I recently was in the hospital because of some kidney stones. The pain was intense that I was not sleeping well. However, at the time I didn’t know what was causing the pain. All I knew is that I was willing to do anything to figure out what was causing it. So, after a short discussion with the doctor, I was taken back and had a CT scan. Found out was what causing the pain but also found out that I had a PE (Pulmonary Embolism). A lot of things ran through my head as I laid in a bed in the ER.
I use to eat okay and exercise regularly; however, lately I have been so busy with family and other things, I have not had the time to exercise. I was never overweight when I was growing up but after I got married my body had other plans. I found myself overweight and since then it is a constant battle. But with a little help from my doctor and some motivation, I have been losing some weight over the last month. I have been researching several tips to help myself and I felt that I would share them with you here.
Increased body fat is the devil’s child. Excess body fat will make you uncomfortable, cause many issues as you get older, and kick your butt every time. Getting rid of it and gain some muscle is going to help you in the long run.
I am by no means an expert but this is what I have followed and had some small successes. Am I skinny, hell no! but I have dropped about seven pounds.
Getting Started
When starting, most people find it impossible, losing fat while gaining muscles. The two goals are contradictory since fat loss can be achieved by reducing the body mass while muscle gain is done by increasing the body mass. Achieving these goals is possible if done simultaneously because gaining muscle can help you get rid of fat.
Building muscles require one to eat more calories than your body can burn while reducing fat requires you to eat fewer calories than you burn. Muscle tissues are active and contain useful proteins, glycogen and water. To achieve great results, you should do both simultaneously, and in the long run, you will have a body with healthy muscles and less fat. Muscles help reduce the amount of fat stored in the body while powering body movement. In this article, you will learn various dieting tips that will enable you to lose fat and gain fat. Stay tuned for more.
Control Your Intake of Carbohydrates
There are two types of carbohydrates, complex and simple sugar carbohydrates. Carbohydrates contribute 50 to 60 percent of calories in the body; thus, reducing their intake will ensure faster results in losing fat. To build muscle, you should take enough carbohydrates to ensure you have stable energy levels throughout the day.
To build muscle, take foods rich in simple sugars since they have less glycemic index than complex carbohydrates. After each workout, take about 50 grams of fast action simple sugars; this will ensure that your energy is restored. Incorporating it with some proteins will quickly shift your body from muscle breakdown into a muscle-building mode.
Reducing the amount of carbs will ensure automatic weight loss leading to less fat. To burn body fat, you will have to forego the post-workout intake of carbohydrates. This will keep your body needing more energy, thus, releasing stored fats. You can also reduce the consumption of high-calorie carbohydrates to ensure the body utilizes the excess it has stored. This will knock out a significant percentage of fat from the body leading to muscle build-up.
High-Intensity Cardio
Our bodies were meant to move, so exercises that can raise heart rate like cardio can help keep your muscles in shape while burning high amounts of fat. Cardio exercises come with many benefits, such as optimal muscle building, muscle retention, increased metabolism and loss of fats through increased calorie burns.
Cardio includes high-intensity interval training (HIIT) which leads to increased efficiency. You can achieve this through tough work-outs, which increases your aerobic fitness, thus, building strong muscles due to endurance. Exercises always require a high intake of oxygen. Once oxygen gets into the body, it will burn the extra fats.
HIIT provides a natural boost in the production of human growth hormones (HGH), which is essential for healthy and robust growth. It ensures the body is sensitive to insulin and it increases muscle growth while providing fat loss. Cardio will create a fast impact on ensuring a simultaneous loss of fat and gaining weight.
Plan a Moderately Aggressive Diet
Diets in weight loss and muscle gains have been infamous for either being too aggressive or too restrictive. In most instances, the people usually involved relapse to their past behavior. It is no wonder that 95% of diets fail. There is a solution to that which includes a moderately aggressive diet comprising of 40 percent proteins, 30 percent dietary fat and 30 percent carbohydrates in considerable amounts.
Having a moderate diet plan will ensure you reduce the intake of carbohydrates without causing hormonal imbalance. Dietary fats, on the other hand, will provide optimal fat burn out, thus encouraging the muscle-building process.
