipase is an enzyme that aids in breaking down fat when we’re processing our foods.

Why am I not losing fat?

The reason you’re not losing fat is that you’re consuming more calories than you’re burning off. Put simply, you’re ingesting too many calories.

The only way to lose weight and fat is by having an overall caloric deficit.

That’s why you need to be expending a lot more calories by employing favorable lifestyle habits such as eating less, healthier, and exercising more.

Does sleeping burn calories?

Sleeping does burn calories, albeit very little.

We burn approximately 50 calories for each hour of sleep.

Conclusion

A sign reading “wake up and workout” with various fitness tools lying next to it.

There is no magic pill or cure to lose excess weight. A combination of multiple healthy lifestyle habits is needed to lose weight effectively.

Again, the essence of losing fat is and remains simple. Burn more calories than you are taking in. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose fat around your waist, arms, or legs. Losing localized fat is not possible, contrary to popular belief.

Tracking caloric intake allows you to see and adjust how many calories you are ingesting during the day. Remember that seeing is believing most of the time.

Make sure to develop healthy eating habits that you can stick to because consistency is key.