Losing body fat is challenging, particularly with the amount of misinformation out there aimed at selling supplements or trendy diet books. While the actual process of fat loss is relatively straightforward, there are a few things you can do to help speed up the process.
One of the main things you should focus on when you’re trying to lose weight is to maintain as much of your muscle mass as possible. The more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn without doing any additional exercise so maintaining your muscle means you’ll be less likely to regain the weight you’ve lost.
You’ll naturally lose a combination of fat and muscle as you drop weight, but you can minimise muscle loss by making sure you follow a high protein diet and doing regular resistance training. The weight training will damage your muscles, and your body will look to repair them – which is where the additional protein comes in. This should help spare more muscle as the body will begin to prioritise fat loss as you drop weight. Supplement your diet with whey protein and creatine to help improve recovery and reduce muscle loss.
Continuing with the theme of burning fat and maintaining muscle, adding in some high intensity interval training will keep your body burning fat for hours after the workout. This type of training involves going all out for a period of time, followed by a period of lower intensity. A good starting point is 30 seconds on, 90 seconds off.
If you’re struggling to shift that last bit of belly fat, it could be worth going down the cosmetic treatment route. Some people who’ve lost a substantial amount of weight have a lot of loose skin, and many cosmetic surgeons offer procedures to help have this removed. If you just have a little bit of a pooch left to go, non-surgical fat freezing procedures are ideal for helping spot reduce fat.
For the most part though, effective fat loss is about making good decisions about food and exercise and being patient. It takes time to see results, but by following a healthy diet and exercising regularly you’ll start to gradually see progress towards the body you want.
Track your progress regularly through photos and a weight loss log. There will be times where you lack motivation of feel like you’re not making any progress, but looking back to see how far you’ve come can really help you stay the course.
