Reducing Body Fat

Over the last couple weeks many people have asked me for fitness tips. Most of the questions were, “How do I lose fat?” I’m not a registered dietician, but it all comes down to basic common sense. There is no magic pill, nor is there a secret diet that will shed 20 pounds over night. Fat gain comes from the excess intake of calories over and above what your body needs to maintain itself. The loss of body fat is simply the reverse process.

It is especially easy to take in excess calories, with the vast availability of calorie dense food. There are fast food restaurants on almost every corner as well as pre-made processed foods in every grocery store isle. This makes it very easily intake more food than the body needs..

The only way to reduce your body fat is to cut your caloric intake. You may think this will leave you hungry and cranky but there are ways around that. By making healthier food choices you’ll find you will cut a lot of calories out of your diet without going hungry. There are many options that are not only healthy but actually taste good.

Some substitutions you might want to try are eating oatmeal with some fruit in the morning rather than a popular sugary breakfast cereal, toaster strudel or bagel. Oatmeal is high in fiber and full of complex carbohydrates that digest slower and will help stabilize blood-glucose levels. This will give your metabolism a nice kick-start in the morning and give you energy that will last through out your morning.

For lunch instead of eating a large hoagie, try to first just cut down the portion size. If you eat only half of the hoagie you will relieve your hunger while only taking in half of the calories. You could also substitute it entirely for a light salad and even add some chicken if you like. Be careful, one mistake people make when eating salads is overloading on the dressing. Try low fat dressings, as they are lower in calories. Also reduce the amount of dressing you use on the salad, remember, the more you add, the higher the calories in your salad.

When it comes to being hungry between meals, you don’t have to feel guilty. It’s natural! Try eating multiple smaller meals through out the day rather than 3 large ones, this helps curb your appetite and level your blood sugar. Between meals it is a good idea to have a low calorie snack. Make it healthy, low calorie, high volume nutritious snack and it will suppress your appetite longer. If you’re like me your first choice may have been a candy bar or a bag of chips. But to reduce your body fat, it’s much better to grab reduced calorie yoghurt, fruit or maybe some low calorie trail mix. Peanuts and other nuts are also a great snack, but it is better to reach for the unsalted ones, as large amounts of sodium will tend to make you retain water. One of my favorite snacks is Jello with a Light Cool Whip topping. I find it to be a great substitution for a bowl of ice cream. Jello is low in calories and very flavorful.

I don’t recommend this is all you intake, these are just a few suggestions and some general ideas to consider. If you want to reduce your body fat, you have to take in fewer calories. It comes down to making different choices that you can live with.

When trying to reduce your fat, it is a great time to start an exercise routine. There are many advantages to exercise. Also when most people start exercising they tend to become more aware of food choices.

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