Labor day often signifies the end of the summer season and the beginning of the “back to school” rush. As we wrap up an awesome summer of bikinis and beach trips, we want to help you transition, full steam ahead, into a fat burning fall as well.
Whether you want to maintain the great progress you made over the summer or are just now finally ready to take action against the belly bulge that has been bothering you, fall is a great time to go back to the basics and focus on fat loss fundamentals.
Back to school, fat loss style. Here are few simple reminders that can go a long way towards your success when they are adopted as habits and implemented as part of your fat loss lifestyle.
5 Fat Loss Fundamentals:
1. Eat breakfast within 15 minutes of waking, and eat a meal or snack every 2-3 hours.
It’s important to keep fuel coming in all day long in order to keep blood sugar stable and to balance your hunger, energy and cravings. When you skip meals, you not only increase your likelihood of storing fat, but also put yourself in a situation where you are starving in the hours afterwards. We’ve all been there, when you’re so hungry you could eat a horse. At this point, you no longer make educated decisions about your food choices and find yourself at the mercy of your growling stomach and raging hunger hormones. This mindset causes you to overeat, and again, increases your likelihood of storing, rather than burning fat.
2. Eat a high-quality protein source at every meal.
Protein satisfies hunger, balances cravings, stabilizes blood sugar levels, and is very beneficial for fat burning. Protein contains amino acids, which are crucial to our bodies ability to build and maintain muscle. Remember, increased muscle = increased metabolic potential. Getting a quality source of protein at every meal may sound basic, but it’s key to boosting your metabolism. In addition to building lean muscle mass, eating protein releases the fat burning hormone glucagon, which directly opposes the action of insulin and helps burn fat.
3. Eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal/snack.
A common mistake when women begin dieting is to cut out carbs, even the good ones. Yes, limiting your carbohydrate intake is important if you looking for fat loss results. But some carbohydrates are needed for energy, and not all carbs are created equal. You can eat a lot more veggies and fruits for the same amount of calories than you can starchy carbohydrates. Vegetables and low sugar fruits provide your body with the fiber it needs to feel full, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In addition, most fruits and veggies are low on the glycemic index, and they don’t spike blood sugar and put your body into storage mode like starchy carbs.
4. Eliminate caloric beverages and drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day.
Hydration is key for fat loss. It’s basic, but it’s true. Dehydration takes away from your exercise performance and leads to fatigue and increased cortisol levels. In addition, if you don’t drink enough water, your body will hold on to water. Think of water as your fat flushing tool. I love the phrase, “pee white, pee right.” If your urine is clear, that means you’re drinking enough water. A good general rule of thumb is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces daily.
5. Keep a journal and follow these guidelines 80% of the time.
Writing things down keeps you accountable and on track. When you keep a journal of what you’re eating and how you’re exercising, you can look back and make changes. You’ll be more conscious of what you’re eating, and more importantly, you’ll be aware of how often you indulge. Part of achieving success is attaining fat loss that’s sustainable. If you can’t make it a lifestyle, you’re not going to keep the fat loss. When you get off track with your nutrition, don’t think of indulging as “cheating” or feel guilty for a food you ate. Enjoy every bite and know you’re allowed to indulge occasionally. But remember, this is the exception not the rule. Record your daily eating in a journal and monitor yourself. Keep indulgences down to 20% of your meals each week, 10% if you’ve got serious fat to lose.
As you celebrate Labor Day and the end of summer, look forward to this fall season as a time to focus on the basics of fat loss. Putting away the white shorts does not mean you have to bring out your “fat” jeans. In fact, when adopted as habits that are part of a fat loss lifestyle, these simple reminders can go a long way towards getting you into your skinny jeans!
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