Posts Tagged ‘fast weight loss’

Omega 3 for Fat Loss

Monday, May 19th, 2008

Omega 3 along with Omega 6 is one of the essential fatty acids and belongs to the polyunsaturated group of fats. An essential fatty acids is one which can’t be produced by the body, and therefore must come from your diet. Shockingly most people don’t get enough Omega 3 in their diets, and are even borderline deficient.

Over the past few years the benefits of Omega 3 have come to light. Research has found them to reduce the risks of many health issues including heart disease, heart attacks and even cancer. They can lower cholesterol, and help with depression.

As you can see the health benefits of Omega 3 are amazing, so how do they benefit fat loss? Well have a look at the list below and you will see why it is so important to include enough Omega 3 in your diet if you are aiming for fat loss…

  • Omega 3 assists in muscle preservation – lean muscle burns calories, so we want to hold onto at all costs!
  • Omega 3 increases your metabolism – the faster your metabolism the more calories you burn!
  • Omega 3 is growth promoting – adding a little lean muscle is great to aid in fat loss!
  • Omega 3 encourages the body fat burning process – need I say more!
  • Omega 3 is used for energy production – you’ll need lots of energy for your cardio and resistance training sessions!
  • Omega 3 cares for your joints – lots of exercise can take it’s toll on your joints, Omega 3 protects them against the effects of training and keeps them nicely lubricated.

So as you can see, Omega 3 is a vital addition to your diet when trying to lose bodyfat, so make sure that you are getting your quota. The best source of Omega 3 comes from oily fish, such as Salmon, herring and mackeral. If fish isn’t you thing them you can try one of the few supplements that I recommend, this being flaxseed oil. It is a great source of Omega 3 and isn’t too pricey.

Exercise is the Secret to Permanent Fat Loss!

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

There are so many diets out there which claim to be the answer to achieving permanent fat loss, I say ignore them all! Most diets go the same way, you lose some weight at first, then end up putting it all back on plus more! Ok so you do need to eat smart, but the real secret to achieving permanent fat loss is to add exercise into your normal life style.

Incorporate exercise into your life and keep it up until it becomes a task that you don’t even really think about doing you just do it, like cleaning your teeth or going to bed at night! Making an exercise routine fit in with your everyday life is the real key to permanent fat loss, it may be hard at first but keep it up and you will soon grow to love it. You will feel better about yourself and have more energy through out the day, and you will keep in shape. 

Another Reason to Increase your Protein Intake for Fat Loss

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

It seems to be very hard to convince people that an increase in your protein intake will help you with your dieting for fat loss. Apart from the vital role that protein pays in the building and repair of your muscles, and the fact that that the more lean muscle you have the more calories your body burns even when resting. There is also another great reason why you should be increasing your protein intake.

A high protein diet will actually control your appetite and stop you from craving snacks in between meals. There has been research into this subject, and it has been found that meals with a higher content of protein keep your hunger at bay longer than a higher carb or fat (especially saturated fat).

So aim to spread your calories over six meals a day, every four hours and increase your protein intake. This will stop you from craving junk food and snacks between meals, and won’t leave you feeling hungry.  Aim for roughly 0.8 to 1.4 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight as a guide for your daily protein intake. Also spreading your meals into six small meals a day will help you control your food cravings by reducing the time you need to wait till you eat again.

Give a high protein diet a try and i’m sure you find the results pleasing.

Fat Loss – Cardio Mistakes…

Monday, April 28th, 2008

Hi everyone,

Today the subject of my blog is fat loss. I’m actually going to point you in the direction of a great post I found on Tom Venutos Burn the Fat Blog. He talks about two reasons why people are failing with their cardio training when it comes to fat burning. This guy is an expert in his field when it comes to fat loss, definately worth a look. Click here to see what he has to say.

The Value of Oatmeal

Monday, April 14th, 2008

Hi everyone,

I’ve put the post I wrote for today on hold for the time being, the reason being that I came across this very informative post on oatmeal! May sound strange but oatmeal is an extremely valuable food to have in your diet. Click the link to find some great information on oatmeal. This really is worth a look.

Quick Weight loss?! How much is REALLY realistic…

Friday, April 4th, 2008

There are millions spent on advertising to convince you that you can lose lbs and lbs of fat fast and easily, just trying and sell you the latest program, supplement or exercise equipment. The truth is that fat loss isn’t as easy as they tell you it is, it involves  dedication and hard work.

With a combination of good diet and exercise, it is realistic to lose 0.5 to 1.5 a week of fat, notice I say fat not weight. There are diets that claim that you will lose a stone in two weeks, and try and sell it to you using a celebrity that has done it them selves following the program. It may be true that they have lost that much ‘weight’, but I can guarantee that the weight has mostly come from water and muscle. The last thing you want to be doing is losing muscle, as it will leave you looking overly scrawny and unhealthy.

The best way of ensuring that you are losing fat and not muscle is to monitor your fat mass and lean mass on a weekly basis. You can calculate this easily by taking your bodyfat percentage and weighing yourself.

So in conclusion a realistic figure that you could expect to see is 0.5-1.5lbs of fat a week, although if you are a beginner you may experience a larger amount to start with. Monitor your results to ensure the weight you are losing is fat, and not muscle and water. 

How Often Should I Eat for Fat Loss?

Monday, March 17th, 2008

When people are trying to lose weight they often make the mistake of skipping meals, thinking that this will help them achieve the results they are looking for. In fact this is the worst thing that you could do. By skipping meals you may start to lose weight in the short term, but soon your body will respond to this by slowing down your metabolism, making it even harder for you to lose weight. This is known as the starvation response.

What if there is a way that you could actually speed up your metabolism, well lucky enough there is! Rather than eating two or three larger meals a day, you should actually be trying to eat five or even better six smaller meals. Aim to eat every three hours, and this will actually speed up your metabolism. So why every three hours? It takes your body on average about three hours to digest food. So by eating every three hours you are feeding your body with a steady flow of nutrition, but also giving it chance to finish digesting the previous meal. 

This method of eating six meals a day also applies to muscle building, this regular feeding of nutrition into the body (particularly protein for muscle building) is how you will achieve the best results. Also remember if you are trying to lose fat, the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns even when you are resting!