It is not only more difficult to fit into pants when you have a lot of body fat. According to the American Heart Association, excessive amounts are linked to major health risks like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even some types of cancer. But how can you reduce your body fat to a level that is within healthy bounds?
Losing body fat can occasionally seem difficult. However, the most effective methods for losing weight are also the easiest to implement. Here are several reasons why some of us accumulate excess body fat, along with the best strategies for doing so permanently.
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The Facts about Body Fat
It helps to have a basic understanding of how we develop fat in the first place and what our bodies do with it before digging into the best techniques to reduce it. In essence, fat storage occurs when we eat more calories than our systems require.
Our bodies release the hormone insulin when we eat. Jaime Harper, MD, a board-certified specialist in obesity medicine, explains that insulin aids in the body’s cells’ ability to absorb glucose, often known as blood sugar, and fatty acids from food for use as energy. Our fat cells store any additional calories that are not immediately needed for energy.
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An evolutionary strategy known as fat storage allowed our ancestors to endure periods of famine because it allowed the body to burn through its fat reserves in order to maintain energy levels. Every time we expend more energy than we consume, we continue to burn fat in the same manner.
According to Georgie Fear, RD, CSSD, author of Lean Habits for Lifelong Weight Loss, “the body’s hormonal state signals to fat cells to release some fat for energy when we haven’t eaten in a few hours or start exercising.”
A cell’s stored fat is broken down by enzymes into fatty acids and other components, which are subsequently released and taken up by other cells for cellular oxidation and energy production. Water and carbon dioxide, which are created when the fatty acids are burned, leave the body through our breath, urine, and sweat. That adds up to losing body fat and pounds over time.
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Losing Fat vs. Losing Weight
The majority of people actually mean to lose fat when they say they want to lose weight. Dr. Harper says that water, muscle, bones, and fat make up the body’s total weight. The squishy substance that lies beneath the skin’s surface and causes your jeans to feel tight is called fat. Additionally, it increases your chance of significant health issues, particularly if fat builds up around your internal organs.
The fact is, there are methods of losing weight that doesn’t require significant amounts of fat loss. For instance, excessive sweating can make you shed several pounds of water weight.
“It is only fluid weight, though. In such a scenario, losing fat is different from losing weight “The Endocrine Fellowship at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s associate program director, Anis Rehman, MD, has this to say.
Your weight will quickly return to normal once you’ve consumed the lost fluids. However, you must reduce body fat if you want to genuinely grow slimmer and enhance your health.
What Percentage of Body Fat Is Healthy?
Each person’s body is unique, and factors such as age, hormones, and genetics all affect how much body fat you have and how simple or difficult it is to lose weight. Athletes often have less body fat than non-athletes, and men tend to have less body fat than women do.
Here is a look at what the American Council on Exercise (ACE) regards as normal:
Standard Body Fat for Women
Suitable: 25% to 31%
Physique: 21-24%
Sportspeople: 14–20%
Important: 10%-13%
Norms for Men’s Body Fat
18 to 24% is OK.
Exercise: 14–17%
Sportspeople: 6–13%
Minimum of 5%
Getting Rid of Body Fat
Let’s look at how to get slimmer now that we’ve discussed where body fat originates from and how much you should have. Although losing body fat can be difficult, there are simple strategies you can use to achieve your goals. Simply put? All you have to do is eat less and move more.
Low-carb diets have been demonstrated to have more dangers than lower-calorie density diets, which tend to feature higher proportions of fruits and vegetables and less fat.
How to Lose Fat Through Diet
The sole purpose of fat is to provide a backup energy supply in times of food scarcity. So it stands to reason that consuming fewer calories overall is the best approach to losing weight. Any diet will help you lose weight since your body will burn fat as long as you consume fewer calories than you expend, according to Fear.
How many calories should you really cut back on? The majority of specialists advise making an effort to eat 250–500 fewer calories per day. That will allow you to lose half to one pound per week, according to Fear.
If you’re attempting to kick-start your weight reduction or want to see results quickly, it could be tempting to reduce your consumption even further. However, the action can potentially backfire. According to Fear, it may cause your body to adjust by burning fewer calories during exercise and producing fewer thyroid and sex hormones. Not to mention how difficult it is to maintain a very low-calorie diet when most people feel hungry and deprived.
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The Best Diet for Burning Fat
Aside from calories, how about the meals themselves? Can one diet work better than another for reducing body fat? For instance, the keto diet is frequently recommended as the best way to lose weight since drastically reducing your carb intake promotes your body to start burning fat instead of carbohydrates.
According to a July 2019 study in StatPearls, research has indicated that low-carb diets are more beneficial for weight loss than low-fat diets, at least for the first six to 12 months. According to Fear, they can make you feel less hungry, which some people use as a technique to help them eat less.
The Mayo Clinic notes that the advantages of fat loss after a year are less obvious. There may also be additional dangers: According to a six-year study of 25,000 individuals, those who consumed the fewest carbohydrates had a 32 percent higher risk of dying from any cause than those who consumed the most carbohydrates.
In essence? Although initially, low-carb diets may help with fat loss, calories are ultimately what matters. According to Fear, lower calorie-density meals with a focus on fresh produce and little fat have been proven to be just as effective at helping people lose weight.
Additionally, when you eat can have an impact. Dr. Harper states, “I suggest intermittent fasting to my patients, letting them eat for eight hours then fast for sixteen.”
According to a 50-week study of women with overweight and obese published in November 2018 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, intermittent fasting has been demonstrated to aid in weight loss more than merely restricting calories throughout the day. “The body doesn’t release the hormone insulin when you’re fasting. ( Scientifically Proven Methods for Weight Loss )
“HIIT is quite effective. You can expend a significant quantity of energy quickly, like 500 calories in a 45-minute workout.”