Losing Body Fat
Losing Body Fat
muscle weight will just cause you to become skinny-fat. Losing muscle mass will actually decrease your resting metabolism, which will hinder your efforts to lose bodyfat. Conversely, gaining muscle mass will increase your resting metabolic rate, making it easier to get rid of those extra fat pounds. What you want is is a lower bodyfat percentage no matter how much you weigh.
Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you've been following a weight training routine while trying to lose bodyfat you may stay the same weight or even weigh more while still losing bodyfat. If you look leaner and can't pinch as much fat in those fatty areas, then you're succeeding at losing bodyfat. You can also use calipers to measure your bodyfat percentage with some accuracy, or have a doctor measure your bodyfat percentage for more accuracy.
Doing aerobic or cardiovascular exercise is also great for losing bodyfat. 30 - 40 minutes of cardio will do wonders for decreasing bodyfat. When you do cardio during the day is also important. At the beginning of a cardiovascular workout you'll be burning glycogen (stored carbohydrates - the bodys preferred source of energy) instead of bodyfat. Does this mean you should do a longer cardio session to lose bodyfat? Not necessarily. If you do you cardio workout in the morning before eating you'll burn up to 300% more bodyfat because your body will be naturally depleted of glycogen since you haven't eaten since the night before. Weight training will also deplete your glycogen, so cardio after a weight training workout will also help you burn bodyfat more efficiently.
Eating 5 or 6 smaller meals instead of 3 large meals a day can also help you lose body fat. Eating actually increases your metabolism, so if you eat smaller amounts more often you'll be helping your body burn bodyfat. You'll also have sustained energy throughout the day.
Simply decreasing your overall caloric intake is also going to help you lose bodyfat. This doesn't mean you should starve yourself. What you should do is cut down the amount of junk food and fast food in your diet as they are packed with low quality calories. Eating smaller, healthier meals throughout the day will get you started on the way to losing bodyfat.
Combine all of the tips stated above and you will almost certainly start to lose that unwanted body fat.
Most people still think that if they lose weight they'll be in better shape. This isn't always necessarily true. Sure, the scale might say you're lighter, but was all the weight you lost bodyfat or was some of it muscle. Losing both body fat weight and
