"How to lose belly fat - how can we burn this fat as quickly as possible? And I don't know about you, but it drives me absolutely crazy with all the bad and useless information out there.
Is it about fat from carbohydrates or protein? Do we eat little, do we eat a lot? And can we do sit-ups to target belly, hip, or thigh fat? No, you can't do that.
It doesn't work like that, and maybe it's wrong to have various portals charging some amount just to say: take a tablespoon of this or a pinch of that and all your problems will disappear.
Now, what happens when people get bad and conflicting information is that they get confused and don't persist, they don't stay the course, or worse, they do nothing.
But after reading this article that was
prepared by a team of health professionals in the field of nutrition and food
processing, you will know for sure how certain things work and you will know
enough to take some steps, stick to them, and get the desired results."
A very good question to start with is why the body burns fat or the opposite.
"Perhaps for some, why the body doesn't burn fat, why the body refuses to burn fat, why I'm on this plateau all the time, and one reason could be that the body doesn't need to burn fat.
We're talking about body fat, the fat that's stored in the body as a reserve, and if you never need to tap into reserves, obviously you're not going to burn it if there's always more fuel being provided than you're using.
Another reason could be that there are other types of fuel or the timing of the fuel that something else needs to be burned before we get to body fat.
So, we have to understand that in the order of things, the dietary carbohydrates we eat have to burn first. The body has to use that first and then it gets to dietary fats and then it gets to body fat.
So, what we need to do is create a state in the body where, first of all, there's a need for energy and secondly, where that need for energy doesn't result in increased appetite if we use more energy and then just compensate by eating more.
So, it's a zero-sum game. And also, of course, we want to give the body a reason at the cellular level that we need to give the body a reason to use that body fat and, of course, it also needs to be sustainable, it needs to be something that you can do for the rest of your life and we want to prioritize health, we want to do this to improve health, not at the expense of health.
And when we say extremely fast, it's a relative term and why am I saying this, because if you're on a bicycle, you don't want to compare yourself to a Formula One race car.
So, do it as quickly as possible for you and what that means is you want to start understanding the different mechanisms and factors that increase fat burning and what impedes fat burning
Once you understand them, now you implement
them and you do all of them at the same time for a period of time, because if
you do one thing and get a little result, then if you add another thing now
it's like compound interest."
Reasons why the body doesn't burn fa
"Well, first of all, we have our basal metabolic rate. It's how much energy the body uses when you're doing nothing. When you're sitting, when you're sleeping, your organs are always doing some work. Your heart, your liver, your kidneys are doing what they should be doing and spending a bit of energy doing so.
And then there are some hormones, insulin and human growth hormone, which we'll talk a bit more about, also affect this basal metabolic rate.
And above this baseline, we add the energy needed for movement; using a bit more energy than the basal rate. And now you have basic movement, which is just going about your daily life going from the couch to the fridge, from bed to the bathroom, from the car to work, and so on. And then you add in exercise, and that's something you purposefully do to increase your circulation and movement
A problem many people face when they exercise more is that they eat more. And an underlying factor here that we have to control is insulin resistance.
Because if you have chronically high levels of insulin, which means insulin stays high even when you're not eating, then this high insulin level blocks fat burning, preventing you from accessing the fat you've stored. And if you can't access it, you'll feel hungry.
So, the whole idea of using more energy and burning fat is that we can get to body fat reserves, but with high insulin, we can't.
Another factor that we have to control is stress.
Because when stress is high, that's your perception of the world telling your body that there's something scary, there's something dangerous out there and I need to be prepared.
In case that thing attacks me, and if it attacks me, I might have to run very, very fast. And if I have to run fast, I need energy and fuel, which is glucose
You always have a baseline of fat that you're burning, but the more stress you have, the more you'll switch to glucose to do so. And then you'll release cortisol, which is a stress hormone that also triggers more insulin.
And a third big factor is dependence on carbohydrates. (Fuel prioritization
If you are carb-dependent, if you've trained your body to always expect a large, fresh supply of carbohydrates, your body will always burn that first and never get to burn that fat.
So, the combination of all these three
factors makes it very difficult to control your appetite to burn a bit of fat. And
we have to ask this question:
why the body would do this or why it wouldn't?
If we assume that the body is extremely intelligent, which it is, then it needs a reason. It means you wouldn't, for example, mow the lawn today if you already finished it yesterday. I mean, nobody would do that. Well, actually, my neighbor tends to do it anyway, but you know what I mean
In the body, everything happens for a reason. So, dietary carbohydrates need to be burned first. Carbohydrates convert into sugar in the blood, and very high blood sugar can put you into a coma.
The brain can't function with high or low blood sugar levels, so they have to be processed first, and some of it can be stored as glycogen, but the body can't store much.
So, it will try to burn carbohydrates and glycogen first, and then it will start with dietary fat - what you ate earlier today or late yesterday that's still floating around, and only after most of that is processed will it get to body fat.
And also, we want to understand that this isn't absolute; it won't use up 100% of number one and 100% of number two before it ever gets to three
four is a trend the percentages are changing is a trend.
So, this is basically the priority, and here's the action plan. We'll talk about this in more detail: first, cut sugar, then reduce carbohydrates, exercise, and meditate.
