How Fat Leaves the Body
Your body stores excess consumed energy in fat cells in the form of triglycerides, which appear as a type of fat found in your blood. This allows your body to preserve energy, but it can also cause fat to accumulate over time. For this reason, to experience weight loss, you will need to reach your calorie deficit. In other words, you must consume less calories than you burn. When you maintain a calorie deficit, you release fats from fat cells and transport them to the energy-producing area of your body called the mitochondria. If you continue a calorie deficit, the fat stores in the body will continue to be used as energy, which creates a reduction in body fat.
There are certain foods you can eat that will help stimulate this process. All foods stimulate the metabolism, but if you incorporate fat-burning foods into the diet, you can stimulate your metabolism even more effectively. The quicker your metabolism is working, the more calories you are able to burn.
Foods that are rich in protein, like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and legumes, can boost your metabolism because they require the body to use more energy. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF), and foods that are high in protein are most likely to stimulate this process. TEF refers to the number of calories your body needs to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients you consume. An added benefit of consuming protein is that it can keep you fuller longer, which can save you from overeating.
Other foods that stimulate your metabolism are foods that are rich in iron, zinc, and selenium-rich foods. Iron-rich foods include:
- Seafood
- Beans
- Red meat, pork, and poultry
- Dried fruit like raisins and apricots
- Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach
- Iron-fortified cereals, pastas, and breads
- Peas
Zinc-rich foods include:
- Oysters
- Beef
- Chicken leg
- Firm tofu
- Lean pork chops
- Hemp seeds
- Lentils
- Low-fat yogurt
- Oatmeal
- Shiitake mushrooms
Selenium-rich foods include:
- Brazil nuts
- Yellowfin tuna
- Shellfish
- Lean pork chops
- Beef
- Lean chicken breast
- Firm tofu
- Whole wheat pasta
- Shrimp
- Shiitake mushrooms
As you can see, many of the foods highest in these nutrients overlap. Another aspect they share is that they regulate the thyroid gland, which regulates the metabolism. Incorporating these foods into your diet is one of the best ways to help put your body in fat-burning bode.
Why Are Healthy Fats Important for Weight Loss?
Another way to accomplish this goal is to eat more healthy fats. This might seem ironic, but healthy fats give your body energy, protect your organs, support cell growth, keep cholesterol and blood pressure under control, and help the body absorb nutrients. Some high-fat foods that can help put your body in fat-burning mode include:
- Avocados
- Cheese
- Dark chocolate
- Whole eggs
- Fatty fish
- Nuts
- Chia seeds
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Full-fat yogurt
Along the same lines, low carbohydrate diets can be effective for weight loss in some individuals. Cutting back on carbs helps reduce the appetite, which ultimately leads to weight loss. A low-carb diet also causes the body to burn stored fat for energy, which leads to weight loss. Healthy, low-carb alternatives include:
- Cauliflower or broccoli rice
- Sweet potato
- Courgetti
- Baked aubergine crisps
- Lettuce wraps
- Zucchini noodles
- Celeriac
- Kale crisps
- Portobello mushroom buns
Other ways to give your body the kickstart it needs to begin the fat-burning process include:
- Participating in strength training
Resistance training helps the body let go of excess fat loss by increasing after-burn after exercise and by increasing muscle size. Both of these activities ultimately increase the number of calories burned.
- Getting adequate sleep
Not only does getting enough sleep help you feel better, but it can also boost your body’s ability to burn fat. Research has shown that losing sleep while dieting can reduce weight loss and encourage overeating, so you are doing yourself a favor when you get those extra “zzz”s.
- Increasing your cardio
If you are looking to expedite your weight loss, adding cardio into your routine is one of the best ways to do it. In fact, one study of 141 obese adults conducted by the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Baylor College of Medicine and the Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases demonstrated that combining 40 minutes of cardio three times per week with a weight loss diet decreased body weight by over 9% during a period of six months. If you are not a big runner, do not worry! There are plenty of ways you can squeeze in your cardio in a way that fits your lifestyle, like boxing, biking, and swimming
How Effective Are Weight Loss Programs?
If you are having trouble getting to your ideal weight through natural methods, you are not alone. In fact, you are in good company. Most adults who live with obesity or are simply unhappy with their weight have tried to lose weight and been unsuccessful. At Soza Weight Loss, we have taken it upon ourselves to help turn this trend around. We are doing this through a variety of different weight loss programs, each of which are customized based on the amount of weight you want to lose and your other goals. Our plans include a 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day program. Not only have we helped more than 5000 clients, but we have provided those clients with a safe, natural, and effective program that improves their health and their lives.
If you would like to learn more about our weight loss programs, call Soza Weight Loss at (504) 475-9817 or contact us online.