Are you surrounded by delicious foods that are hard to resist? The extra pounds keep gathering on the critical areas of the body faster than Voyager on lightspeed, and the treadmill doesn’t look very appealing either?
We’ve all been in this situation one time or the other. Luckily, there are a few secrets to weight loss that can be applied easily and with good effect by just about anyone. If this sounds too good to be true, don’t worry. In this article, I will share with you this knowledge, so that you can try the methods for yourself.
Cut Back on Heavy Carbs
Not all carbs are bad. But we generally don’t need too much, unless on the days when doing strenuous workouts. The easiest way to shed bodyfat is by eating less of grains, bread, pasta, rice, donuts, cakes, cookies… you get the idea! All of these foods belong to the heavy carbs list! The best way to cut these foods from your diet is by replacing them with healthy and satiating alternatives if you want to get rid of your love handles. Which brings us to the next point.
Fiber Rocks
If you want to feel full, eat fiber. Fiber really takes the digestive system for a spin, which allows us to go for a long time without having to eat. There is a very unnerving myth going around that in order to eat a good amount of fiber, we must eat a lot of whole-wheat products and grains. The fact is that green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach contain tons of fiber. Replacing heavy carbs with green vegetables will provide you with energy while eating fewer calories than usual.
Avoid Insulin Spikes
Insulin spikes are the result of eating simple sugars. The carbs are again the main perpetrator, especially white flour products and processed foods, but fruit as well. These foods convert so sugar very fast after you eat them, so your blood sugar skyrockets. This causes a release of insulin to combat the situation.
Insulin production shoots way too high due to the high blood sugar, causing a rapid drop in the blood sugar levels. This in return causes hunger, far sooner than is necessary. The easiest way to stop these hunger bouts which lead to binge eating from happening is by replacing simple carbs with fibrous vegetables, but also healthy protein and fats.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting is basically skipping breakfast. The human body does not require the first meal to be had in the morning. In fact, our biology is programmed to make use of semi-long periods without eating. When there is no food in the digestive system, it has time to recuperate from the constant work.
It’s also not true that you won’t have energy if you skip breakfast. When we fast, our bodies switch to a “search for food” mode, boosting energy and alertness. It’s a great time to do cardio, which is why so many fitness athletes do a fat burning cardio first thing in the morning.
Walk the Talk
Another tip from nature: our bodies are designed to move far more than they are for long periods of sitting or standing still. Walking is a simple way to make use of calories, and remain fit without doing any heavy workouts. I’m aware that a lot of people don’t have time to go for long walks. But the more you do it the better.
Instead of driving to the grocery store, take a walk. That’s a very simple way to do it. You can also get a treadmill desk so that you do some light cardio while you’re surfing the web or doing your daily work in the office.
Be Intense, But Only in Intervals
A complete opposite of the slow walk is the high intensity, interval workouts. These workouts include sprints, circular training, and lifting heavy. The reason why they work is because the whole physiology is put under a huge amount of stress. In order to combat it, it produces a much stronger response than you’d get with an Average Joe workout. Doing a few sprints for 15 minutes can have the same weight loss impact as a 1-hour jogging session. Plus, you won’t feel as hungry afterward.
The same applies to lifting weights. Keep your workouts simple, and focus on lifting heavy. Rather than being in the gym for 2 hours, keep your workouts shorter than 45 minutes, but focus on really hitting the muscle with high intensity and powerful intent.
Cheat Your Way to Success
The best strategy to lose weight and keep your waist tight, in the long run, is to be reasonable. You cannot live like a machine. You need to reward yourself from time to time with a Big Mac or a pizza. But instead of eating this stuff often, set a “cheat meal” or a “cheat day” for yourself.
Try to eat a clean diet for 5 or 6 days, and then on the weekend eat an awesome cheat meal. That can be anything that you desire. Rewarding yourself for the discipline you’ve showcased throughout the week will make that pizza taste better than ever, and you’ll even feel proud while eating it, knowing that it’s a well-deserved reward.
Summary
There are many ways to increase weight loss. Most of them revolve around fine-tuning your psychology in order to withstand the urges and unhealthy habits that led to gaining fat in the first place. But as I’ve shown you in this article, there are also many underlying factors such as insulin spikes that can unknowingly make anyone consume more calories than their body needs.
We can also improve our workouts and lifestyle by performing harder, no bull workouts in the gym that last shorter but provide a stronger impact. We can save up on fuel and use our own set of God-given wheels more often as well.
There are really a lot of ways to go about losing weight! I hope this article will help you in your own weight loss journey and have you rocking a chiseled six pack faster than you thought possible.