Getting rid of stubborn fat can be difficult, because the body is essentially programmed to fight your efforts at every turn. Due to sex-specific fat storage patterns, men tend to store fat around the abdomen, while women experience body fat buildup in the hips and thighs. Targeting these and other trouble areas to burn stubborn fat requires a commitment to diet and exercise. Follow a few simple tips to burn your stubborn body fat and keep it off for good.
Step 1
Do resistance training workouts three to five days per week. Using free weights or weight machines directly targets trouble areas by stimulating the release of potent fat-burning hormones, such as HGH (human growth hormone) and testosterone. In fact, you need not even train that intensely to make a significant impact on stubborn body fat. Moreover, weight training can elevate metabolic rate for up to 48 hours or more.
Step 2
Add 30 to 60 minutes of cardio per day, up to six days a week. Do 30 minutes of low-intensity cardio immediately following your weights workout. According to best-selling author Jeff Anderson, this "super cardio" directly targets body fat and helps to supplement the fat-burning effects of your resistance training. An example of low-intensity cardio is walking on the treadmill at an incline.
Step 3
Have five or six smaller meals a day, rather than the traditional three large meals. Eating three large meals a day can spike the hormone insulin, causing excess body fat storage in the trouble areas. Also, going long periods of time without eating can increase production of the stress hormone cortisol. Fat cells in trouble spots often have a lot of cortisol receptors, making them predisposed to this effect. Try three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), with two or three snacks between them.
Step 4
Take in 40 percent protein, 30 percent fat and 30 percent carbohydrates at each meal or snack. "The Fat Burning Bible" recommends this ratio as optimal for burning fat. Having 20 to 30 g of protein at each meal, as well as healthy fats, helps to stabilize blood sugar, preventing fat storage. This diet also helps to build lean muscle, which is metabolically active and burns calories even at rest.
Step 5
Eat a cheat meal one day per week. Some people inadvertently shift their bodies into starvation mode by overdieting. The body reacts to lower caloric intake by reducing metabolic rate, which means you could be eating less, yet not burning any fat. To avoid this downshift in metabolism, you should eat whatever you want at one meal, on one day per week.
References
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; 2004
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson, 2008
- "The "Fat Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone, 2005
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