How to lose body fat - the 9-step nutritionist's guide - Healthista
How to lose body fat – the 9-step nutritionist’s guide
Losing fat is different to losing weight. Nutritionist May Simpkin gives an 8 step guide on exactly how to lose body fat and keep it off
When I see clients for the first time, losing weight frequently tops their list of health goals.
But in many cases, it’s even more specific: to lose fat around certain areas. More often than not, they want to lose most of their weight from around the middle.
After all, improving your overall health and wellness, reducing health risks and changing the way your body looks and feels must be worth making an effort for?
Yet, despite the many articles offering advice, meal plans and even food delivery services to help you achieve these goals, there is still much confusion as to how exactly you can lose body fat – which is not the same as losing weight.
Where does the weight we lose actually go?
It seems such a simple question but the answer may be surprising. Many would suggest that fat is converted to energy and simply ‘burnt away’ or converted to muscle. However, the answer is in fact ‘into thin air’ and ‘down the loo’.
This is because, when fat is broken down, it is converted to carbon dioxide, which you then exhale, and water, which enters into your body system until it is eventually excreted as urine or sweat.
Unfortunately this doesn’t mean that you just need to exhale more to lose weight (imagine that!) – this will only leave you feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
However, regularly moving your muscles will increase the amount of carbon dioxide your body produces. In fact, simply standing or carrying out day to day chores can significantly increase your metabolic rate and therefore increase the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled.
More strenuous activities such as housework and walking will further enhance this effect.
What impact does food have on weight loss?
Increasing your muscle mass, while losing fat, will boost your metabolism and help speed up weight loss
As you age, metabolism tends to slow down. However, there is plenty you can do to help maintain good metabolism levels as well as build muscle to help promote your fat loss – without feeling tired. Here are my top steps to turning your body into a fat-burning lean machine.
In fact, researchers have concluded that eating between 8 am and 2 pm, followed by an 18-hour daily fast kept kept appetite levels more even throughout the day, in comparison to eating between 8 am and 8 pm.
Once carbohydrates have been used, the body will need to use its fat stores as a source of energy – which will result in weight loss
This process takes around 4 to 5 hours. During this time, the body will prioritise using the carbohydrates consumed as its preferred energy source, rather than rely on fat stored in the body.
Following a meal, insulin levels will be high, which means that the body is less likely to use fat as fuel. However, once the carbohydrates have been used, the body will need to use its fat stores as a source of energy – which will result in weight loss.
The key here is to ensure that each meal is balanced, satiating and nutrient dense. If you’re looking to get started on intermittent fasting, here’s a comprehensive Beginner’s Guide, including a 10-day meal plan to show you exactly what types of meals to include to ensure success.
READ MORE: Exactly what happened with Healthista writer Sharon Walker tried Intermittent Fasting for four weeks (clue: she lost 4kg)
Researchers from McMaster University found that those eating high protein diets lost more body fat. Whilst the study involved a tough program of exercise and a controlled diet over four weeks, a similar outcome can be achieved by eating a more balanced meal with good amounts of protein.
Protein rich foods include meat, fish, chicken, eggs and cheese. Nuts, beans, lentils and other pulses are also loaded with protein if you’re vegan or vegetarian. Try these high protein overnight oats for a perfect breakfast or snack choice.
Spicy foods, especially those that contain Capsaicin (a compound in chilli peppers), have been shown to increase metabolism and stimulate the body to burn fat. It basically means, adding chilli and other spices such as paprika and turmeric can help the body burn fat.
For a fat burning cocktail, mix one scoop (7g) of Healthista Body Food (£18.95 from Healthista Shop) which contains matcha green tea, beetroot powder, black pepper, Yerba Mate and other thermogenic (fat-burning) and performance-enhancing ingredients, into your water bottle (you can add dilute it in 250-500ml of water and sip our take as a shot, but the high amount of green tea it contains makes it quite bitter if you don’t dilute it!) and consumer ideally in the morning or before and during exercise.
READ MORE: 8 best fat-burning foods
5. …and other liquid calories
As a result, you will crave even more sugar. The excess sugar consumed will eventually be converted to fat, which is counter-productive when you are trying to lose body fat.
Sleep is the time that your body rests and repairs; allowing your muscles to grow and recover.
DO THIS NOW: Healthista’s 30 day dumbbell challenge will get you started weight training
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