10 Weight Loss Facts

Obesity or being overweight is one of the epidemic confronting the world and with the many health hazards associated with having too much fat in the body system, it is only normal for persons to want to lose as much of the unwanted fat as possible. This is in addition to the increasing pressure from the media as regards having too much weight especially when one considers the seeming preference given to slim persons and how attractive they seem to look as compared to fat people.

The irony of the matter however is that even with the increasing awareness and the somewhat desire to lose weight by many people, the number of obese people around the world continues to increase. This can be attributed to the misconceptions and fictions about weight loss, which has either resulted in people doing the wrong things without knowing they are wrong or totally ignoring the weight loss idea.

Below are some facts about weight loss that would be helpful to persons trying to distinguish between the facts and fiction of weight loss and the different strategies that can be employed.

1. The first fact about weight loss is that you really do not have to hit the gym to lose about two pounds of fat weekly as a healthy diet will effectively help achieve that. It should be noted that anything above two pounds would be more of water than fat and a bid to lose too much weight in a very short space of time would probably result in gaining back the weight and even more in some cases.

2. By regularly exercising, you are able to lose weight and even keep it off permanently. It goes that the more exercises you do on a regular basis, the calories your body is able to burn and subsequently, the more the weight you lose. For effective and permanent weight loss and body fitness, it is best to engage in muscle building in addition to aerobic workout routines. You should remember that in order to lose one pound, 3500 more calories than you consume need to be burnt off.

   

3. Continuous exercise at low levels for a minimum of thirty minutes daily is what is required in order to directly burn fat. One of the most effective fat burning exercises is walking. Funny as it sounds, it obeys the rule that requires the low level of exercise which also goes to state that if you are unable to hold a conversation while exercising as a result of breathing too hard, the workout is probably too intense and might not be burning off excess fat for energy.

4. Skipping meals is not a good way of losing weight. This is so as this act sends a signal to your body that you are starving resulting in the body keeping fat, making it even more difficult to lose weight. Skipping meals also slows down the body metabolism to conserve fuel.  A healthy eating habit that would have you eating small meals about 5 to 6 times daily would help enhance your body metabolism hence, help you lose weight. Choice of food includes fruits, fibre-rich foods, and non-fatty products.

   

5. Because a food is fat free does not make it free from calories. It is best to go through the nutrition label of every product to avoid buying “anti-weight loss” food items. This is unknown to many people especially those trying to lose weight and they end gaining weight due to the choice of food items purchased.

   

6. Whether saturated or unsaturated, you get the same amount of calories from all fats and oils foods. You therefore need not be deceived by thinking consuming unsaturated fats is fine as you try to lose weight. This does not take away the fact that unsaturated fats are healthier compared to the saturated ones.

7. Weight training exercises do not directly burn fat. Instead, they increase the rate of metabolism for a good duration after working out. The duration of the increase in metabolism depends on the intensity of the workout exercise.

   

8. A good of reducing the amount of calorie you consume without necessarily reducing your food consumption us to replace the portion of your food that contains fat with protein or carbohydrate. This is because protein or carbs has half of the calories found in fat.

9. The rate of weight loss slows down as your body sheds more weight. It eventually gets to levelled point that can be described as the plateau. It is important not to quit and if consistent, you can be sure of the weight loss resuming in no time.

10. Once the goal is achieved, it is important to stick with the new exercise plan and continue the healthy eating habits to avoid gaining the lost weight.

These are just some weight loss facts that should be known for persons wanting to get rid of unwanted fat in the body.