In the war on weight loss, many dieters often look for a quick fix, which leads some to take diet pills that not only fail to deliver weight loss, but also supply unwanted side effects that can have mild to serious health consequences. A better alternative to induce fat loss is to adhere to a proper diet and exercise program that spurs fat burning without any side effects. Research indicates that following a low-carb diet, performing high-intensity aerobic interval training (HIIT) and getting enough sleep can be an effective strategy for increasing fat loss.
Step 1
Follow a low-carb diet. In a 2003 study conducted by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and published in the "New England Journal of Medicine," researchers compared the effects of a low-carb vs. a low-fat diet on weight loss. During the six-month study, scientists discovered that obese participants following a low-carb diet lost more body fat than those following a low-fat diet.
Step 2
Perform HIIT. Researchers examined the impact of HIIT training on fat oxidation, or fat burning, according to a May 2006 study published in the "Journal of Applied Physiology." HIIT is a type of cardio that alternates between high- and low-intensity exercise for a given amount of time. Scientists observed that participants using HIIT patterns experienced significant improvements in whole body fat oxidation following HIIT training.
Step 3
Sleep eight hours a night. In a 2004 study conducted by the University of Wisconsin and published in the journal "PLos Medicine," researchers investigated the relationship between sleep duration and body weight. They discovered that sleeping fewer than eight hours a night was associated with increased body mass index, or BMI, a classification used to measure body weight. Less sleep increases the hormone ghrelin, which boosts hunger, and decreases the appetite-suppressant hormone leptin.
References
- "New England Journal of Medicine": A Low-Carb as Compared with a Low-Fat Diet in Severe Obesity
- "Journal of Applied Physiology": Two Weeks of High Intensity Aerobic Interval Training Increases the Capacity for Fat Oxidation
- ''PLos Medicine'': Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index
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