We all know that carrying too much body fat and being over-weight is not good for your health, and increases your risk for heart diseases. Reduce body fat and maintaining a healthy body weight is critical for achieving good health and improving quality of life. Medical research has shown that obesity is linked to various physical ailments such as heart problems, and diabetes. About 34% of adults are considered overweight or obese and 17% of children are overweight.They were randomized into two groups to either participate in circuit weight training and/or jogging. The results of this study found that the females had reduced body fat mass, total body mass, BMI, cholesterol, waist to hip ratio, and high blood pressure. These impressive results improved the cardiovascular disease and metabolic risk factors of the female participants. [2]
There is no shortage of clinical studies that finds a direct relationship between physical exercises and good health, reduced body fat, lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduced risks for health problems. However, study or no study, I think most people already know that on some levels, physical exercise is good for them, but rather, it becomes a choice and a battle of will to whether stick to a regular workout program or not. That, is the toughest part!
Exercises aside, the first step to achieve a healthier weight starts by improving your diet, and reducing the amount of fat you consume. Dietary fat can be found in most of the foods we eat, and there are three main types of fats: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and saturated fats. Excessive intake of the saturated fat leads to increase in cholesterol levels and increases your risk for heart diseases.
In a typical balanced diet, you should aim to consume no more than 30% of your calories from fats. So the remaining 70% should come from proteins and carbohydrates. Personally, I prefer a 40/40/20 diet, where 40% of my calories come from protein and carbohydrates each, and the remaining 20% comes from fat calories.
Reduce Fat in Your Diet
So, let's say your goal is to get 20% of your daily calories from dietary fats. How do you know how much to consume? It's actually quite easy to figure this out. Below is a general rule of thumb on estimating how much calories you will need each day for weight loss, weight maintenance, and weight gain:
For weight loss:
Your body weight X 10 to 12 = The range of your daily caloric intake
For maintaining:
Your body weight X 13 to 15 = The range of your daily caloric intake
For bulking up:
Your body weight X 16 to 18 = The range of your daily caloric intake
For example, for a 150lb person, the weight loss caloric intake range would be about 1500 to 1800 calories per day. A 200lb person would need to consume 2000 to 2400 calories for weight loss. However, keep in mind that the above is just a rule of thumb for estimating calorie intake.
If your target calorie intake was 2,000 calories per day, on a 40/40/20 diet, to find the amount of fat you should consume, you simply calculate 20% of 2,000 calories:
2,000 x 20% = 400 calories from fat
So you should aim to consume no more than 400 calories from dietary fat sources. Next you need to convert that to grams of fat. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, so you divide 400 fat calories by 9 to find that you need to consume about 44.4g of fat each day. Do you know how much fat you currently consume on a daily basis? Keep a food journal for a few days and you'll get a good idea.
Tips to Reduce Fat in Your Diet
1) Trim off the visible fat from the meats you cook
2) Use low fat salad dressing for your salads, or make your own low fat dressing
3) Replace butter, margarine, and hard fats with low fat spreads
4) For toasts and sandwiches, replace the butter, margarine with reduced sugar jams and marmalades
5) Reduce your consumption of red meats and replace them with lean white meat such as chicken, turkey, and seafood
6) Use skim milk instead of full fat milk
7) Avoid highly processed foods and opt for wholesome foods
8) Consume more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts
9) Eat home cooked meals more often, and eat out less - this will also save you some money
10) Steaming is an excellent way to cook vegetables without using oil
If you find yourself in need of motivation and guidance in your weight loss journey, look no further than Tom Venuto's "Burn the Fat" program or the popular "Fat Loss for Idiots" Diet. Reducing fat and losing weight can be accomplished and kept permanent if done right, and you can achieve your fat loss success if you set achievable goals and work toward those goals.
>> Click here to learn more about the Fat Loss for Idiots Diet
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