Today I’m going to share with you 5 advanced ways to drop fat!
1. Track Macros
If you are struggling to lose weight and find yourself frustrated, tracking macros can be a way to take the guesswork out of your nutrition. If you suddenly start tracking and realize you’re eating an extra 300 calories more than you thought you were, well then, it’s an easy fix!
When you have a set of daily macronutrient goals, you can keep yourself accountable and find patterns in your eating habits which make it easy to make adjustments if needed.
I recommend you keep a paper journal or use apps like MyFitnessPal to track tons of food items and even scan barcodes for nutritional info.
2. Nix the Steady-state Cardio to Drop Fat
If the idea of hours on the Stairmaster has you nauseated already, don’t worry, there is a better way!
High-Intensity Interval Training or ‘HIIT’ provides many benefits over traditional cardio:
- Enhances Metabolism
- Partitions (or uses) nutrients more efficiently
- Increases fat oxidation (burning) AFTER the training session has endedAn effective HIIT training session could look something like this:
• 5-10 x 30 seconds all-out, maximum effort followed by 2-3 minutes of recovery time.
(This can be performed with a stationary bike, treadmill, weighted sled, etc.)
3. Build Some Muscle!
Building muscle can actually boost your metabolism. So the more lean mass you have, the faster your metabolism works and the better your insulin sensitivity is, which means you’ll drop fat faster!
Don’t force yourself to spend hours in the gym repping-out light weights just to “burn calories”. Lift heavy, build muscle and burn more fat even when you sleep!
3. Get more sleep
We all know that sleep is important for good health but it can also affect fat loss.
The more time you spend sleeping is more time spent fasting during which your body uses body fat for energy before you “break the fast” in the morning.
In addition, increased amounts of quality sleep will allow you to push yourself harder during your sessions in the gym.
Finally, a good night’s sleep can boost insulin sensitivity, decrease glucose levels in the blood and help reduce cravings.
4. Limit Your Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram, which can add up quite fast.
For instance, just one 1.5 oz. shot of vodka has about 90-100 calories in it!
If you cut alcohol consumption you can considerably cut your daily calories, which collectively will allow you to drop a significant amount of weight each year. Remember, alcohol does not provide satiety (sense of fullness) and can, therefore, be a way to waste your energy/nutrient requirements on empty calories.