Fat Loss Sabotaged – Four Foes To Defeat

Fat Loss Foes

Often we are our own worse enemy when it comes to fat loss – heck, let’s add dieting, weight loss, healthy eating, exercise . . .

Yep, we have a lot of goals and from time to time we sabotage ourselves.  Sometimes we know we are doing it and sometimes we don’t.  But, when it comes to fat loss here’s a few saboteurs you may not realize are beating you by keeping fat on you.  The real beauty of these four foes is that they are easy to fix, won’t cost you a cent, and in fact, may even save you money.  Don’t let your fat loss be sabotaged.

Fat Loss Saboteurs

1. Air conditioning and Fat Loss.  Our bodies have a magnificant ability to constantly self regulate our internal temperature called homeostasis.  Except in the extremes your body will work hard to maintain the proper temperature no matter how hot or cold the weather.  Unfortunately, come summer we have air conditioning.  The same holds true in the winter with heaters.  When your body has to do the work of cooling you down or heating you up your body burns more calories.  So turning on the car air conditioner rather than using the rolled down window method actually helps your body hold unto unwanted fat.  Now, don’t suddenly spend hours in the sauna or freeze yourself out, but allow your body to do as much work with it’s own thermostat, whenever possible.  Or, at least not the air conditioner a couple degrees warmer for more fat loss.

2. Skipping Breakfast and Fat Loss.  You’ve probably heard it a thousand times, but breakfast is vital.  When you eat your body begins to start burning calories and turns on the metabolism.  When you don’t eat first thing in the morning your stress hormones rise, fat begins to store, muscle begins to break down to use for energy, and your metabolic rate slows down, which means you burn less calories throughout the day!  Do your best to start your day with a healthy meal, but worse case scenario eat a smaller meal and a larger snack within about an hour. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed protein breakfasts keep you the fullest and burn more fat than high carbohydrate foods.  Skip the cereal.  Make an omelette,  protein smoothie, frittata, or scramble for the best fat loss.

3. Water and Fat Loss.  Being dehydrated can slow fat loss.  Although every body is different in the rate of metabolizing, a basic standard is to take your body weight and divide it in half.  That number is the minimum about of water you need to drink each day.  Example: weight 150 pounds, divide by 2 = 75 ounces of water.  Remember to add more for exercise or high heat environments.  But that’s a good goal.  Try and sip your water throughout the day because most people can only metabolize about 1/2 cup of water every half hour.  No need to take in the water if it’s not going to get used.  Water also effects fat loss by helping to remove excess toxins in your system.  So drink up!

4.  Late Night Snacking and Fat Loss.   Unless you’re headed back out for the night, this is a critical time for helping fat loss.  When you are asleep, your stomach secretes a hormone called ghrelin.  Ghrelin has recently become more of buzzword as science now realizes that one of it’s jobs is to increase another hormone called human growth hormone (HGH), commonly thought of as the “fountain of youth” hormone.  In order to get more HGH some people were having it injected into themselves to try and increase fat loss.   Even easier, cheapier, and less risky, refrain from late nigh snacking.  Snacking before bed suppresses HGH and raises insulin.  Late night snacking is basically just sending your body the notice that you would like these calories stored as fat for future use.  The opposite of fat loss.