Excess body fat, such as abdominal fat, is the primary cause of many chronic health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Even a small reduction in body fat is likely to result in health improvements.
By following the basics of fat loss, you can reduce these risks.
Stick to a diet that has positive results in the long run.
Here are five fat loss basics you must follow.
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1. Eat more protein
In weight loss, protein is the most important macronutrient. Studies show that protein can reduce food cravings by 50% (2).
You can eat approximately 400 fewer calories per day.
If your goal is to lose fat, adding protein may be the most effective way. Adding protein will not only help you with fat loss, but it can also prevent regaining weight.
There is much less belly fat among people who eat protein. The study shows that protein intake significantly reduced the risk of belly fat growth over 5 years (3).
Protein should make up 30% of your daily calorie intake.
Therefore, try to increase the intake of high-protein foods such as whey, eggs, fish, lean red meat, and dairy products. A high-protein diet can also help you lose facial fat.
If you have difficulties getting enough protein from food, a healthy and convenient way to boost your total intake is to use a high-quality protein supplement such as whey protein.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, consider cooking your foods in coconut oil.
2. Burn more calories than you eat
You’ll lose pounds of fat if you burn more calories than you eat. Many people still underestimate how much they eat and how much they burn.
Avoid conjectures by keeping a weekly food journal and tracking your daily caloric intake. Consume 500 fewer calories a day if fat loss is the goal.
The 500 calories are equal to a one-time meal. Don’t cut dinner short. Reduce the size of meals and limit your carbohydrate consumption.
3. Avoid sugary drinks and food
The effects of cutting sugar on fat loss are clear. The sugar is half glucose and half fructose, and the liver metabolizes important amounts of fructose.
If the liver is overloaded by fructose, this forces the liver to turn fructose into fat somewhere in your abdominal area.
A study has shown that excess sugar can lead to a greater accumulation of fat in the belly and liver because of the enormous quantities of fructose (4).
Some people even think that this is the primary mechanism behind the harmful health effects of sugar.
Sugar can increase liver fat, leading to insulin resistance and a lower metabolic rate.
The brain can’t record liquid calories and solid calories, and so you end up eating more calories when you consume sugary drinks.
A study shows that the risk of obesity in children is due to sugary drinks (5).
You must read the labels if you want to decrease blood sugar levels. Food that contains added sugar has a negative effect on your health.
4. Eat healthy fat
Eating good fats does not increase belly fat. Not eating sufficient fat will cause a decline in libido (6).
Get at least 25% of your calories from good fat sources and avoid artificial trans fats that are associated with many health problems, such as high LDL cholesterol that leads to heart disease (7).
5. Cut carbs from your diet
Limiting carbohydrates in your diet is an efficient way of losing fat. When you cut out carbohydrates, your appetite decreases, and you lose weight.
Randomized controlled studies have shown that a low-carb ketogenic diet causes three times as much weight loss as low-fat diets (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13).
Studies show that a low-carb diet targets fat in the belly and liver (14).
Consider cutting down on your carbs to 50 grams per day if you need to lose weight.
This puts your body into ketosis, which reduces your appetite and makes your body burn fat as fuel.
Low-carb diets have many other health benefits as well.
If you want to lose fat, adding protein to your diet may be the most effective way to do so. A high-protein diet may also aid in the reduction of facial fat. Eat 500 fewer calories per day and manage your caloric intake to burn more calories. Excess sugar can cause an increase in fat accumulation in the abdomen and liver. Eliminating carbohydrates from your diet is an effective method of losing weight. A low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet results in three times the weight loss of a low-fat diet.