Let's Talk About Proteins
To enter ketosis, you need to add some fat to your diet, as this leads to fat burningSure, let's talk about fasting and reducing sugar intake first.
First, we cut sugar because it's addictive and acts like a drug. An addiction is something you consume more of than you desire, leading to excessive sugar consumption.
Additionally, sugar is a pure carbohydrate that triggers insulin through glucose and burdens the liver with fructose, causing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.
The liver is your metabolic factory, and once obstructed, this spreads to the rest of the body, contributing to insulin resistance.
Next, it's important to reduce overall carbohydrate intake because they too are addictive, though not as much as sugar. Carbohydrates cause overconsumption and activate insulin, which inhibits fat burning.
Moreover, when carbohydrates are present, your body will burn them first before starting to burn fat. Therefore, it's advisable to keep carbohydrate intake below 30 grams net per day.
This value can vary from person to person, with some needing to consume less than 50 grams, while others need to reduce to 10 or 15 grams to start burning fat.
Carbohydrates that are high in water and fiber but very low in carbs have an insignificant impact on insulin and aren't addictive, making them good options for consumption.
In addition to diet, increasing exercise is essential. Exercise improves body physiology and increases energy demand. However, it's important to combine exercise with insulin resistance control to prevent increased appetite.
Most exercises (95-98%) should be aerobic, such as walking or moderate-paced cycling, to avoid breathlessness.
The other type of exercise, anaerobic, involves high intensity and breaks down glucose to produce lactic acid, which stresses the body. While it serves its purpose, it should be done in moderation and in short intervals to avoid excessive stress.
Anaerobic exercise consumes carbohydrates but
can lead the body to seek more carbohydrates after activity, which can be
counterproductive.
Finally,
meditation is recommended to improve overall well-being, helping with purpose
and quality of life.
"Stress negatively impacts metabolism and metabolic health. When you're stressed, your body goes into emergency mode, needing immediate fuel, primarily carbohydrates and glucose.
Stress also raises cortisol, which increases glucose levels by breaking down proteins and glycogen. This, in turn, raises insulin levels and causes cravings for sugary and comforting foods. Meditation can help reduce stress and better cope with these factors.
When adopting a low-carb, high-fat diet, protein intake needs consideration. Many believe moderate protein consumption is necessary because protein is glycogenic, meaning it can be converted into glucose.
Excess protein can increase blood sugar and insulin levels, inhibiting fat burning. Therefore, it's advisable to avoid lean meats and opt for fattier meats, which are more satisfying and filling. This helps prevent overconsumption of protein.
It's important to note that the recommendation to consume lean meats is based on a fear of saturated fat. However, saturated fat is a good fuel source because it is stable, doesn't easily oxidize or go rancid, and doesn't create inflammation.
The real issue is insulin, which is stimulated by excessive carbohydrate consumption. High insulin levels over time lead to insulin resistance and chronic diseases.
The amount of carbohydrates considered excessive varies from person to person. If you have insulin-related health issues, then you're consuming too many carbohydrates for your body.
Ketosis means being in a state of fat burning, where less than 5% of calories come from carbohydrates, about 15-20% from protein, and the remainder from fats. While dietary fat is important, consuming too much fat can prevent your body from using stored fat.
The key is to find a balance where you consume enough to feel satisfied but not so much that your body doesn't use its fat reserves.
If you cut too much fat from your diet, you may feel hungry and deprived. In that case, gradually increase fat intake until you find the right balance to promote body fat burning without hunger.
In summary, the correct approach involves reducing appetite, decreasing insulin resistance, and promoting body fat burning. Adjust the amount of fat in your diet as needed to find the balance that works best for you.
You just need to teach your body that when burning body fat, it's not starving. This won't slow down your metabolism or cause harm. The most effective way to burn body fat, especially abdominal fat, is through fasting. When you fast, you consume zero carbohydrates and zero dietary fat. This forces the body to use body fat as an energy source.
Fasting is
a powerful way to reduce insulin, decrease insulin resistance, and reverse
metabolic diseases. Additionally, it raises human growth hormone levels, which
is a fat-burning hormone. You can monitor the effectiveness of fasting by
measuring your ketone levels.
An effective approach is to combine fasting with a ketogenic diet (low-carb and high-fat) and exercise.
This combination can significantly increase ketone levels, resulting in faster fat burning and more efficient reversal of insulin resistance and some chronic diseases.
However, fasting has its limitations as eventually you will need to eat again. It's important to find a balance. I suggest starting by reducing carbohydrates until you become fat-adapted. This means your body will learn to use fat as fuel again
Next, try intermittent fasting. This practice offers many benefits and is based on restricted periods of eating and fasting.
A way to start is by delaying breakfast and gradually moving dinner earlier until you can skip breakfast completely and eat within a 4-6 hour window, fasting the rest of the time.
You'll be surprised at how easily your body adapts. With consistency, you may even find you prefer skipping lunch, moving into what's called OMAD (One Meal a Day).
The speed of adaptation varies from person to person. Some achieve quick results with two meals a day, while others may prefer OMAD for faster results
Additionally, you can experiment with longer
fasts, like 48 or 72 hours, occasionally. This shouldn't be a constant practice
but can be useful for mastering health by understanding how the body truly
functions.
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