Continue reading Natural Fat FightersRaspberries are sweet, juicy and oh so good for you! Boasting high levels of potassium, calcium and lutein and zeaxanthin, these succulent berries will fend off belly fat while protecting your eyes from macular generation. Win-win!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/50-natural-weapons-that-fight-belly-fat/ss-AALij54?ocid=msnews#:~:text=Fight%20Belly%20Fat-,Stephanie%20Holmes,-%2D%202h%20ago
Getting your 40 winks could be more important than you think. “Even just one night of poor sleep can interfere with certain hormones including insulin, cortisol, and ghrelin which subsequently increases hunger, lowers metabolism and promotes fat storage,” says Jacqui Burke, MS, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian and owner of Jacqui Burke Nutrition. “Individuals who get adequate sleep have been shown in studies to lose more fat than those who do not, making it a crucial, yet often overlooked part of any weight loss plan.”
“Including a source of protein with each meal helps to keep you fuller for longer and better control blood sugar to reduce snacking and cravings,” says Burke. “It also increases the amount of calories you burn due to what is called the thermic effect. When you eat protein, roughly 25% of the calories are burned just to break it down, which is significantly higher than that of carbs and fat (5-15% and 0-5%, respectively).” Looking for some inspiration? Sources of protein include lean meat, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds.
While we’re on the topic of a healthy diet, ensure that you’re stocking up on fiber sources. “Another term for fiber is prebiotics because it feeds the good bacteria in the gut that play a major role in reducing inflammation and promoting weight loss,” says Burke. “Fiber helps to keep you full by regulating several hormones involved in cravings and appetite, including insulin, ghrelin, cholecystokinin, GLP-1, and peptide YY.”
“When pursuing weight loss, the quality of the food is often overlooked and instead individuals may reach for processed foods that advertise to be low-calorie, low-fat, or low-sugar,” says Burke. “However, eating more whole foods, i.e. chicken, fish, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables, can help to control overall calorie intake. The more processed a food is, the more your body is able to actually absorb all of the calories.”
Here’s a simple tip to boost your metabolism. “One of the functions of the thyroid is to regulate how fast or slow your metabolism runs, and focusing on nutrients that support thyroid health can help to make sure everything is running smoothly,” says Burke. “One of the key nutrients needed to support the thyroid is selenium. The easiest way to meet your daily needs of selenium is to eat one Brazil nut per day.”
“Another nutrient needed to support a healthy thyroid is zinc, which is found in protein-containing foods such as fish, Greek yogurt, and chicken,” says Burke. Needless to say, maintaining a healthy and balanced diet will help you give your body what it needs. If you need more information on what to eat, it’s smart to speak to a registered nutritionist.
If you’re hitting the gym, make sure you include strength training in your workouts. For example, you may want to start using free weights or doing exercises such as squats, push-ups, and other core workouts. “Strength training can increase muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest than fat mass,” says Burke.
“Muscle tissue has high energy requirements and therefore, the more lean muscle you have, the more calories or fat you will burn at rest,” explains Liz Wyosnick MS, RDN, a registered dietitian with a Masters in nutrition science and owner of the private practice Equilibrium in Seattle, WA. “Eating and moving to build and maintain lean muscle is the most efficient way to burn fat.”
“During the gaps between meals, your body seeks out energy within fat stores,” says Wyosnick. “To help support this, adopt an eating schedule that promotes discrete eating periods, followed by discrete fasting times. I tend to recommend that people eat every three and a half to four hours in their day; this equates to three to four meals during a 12-hour eating day.”
Choosing the perfect time to work out could help you burn more fat. Research suggests that people burn up to 20% more body fat when they exercise in the morning on an empty stomach. What’s more, the study found that early workouts did not increase participants’ hunger or food consumption later in the day.
Get up and get moving! “It may be obvious—the more you move, the more fat you will burn for energy,” says Wyosnick. “In particular, low- to moderate-intensity activities burn fat stores preferentially for fuel. Look at the parking spot further away, house cleaning tasks, and playing with your kids as fat-burning opportunities.”
Stress may be ruining your weight management. “Reducing your stress levels can help with burning fat,” says Kasey Hageman, MS, RD, LD, owner of LiveinspiRD. “Stress triggers the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. Research shows that high cortisol levels increase appetite and drive fat storage.”
“High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help with burning fat,” says Hageman. However, while these sessions are impactful, burning fat is all about regular bursts of exercise and maintaining a routine. “The intensity of the workout is not as important as the length and times per week that you perform the exercise.”
Not sure which type of workout suits you? When creating a routine, be sure to mix things up and include a variety of exercise styles so you have a varied plan. “The most ideal situation would be an exercise regimen that includes strength training and aerobic exercise for optimal fat burning results,” says Hageman.
“Probiotics are live micro-organisms that have health benefits when eaten,” explains Hageman. “They are found in fermented foods and supplements. There is some research that suggests probiotics can help with weight loss as gut bacteria plays a major role in weight regulation.” Try including probiotic-rich foods in your daily diet, such as yogurts, kimchi, sauerkraut, and more.
