If you want to burn off fat and keep it off permanently, there are a few things you absolutely must do, and a new study from Wake Forest University has just uncovered another one.

Previous research has concluded without a shred of doubt that high levels of exercise are one of the keys to keeping fat off and maintaining your ideal weight.

In a new study published in the October issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers found for the first time, proof that the drop in physical activity that happens automatically during calorie restriction is directly correlated to weight regain.

We’ve known for some time that when you restrict calories, your level of non exercise physical activity (non exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT), drops spontaneously, even if you don’t realize it’s happening.

Your physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) also tends to drop when you restrict calories.

Basically, when you cut calories, you get sluggish, you move your body less, you don’t feel like exercising and if you do exercise, you do it with with less “gusto.”

This means that unless you intentionally counter this tendency by pushing yourself to keep active and keep up the intensity, despite your low calorie intake, your weight loss will slow down automatically as you continue with caloric restriction. (can you say, “fat loss plateau?”)

The new twist to this story is that in this latest study the researchers followed up on the subjects through the maintenance period - with 6 month and 12 month checkups.

This is significant, because most fat loss “success stories” are reported immediately after the weight loss phase, but you never know what happened to them afterwards.

Not surprisingly, it wasn’t much of a “maintenance” period… almost everyone regained most of the weight.

The surprise was WHY they regained back the weight and WHO regained the most…

The drop in physical activity during the diet was directly related to the weight regain after the diet!

The researchers wrote,

“The greater the decrease in physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) during the energy deficit, the greater the weight gain during the follow up.”

“That won’t happen to me,” you say? Think again. That drop in activity usually happens unconsciously. It’s part of the “starvation response” (or “weight-regulating mechanism” if you prefer). Your body tricks you in countless ways, in order to restore energy balance and stabilize your weight.

If you believe that diet alone is the answer or that you can skimp on the training, you are shooting yourself in the foot and thinking short-term.

When you extend out your time frame to a year or longer, you get a whole new perspective.

For years, I have been imploring my readers and subscribers to “burn the fat” with higher levels of exercise - strength training AND cardio training - while “feeding the muscle” with a higher intake of clean food, instead of simply “starving the fat” with low calorie diets and little or no exercise.

“Eat More, Burn More”… “burn the fat FEED the muscle.” those are the mottos you want to remember.

Can you lose weight without exercise? Of course. Just be sure you have a dietary-induced calorie deficit. Is it the best way? Not by a long shot.

Bottom line: If you want to maximize your fat loss, and keep fat off permanently, it is imperative not only to keep up a high level of energy expenditure (burn calories not just cut them), but also to make a conscious effort to make sure your activity level does not drop as you lose weight during the calorie deficit.

Tom Venuto
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/avoid-this-killer-weight-regain-mistake-745944.html

Aerobics is a moderate-intensity workout program that makes the body use stored fat as a fuel rather than glucose – the sole source of energy for the brain. Fat, like a log of wood, is a slow but long-lasting fuel, whereas glucose, like a kindling wood, gives quick energy in short spurts. And because fat metabolism requires oxygen, aerobic exercises – which are meant to raise the oxygen requirement in the body – are perfect for going from fat to fit.

However, for some reason the ability of metabolizing stored fat for energy purposes decrease as the fitness level of a person decreases. As a result, the muscles of an out-of-shape person start burning glucose instead of fat, making him feel fatigued and hungry after slightest activity.

Why Aerobics?

Aerobic exercises swing the body back into the fat-burning mode and program the body to burn fat for fuel even when you are not exercising. This helps in making the muscles lean, improves the strength of the heart muscles, and reduces blood pressure. Because aerobic exercises are moderate-intensity, anyone can benefit from them, including out-of-shape people, the elderly, children, and even pregnant women.

Which Exercises are Aerobic?

Any physical activity that raises your heart level to 60-70% of the maximum heart rate for a sustained period of 20-30 minutes can be classified as aerobics. If an exercise is making you feel out of breath, it means you are pushing your heart beyond the permitted optimum heart rate. This should not happen.

The best aerobic exercise for beginners is brisk walking. And all you need to do that, apart from the will to do, is a good pair of shoes. Walking 30-40 minutes 3-5 times a week is ideal. Some indoor low-impact aerobic exercises include walking on the treadmill, cycling on a stationary bike, swimming, etc.

Fit people can take to high-impact aerobic exercises like jogging, skipping a rope, mock skipping, jumping jacks, stair climbing, skiing, etc.

