80 percent of how you lose weight is tied directly to what you eat. Here are 3 super foods that burn fat, boost your metabolism and increase weight loss …
Eat these 3 Super Foods That Burn Fat
That’s right, there’s no pill you can take to burn off pounds of chunk and no magical fat-melting fairy that can wave away unwanted pounds in the blink of an eye.
Losing weight means adding foods that burn fat to your diet and combining that with a daily fitness regime.
While there are numerous foods that burn fat and can help to boost your metabolism, you have to select the right foods, eat the correct portions and know how to prepare those foods in the right way.
Before you turn your gaze to a trough of super foods as your one-size-fits-all total weight loss solution, you need to understand how your metabolism works, how your body breaks down food and how eating at the right meal times is crucial in achieving your weight loss goals.
Your metabolic process determines the speed your body burns calories.
This process regulates how rapidly you put on or lose weight.
Instead of looking at food as decadence, you have to start looking at food as fuel, which is designed to do nothing more than to keep your body moving.
Simply put, when it comes to weight loss, your goal is to burn more calories than you consume.
Yet, the mystery of your metabolism does not stop there. Your body breaks down nutrients, one at a time.
- First, your body breaks down carbohydrates, then fat and finally protein.
- The carbohydrates you consume convert to glucose, which your body uses for energy. However not all carbohydrates are good news for your energy levels or for your physique.
- If you eat more carbohydrates than your body requires, your body stores those nutrients as fat.
- So, it’s important to follow a few simple nutrition steps to help you count your calories and your carbohydrates simultaneously.
It is possible to eat and lose weight providing you are eating the correct amounts of the right nutrients at the right time of day.
Most importantly you have to eat small meals every four to five hours, instead of three large meals each day.
- This consistent consumption of healthy food boosts your metabolic levels, and helps you lose weight faster.
- Waiting too long between meals or starving yourself will not work.
- In fact, not eating enough causes your body to shut down some processes and encourages your body to store more fat, making each meal you do eat work against you.
Additionally, as you consume smaller meals less often, you will find you are not as hungry the next time you sit down to a meal. This then helps you resist the urge to over eat.
Now that you know a bit more about your metabolism and eating at the right times, it’s time to focus on what to eat at each meal.
1.) Lean Meat – Great Foods That Burn Fat
Your body has to work harder to digest and process protein than it does carbohydrates or other nutrients. The extra energy your body expends during digestion boosts your metabolism which, in turn, boosts your weight loss.
Some of the best sources of protein are boneless, skinless chicken breasts, turkey, fish, and lean cuts of beef or pork. Good vegetarian alternatives to lean meats are beans, lentils, and tofu.
A good rule for the weight loss thumb is to consume as many grams of protein each day as you weigh. Between 10 and 15 percent of your calorie intake should come from protein. So, if you consume 2,000 calories per day, at least 200 should be protein. That’s about 50 grams.
You should try to eat around one gram of protein per one kilogram of body weight, or around 0.4 grams per pound. An easier way to calculate this is to take your weight, divide it in half, and subtract 10. The total will be the number of grams of protein you should consume each day. So, if you weigh 120 pounds (55kg), you should eat about 50 grams of protein.
2.) Fat Burning Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
These sumptuous green super foods are iron rich and high in fiber. All things that help your body absorb more of the good vitamins and minerals it requires to be a fat burning machine.
An excellent example of healthy, weight loss boosting leafy greens is raw spinach. It is very low in calories and contains great antioxidants such as vitamins A and C as well as healthy helpings of calcium and iron.
However, it is important to note that preparing leafy greens in butter or smothering them in salad dressing or oil detract from their weight loss-aiding benefits. Go sparingly on the dressing or additives and remember that plain and raw is always best; even if plain and raw is an acquired taste.
3.) Never Forget Water, The Weight Loss Elixir
Foods that burn fat are good but water needs to be your new best friend if you are serious about losing weight.
If you don’t drink enough water, your metabolism slows to a crawl. Your entire body relies on water to help break down nutrients, to keep your liver and organ function healthy and to burn fat around the clock.
Divide your current weight in half, and use that as the amount of ounces you should drink each day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you need to drink at least 80 ounces of water each day to stay on the path to weight loss. For metric users thats roughly 32ml of water for every kilo you weigh.
Track your water consumption using the fluid ounce or the millilitre measurement provided on the outside of plastic water bottles or measuring jugs, and don’t be scared to go over the prescribed amount. Water is a weight loss elixir, if there ever was one.
Losing weight effectively is and has always been a solid combination of smart diet and regular exercise.
As with any life change, consistency is crucial to success. Eat foods that burn fat for better health and weight loss using our three simple tips and you will find yourself feeling better, looking better, and with more energy to turn your body into a fat burning machine around the clock.
