8 Surefire Fat-Burning Tips
By Raphael Calzadilla, B.A., CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro

1. Control Blood Sugar -- There is an old saying that fat loss success is 80-percent nutrition. Frankly, I’m not sure what the percentage actually is (no one does). However, based on my experience it’s clear to me that it all begins with nutrition. If you don’t have your nutrition program “dialed in,” you will not achieve success. It doesn’t matter how hard or how long you workout. This applies to everyone who starts a diet and fitness program.

Your goal should be to control blood sugar. Controlling blood sugar levels helps to shed fat. This is accomplished by taking in some protein, carbohydrates and good fats spread evenly through the day every two to three hours and by not over eating.

A sample meal schedule might look something like this:6:30 Breakfast
9:30 Snack
12:30 Lunch
3:30 Snack
6:00 Dinner
9:00 Small Snack

This method will have a profound impact on fat loss. However, don’t forget that calories must still be slightly below maintenance.

2. Calories count -- Your goal is to eat as much as possible while still losing fat. For example, if I can get you to lose 1 to 2 pounds of fat per week on 1,400 calories per day, I’m on track. If I try to accelerate the process and lower your calories to 1,200, I sabotage your efforts. Anything more than a 2-pound loss per week will strip muscle tissue and give one a soft look. A good example is the person who goes on a crash diet and ends up thin but still soft and flabby when they get to their goal weight. This takes place because they lost not only fat, but also valuable muscle. They lowered calories too much, lost at too fast of a rate and did not try to eat the optimal amount of calories for fat loss.

Still, don’t think the correct amount of calories matter? I receive many emails from people who have been on low-calorie diets. Many complain that after four to five weeks of weight loss, they hit a sticking point. Why does this happen? The T3 (thyroid hormone) and body temperature are reduced. It's subtle and you may not realize that body temperature is reduced, but that will slow down the speed of the metabolism. To avoid this slow down, a slight increase in calories is essential. This helps to increase and optimize thyroid levels.

I'm not suggesting everyone should increase calories if they hit a sticking point. In many cases, some people aren't being consistent, or their diet isn't as low calorie as they think. Again, eat the optimal amount of food to lose fat.

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