A moderated diet will allow you to gain calories which make you feel full while allowing the body to burn fats stored in your body. The moderate diet will regulate your calorie intake, ensuring you gain muscle and lose fats. Most of the fat will shed off as the body will use it without causing side effects.
- Incorporate High Protein Diet
Research suggests that when on a low-calorie diet, it’s prudent to increase body intake of protein-rich foods. This will aid in increased fat loss and enable the building of body muscles. Protein nutrients are obtained from consuming foods such as fish, chicken, beef, turkey, soy products, beans, eggs, low-fat dairy, etc. Eating proteins will make you full.
Proteins, when taken in recommendable levels, will enable you to lose fat while providing leeway for muscle accumulation. The most recommended proteins for fat loss are the unprocessed proteins. Eat 2 grams of protein for every kilogram in your body to enable you to lose weight and build muscles. Consumption of too many proteins can lead to increased fats, and you should only take 30% of calories from proteins. Eat high protein and fewer carbohydrates for maximum results.
Consuming Recommended Amounts of Calories.
Consuming the right amount of calories is challenging to many people because you can’t keep on checking your calorie level. When trying to burn fat and build muscle, it is recommended that you take less than 2500 calories per day for men and less than 200 calories for women. Keeping track of all the foods you eat will make it easy for you to monitor your calorie intake levels. This will ensure your body gains the required nutrients while burning excess fat and building the needed muscles.
Best ways to reduce calories without starving yourself.
- Eat protein rich foods to reduce your appetite. This will increase the number of calories burned by the body.
- Avoiding high sugar foods such as soft drinks and juicy fruits.
- Drink more water to enable the burning of more calorie. Drinking 2 liters of water in a day will allow you burn 100 more calories that day.
- Regular exercising and weight lifting will reduce the number of calories in your body and ensure you build muscles.
- Reduce specific carbohydrate intake, such as refined carbs as this will reduce your appetite, which will make you eat fewer calories.
For example, for breakfast, you can opt to take (40g) whole-grain porridge oats, low fat skimmed milk (5oz), one tablespoon of walnuts, and a medium-sized apple. This can add up to approximately 600kcal- 25g protein, 85g carbohydrates, and 20g fats. By taking account of your calorie intake from morning to evening, you can learn to adjust where necessary. Tweak your food choices to meet essential calorie needs and ensure you eat a balanced diet. You can easily find help from the numerous available recipes online.
Consuming the Right Types of Fat
However, as much as you try to eliminate fats from your diet; you cannot avoid them completely, but you need to consume the right kinds of fats. Consuming essential fatty acids is critical for metabolism and other digestive processes. You can derive fatty acids from polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats such as tuna, flaxseeds, olive oil, and walnut. Ensure that you take a maximum of 25% calories from these fats to ensure the build-up of stiff muscles.
Using Supplements
A healthy amount of muscle can enable you to perform many activities in your daily life. Using certain supplements will help you achieve significant muscle build while losing a substantial amount of fat.
Having enough proteins in the body is vital for muscle gain. Eat 1 gram of protein supplement per kilogram of your total body weight and that will ensure that you gain more muscles and push away fat.
Creatine
This is a molecule compound produced by the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Taking dietary creatine supplements creates up to 40 percent more energy which will promote muscle gain and increase your exercise performance.
Branched-Chain amino acids
This consists of isoleucine, valine, and leucine individual amino acids. These types of supplements are present in eggs, poultry, dairy, fish, and meat. Amino acids provide the required nutrients for muscle growth. It is less effective in individuals on an exercise program though.
Beta-hydroxy, Beta-methyl butyrate (HMB)
In a natural state, HMB is produced through the processing of leucine amino acids. It reduces the breakdown of muscle proteins so its supplement is essential in ensuring fat loss and muscle gain.
Conclusion
Don’t buy into the hype that it’s impossible to lose weight and gain muscle simultaneously. It is possible through consistent activities, following the right procedures, and adhering to them regularly. It’s vital to use medically recommended methods in losing fat and gaining muscle. Eat a considerable amount of proteins and reduce carbohydrates and dietary fats. Do regular exercise to ensure your body burns more fat and creates strong muscles. Finally, take the right quantity of calories each day and you will ensure that you achieve maximum results in the shortest time possible.