By Lifestyle and Strength
Last week I wrote about problems that may be hampering your fat loss efforts. This week I want to continue on with that line of thought, but also take a look at how to go about setting up a fat loss diet as well as other factors that can be beneficial in expediting the departure of all of that unwanted adipose tissue. As simple an equation as fat loss is for many of us, it is a mystery to many more and I hope to help clear up some of the mysticism that surrounds something that nearly every person the world over wants to achieve.
One of the most common methods that those who are interested in improving their body composition undertake is a high-protein diet. The misunderstanding here is that this diet is an all meat diet, which it is not. It is a diet that leans heavily on protein, but still allows for plenty of balance with respect to the other macronutrients.
The reason that this diet method is so popular is that protein promotes both hypertrophy as well as enhancing fat loss. Numerous studies have shown that a diet that includes at least 40 percent of the daily caloric total devoted to protein lose more body fat than those who follow a low-fat, high carb diet. Eating larger amounts of protein elevates levels of peptide YY, which is a hormone that is produced in the gut and tells the brain that it is satisfied. To add to this, the thermic value of protein means that a decent amount of the calories supplied by protein will be used during digestion. This means that you will be both satisfied and consuming fewer calories for a higher net fat loss result than following any other diet structure.
Carbohydrates are often the most misunderstood component of any diet. Low carb dieting is in fact a very effective method, but the name is somewhat a misnomer as low carb diets are still largely made up of carbs, just in lower than normal amounts. The type of carb is also important. In order to prevent insulin spikes that will completely stop fat burning and often store excess calories in fat tissue, it is essential to focus on slow digesting carb sources. Foods such as brown rice, whole grains, and oatmeal are a few common examples.
Thirdly, we need to include fats in any eating plan, as fats are essential to our health. Not only are they essential to health, choosing the correct fats can in fact aid in promoting fat loss. Omega-3’s are an example of such fats. Found in foods such as salmon, sardines, olive oil and many nuts, selective fats eating can assist you greatly on your way to lean a and healthy physique.
If you have noticed up to this point I have been discussing healthy fat loss. There are many extreme plans that can work well for the experienced dieter, but for someone who is interested in health and fitness, it makes sense to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle. A healthy body on the inside will be reflected externally and looking healthy is always attractive. The following are a couple more misunderstood and often forbidden foods that should be included in any well-balanced fat loss plan.
The first of which is fruit. Fruit is often entirely removed from any fat loss diet due to the high fructose content. Simple sugars are of course something that needs to be limited, but not necessarily omitted. By simply eating smaller portions of fruit, we can control the amount of sugar we are consuming. One of the benefits of fructose is that is replenishes liver glycogen levels and having an optimally functioning liver is necessary in order for the inactive thyroid hormone T4 to be converted to the active and fat loss enhancing hormone, T3. By removing all fruit we are missing out not only on the unique nutritional content that each fruit provides, but the indirect fat loss benefits that they have to offer.
Milk is another diet no-no. The fat and the sugar content is enough to keep most any serious dieter away. Like fruit, milk also has a positive effect that is beneficial to fat loss. Dairy products that are rich in calcium can help you to lose body fat, particularly around the abdominal area. This can be explained by understanding that low calcium levels will promote the production of the hormone calcitrol. Calcitrol causes the body to produce body fat and also inhibits fat burning. In order to prevent this from happening all we need to do is to include enough calcium in our diet through the consumption of dairy products.
Although I only looked at two forbidden foods today, I wanted to first outline what is needed to make a healthy and successful fat loss diet. Next week I intend to look further into both forbidden foods and other foods as well that can help us to not only lose body fat but also remain healthy throughout the journey. Getting to a low body fat level and then either regaining the weight back due to following a crash diet or being on an unhealthy plan seems counter productive. The goal of any serious individual after all is self-improvement, not self-destruction.
Source: http://lifestyleandstrength.com/stil…with-fat-loss/