Similarly, you should ensure that you eat foods that are rich in iron and healthy nutrients. “Iron plays a role in helping your body create energy from nutrients. Iron helps carry oxygen to all of the cells in our bodies, including muscles,” says Hageman. “This, in turn, helps our body burn fat.”
Not all carbs are made equal. “Refined carbs are easily digested and convert into sugar in your body quickly,” says Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, founder of Real Nutrition. “If not used for energy, you will store them as fat. So by avoiding them, you avoid this process and therefore burn more fat.”
Of course, you don’t want to avoid eating carbs altogether—simply stick to complex carbs instead. “Stripped of fiber, these simple carbs digest quickly and leave us feeling hungry, causing us to reach for food more often,” says Shapiro. “By exchanging simple carbs for complex carbs, you’ll stay full longer, consume fewer calories, and therefore burn fat.”
Believe it or not, the type of fat you consume is important. Saturated fat, which can be found in fried foods, could lead to weight gain. Research from Uppsala University suggests that consuming too much-saturated fat could activate genes in the fatty tissue, which leads to more fat storage. Why not switch to healthier alternatives?
Feeling peckish? When hunger strikes, you may find yourself reaching for a high-sugar snack, such as chocolate or a candy bar. However, these options aren’t the healthiest way to go. “Eat mostly plants which are high in fibre and nutrients but low in calories, avoid sugar and processed snacks, read food labels and ingredient lists,” says Shapiro.
Most people head into a workout focusing on the areas we consider the most noticeable—butt, stomach, legs, etc. But here’s a secret: Strong upper-body muscles (and back muscles, specifically) are not only key for an overall defined look, but they’re your best defense against pain, injury, and poor posture for years to come.
Try these eight back exercises at home or at the gym to sculpt a strong, sexy back, and shoulders all at once and reduce the appearance of back fat.
How it works: Three or four days a week, do 1 set of each of these back exercises, with little or no rest in between moves. After the last exercise, rest 1 to 2 minutes and repeat the full circuit 2 more times (3 times total).
You’ll need: A pair of light-weight dumbbells and a pair of medium-weight dumbbells
This at-home back exercise proves that you don’t need huge weights to make some huge strength gains.
Do 15 reps.
Aim to keep shoulder blades down and together and core engaged through this entire exercise.
Do 10 reps per side.
This at-home back exercise is all about control. To get the most out of the move, focus on eliminating momentum and utilizing your back rather than arm muscles.
Do 10 reps.
Moving your limbs away from your core makes this back exercise an abs workout and balance challenge, too.
Do 10 reps per side.
Rather than cranking out hundreds of reps, incorporate more isometric back exercises in your at-home workout to help build muscle.
Do 5 reps.
While this move focuses on your glutes, hamstrings, and inner thighs, it’s also a great at-home back exercise too. (P.S. the muscles along the entire back of your body are called the posterior chain.)
Do 20 reps.
Time for a round of twister—but in the form of an at-home back exercise. This chair pose will stretch and strengthen your back while the rotations will hit your obliques.
Do 4 reps.
You’ll seriously sculpt your chest, too, while doing this back exercise—as long as you don’t let your hips drop when you lower to the ground.
Do 10 reps per side.
Carter said that no matter what diet you choose, whether it’s vegan, keto, or Paleo, “The ONLY WAY you’ll lose weight is through consistently being in a calorie deficit. For a ballpark daily calorie amount, he suggested multiplying your goal weight in pounds by 10 or 11. So if your goal is to be 150 pounds, you’d aim for 1,500 calories (if you’re sedentary) or 1,650 calories (if you’re somewhat active).
He noted that “if you have over 70 lbs to lose, or you’re already light, these calories might feel a bit low. If this is you, don’t be afraid to start with a higher calorie goal.” His method is a good place to start, but you can use this formula to get a more accurate number. This too is just a guideline, so in order to determine your exact calorie needs, speak with your doctor or a registered dietitian. If you’re not losing weight after a few weeks, and you’re accurately tracking your calories, adjust your calorie intake.
Protein is a key macronutrient to satiate your hunger and help you build and maintain calorie-burning muscle. Aim for 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of goal body-weight. If your goal weight is 150 pounds, get between 105 and 150 grams of protein a day. Carter noted that if you are vegan or vegetarian, it may be easier to decrease that target number.
Carter said, “If roughly 80 percent of your diet is coming from nutritious foods, then it’s absolutely-positively okay to have ‘fun’ foods for the other 20 percent.” Make sure your diet is made up of healthy foods including lean protein, veggies, healthy fats and carbs, but also allow yourself some treat foods to satisfy your cravings and keep you on track.
There’s your simple plan. You can decide how you want to implement it, based on the foods you like and how many times you like to eat a day.
Source: MSN
Mws R Writings 