Making Aerobics a Fun Activity

If you enjoy exercising in a group and want to make it a social activity, then you can join aerobics classes. These exercises often consist of low-impact dance steps and rhythmic movements accompanied by stimulating music and an instructor. Aerobics done underwater, aqua-aerobics, have still lower impact than floor aerobics.

Aerobic exercises can be done outdoors as well as indoor in the privacy of your home with minimal investment. And you can easily fit a 30-minute aerobic program in your agenda. For example, cycling on your stationary bike while watching your favorite TV show, mock skipping during the short breaks in work, walking to the marketplace, etc. Use your creativity and improvise your own methods of making your workouts more enjoyable and less monotonous, so that aerobics becomes an indispensable part of your life.

Summary:

Aerobic exercising is the best way to lose fat permanently, and strengthen your heart muscles. They change the body metabolism and switch it into fat-burning mode. Aerobic exercises are moderate-intensity and can be done by almost anyone, including the elderly and even pregnant women.

Brooke Hayles
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/aerobics-the-best-way-to-burn-fat-71280.html

So many people who struggle with their weight want to know what the bodybuilders eat. I guess they think if they eat the same foods as a natural bodybuilder does, then they will also get single digit body fat. A bodybuilders diet is very different from an average fellow, but you can learn very much from bodybuilders, because they know everything about nutrition.

It is important to choose foods that you enjoy and eat a variety of foods. Staying in a calorie deficit is difficult by itself and if you use a restricted diet, then most people can’t stick with any program. Wouldn´t it be great if you could great a eating program that you enjoy while still getting  leaner and healthier. Eat a wide variety of high nutrient density, low calorie density foods that you enjoy which still fit within healthy, fat-burning, muscle-building guidelines.

Another problem for so many people is that they can´t get rid of the bad habits. Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. But enough of that. Here is a list of foods that I got from one of Tom Venuto´s articles. Remember this is his list of foods and may be not eaxctly how you llike it. But I like most foods that are in this list too.

Fat burning calorie foods

Tom´s Natural starchy carb and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal

Tom´s Top 10 vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

Tom´s Top 10 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo
10. Trout

Tom´s Top 10 fruits

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

My list is a little different from that but about 90% the same. If you don´t like anything from the list, then you can change it to something that you like. It is just one example.

Good Luck

Randolph
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/fat-burning-calorie-foods-what-foods-burn-fat-729727.html

Are you tired of driving back and forth to an overpriced, crowded gym loaded with grunting weightlifters? Would you rather save some money and do 15-20 minutes of high intensity exercises in the privacy of your own home? Luckily, bodyweight exercises along with resistance band require no fancy equipments, take only 15-20 minutes, and you can train virtually anywhere without dishing out cash for a gym membership.

Here’s 4 no money required exercises that will work on a tight budget:

Bodyweight Lunge(super easy to do)

Bodyweight Lunges are convenient and most importantly they are inexpensive. You can execute a lunge without any equipment. You can perform the bodyweight lunges virtually anywhere (work, park, or home). Many gym goers believe that bodyweight exercises like lunges are ineffective against fat loss, but those individuals probably never heard of NFL great Herschel Walker. Throughout his Hall of Fame career, Walker only did bodyweight exercises and maintained single digit body fat percentage.

Bodyweight pushups (no equipments necessary)

Bodyweight pushups are the king of upper body strength training. Pushups are old school gym less exercises that is highly effective and requires no equipment. Pushups when done properly will burn fat, strengthen your midsection, and build lean muscle. Pushups are super easy to do, requires only 10-15 minutes of your time, and does not require any money. So if you are tight on cash, do pushups they are excellent fat burning workouts.

Bodyweight squat

Squat exercises are ideal for core building and lower body strength training. They can be done inside or outside, are super safe and effective, and require no equipment. For added resistance, Bodyweight squats can be performed with resistance band. Bodyweight squats can be added to any workout routine no matter what fitness level you are in. For best results, do 3 sets of 8-10 repitition for beginners.

resistance band workouts

If you are a beginner or in relatively decent physical condition, then try resistance band workouts. Stretch bands training is a great functional workout that does not require you to spend a lot of money. The cost of a pair of bands is very inexpensive. Compared to treadmills, resistance bands will not get you in debt, and take you 1-2 years to pay off. Honestly, Stretch bands have far more benefits than running an hour long on a treadmill. I would estimate that less than 5% of the population even knows how effective resistance band are against stubborn belly fat.

Here are 3 more inexpensive, but highly effective resistance band exercises:

1. Stretch bands chest press

2. Stretch bands walking lunges

3. Stretch bands speed punch

edith forestal
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/4-ways-to-drop-fat-fast-in-a-reccession-748363.html