You've done what you could but those extra pounds are not budging. Could that perhaps be because you've been misled by some of the biggest weight loss lies there is?
Crunch to Melt That Belly Fat
There is a tendency to engage in spot exercising in order to trim down that particular area of your body. The belly is one of the most commonly targeted areas for such fat-busting efforts, with sit ups and crunches believed to be effective enough to flatten those tummies. However, do know that weight loss cannot be targeted. It's a whole body thing.
"If you exercise, you can target portions of your body to develop muscle, but you can't target weight loss," explained Peter LePort, medical director of MemorialCare Center for Obesity in Fountain Valley, California, according to US News. "Everyone loses weight differently. Some lose from their face or arms first, others from their thighs. No exercise you do will cause you to lose weight from a specific area."
Eat What You Like and Shed It Off in Exercise
"You can greatly undermine weight loss efforts and general health by not considering the quality of the foods you eat," clarified Gayl Canfield, Pritikin Longevity Center's director of nutrition, as quoted by CNN. "It is important to consider calorie density and nutrient density of foods to maximize exercise performance and improve health status."
In addition, one also has to be careful about what sort of food you eat. Instead of taking in processed food, opt for natural, whole food instead so you get more nutritional benefits. You'll feel more fuller too, like in the case of eating apples rather than drinking apple juice out of the can.
Speed Up Metabolism By Eating Often
Some have advocated "grazing" - eating every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolic rate high. However, this has no real long-term benefits, and may only train your body to look for food more often than you should, exposing you to a higher risk of overeating.
"French Researchers found that there is 'no evidence of improved weight loss' when eating more frequently," Lifehack noted.
"Participants were told to eat 2,000 calories per day," it went on. "There was no difference in fat loss between those who ate four 500 calorie meals, and those that ate two 1,000 calorie feasts."
Long and Slow Exercises Burn More
"It's true the body burns proportionally more fat calories than carbohydrate calories at a lower training intensity, however, should you increase your exercise intensity into the cardiovascular zone you will burn more overall calories," Pritikin Longevity Center's director of fitness Scott Danberg said.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been known to be more effective for fat loss, and it also is more efficient as you only need to exercise a couple of minutes at a time. You'll even continue to burn that fat off hours after your exercise.
Stay Away from Carbohydrates
While eating too much carbs make you pile on the pounds, eating just the right amount won't.
"A 2003 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that dieters on the best-known low-carb diet, the Atkins diet, tended to lose weight not because they ate fewer carbohydrates, but simply because they ate less overall," the NHS clarified.
It's highly recommended that you opt for wholemeal bread or brown rice instead of their white varieties. Also, avoid frying starchy food, like potatoes, so you don't unnecessarily take in a high-calorie treat.
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