Thursday, June 7, 2012

How to Lose Weight Both Quickly and Safely

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By Brian W. Mason


Our society is all about instant gratification. And when someone wants to lose weight, of course they want it to happen as fast as possible. So here are a few pointers to help you accelerate your weight loss in a safe way.

First and foremost, losing weight is about creating a calorie deficit. You need to be burning more calories than you are consuming. It's as simple as that. But in order to safely lose weight, you need to ensure that you are not starving your body of the nutrients it needs.

Step One - Lose The Highly Refined Carbohydrates

The most important step you can take is to remove all highly processed carbs from your diet. Unless you are in the gym for a couple hours a day, performing intense workouts, you don't need carb rich foods such as pasta, breads, and grains. The reason for this is simple. Any carbs or sugars that you eat are converted to glucose by your body. If you don't immediately use that fuel, your body secrets insulin, which then stores that glucose in your fat cells. And no one wants that.

Carbohydrates also trigger hunger hormones. This may sound backwards since after a big plate of pasta, you could be feeling absolutely stuffed, but a couple hours later, you will begin to feel hungry again. This is a hormonal response.

Instead of grains, get energy from yams, sweet potatoes, and other root vegetables. They contain carbs, but are less likely to cause a spike in your insulin levels because of lower sugar content. Fruits can also be a good source of energy. They do contain more sugars, so don't go crazy with them.

After you're reduced your carb intake, an interesting phenomenon takes place. Your body begins to use your stored fat for it's energy requirements. This is crucial to getting the leaner look you want.

Step Two - More Protein

Proteins are one of the most efficient calories you can eat. At 3.2 kcal/gram, they are better than either carbs (4 kcal/gram) or fats (9 kcal/gram). Proteins also help your body build muscle, which burns additional calories. And it's all about burning calories when you're trying to drop weight quickly. Foods such as grass fed beef, wild salmon, and pastured chickens and eggs are great sources of protein.

Bison is another great meat for losing weight fast. It is typically leaner than beef, so it contains the same amount of protein, but with fewer calories.

Step Three - Increase Vegetables

Veggies are packed with vitamins, fiber, and minerals. From this perspective, you can never eat too many vegetables.

They also serve a vital role in keeping you full between meals. Because fiber digests slowly, and vegetables are full of fiber, you will be less inclined to want to snack between meals. This helps you towards your goal of creating a calorie deficit. Keep in mind that some vegetables are higher in calories than others. Avacado for example, is high in fat. They are extremely good for you, but maybe not the best choice when trying to quickly shed a few pounds.

Step Four - Increase Fats

It goes against everything we're taught, but fats play a vital role in our bodies and in weight loss. Saturated fats in particular have been written off as completely unhealthy, but they play an important role in digestion. Fats are also used by our bodies as fuel.

One of the most important roles of fats in weight control is that they function as an appetite suppressor. When our bodies digest fat, it triggers a hormone response that tells our brains that we are full. In combination with high veggie consumption, fats can actually help you avoid snacking between meals.

It's important to note that fats are very high in calories, so you have to use restraint in eating them. Eating a bowl of ice cream instead of a couple of dinner rolls is not going to help you lose weight fast. But a handful of almonds or walnuts can help reduce your appetite, while supplying your body with fuel it needs.

Step Five - Start Exercising

Obviously exercise is a great way to burn calories. The more intense you work, the more calories you'll burn. If you truly want to lose weight fast, exercise is going to be play an important part.

With exercise, consistency is crucial. Pick an activity that you enjoy. This will keep you looking forward to exercising rather than dreading it. Make sure to include both cardio and weight training.

Weight training helps build additional muscle and can improve bone density. Additional muscle burns additional calories.

Cardio is also good for you. If you are doing both weights and cardio, you can go less intense with your cardio workouts. This will help you keep from getting burned out.

Proper hydration is extremely important. But avoid high-calorie sports drinks. Water, or low-calorie sport drinks are the way to go.

Lastly - DO NOT Starve Yourself

Starving your body will only cause it to conserve fats. And eventually it will cause uncontrollable cravings for foods you don't need.

You want to turn your body into a fat burning machine. This is done by feeding it what it is designed to eat.

If you're looking for a long term lifestyle that can help you stay lean, look into the Paleo Diet. It is NOT a diet that was designed around our bodies, instead, it is the diet to which our bodies have adapted to over millions of years.

Hopefully this answers your question about how to lose weight fast and safe. Good luck!




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