If you're fed up with struggling to lose weight and waiting for results, we have some good news for you: you have options. And the good news is that we're not talking about crash diets, hours of exercising, or substantially reducing a key macronutrient like carbs or fats.
Instead, incorporate one or more of these fat-burning tactics into your overall weight-loss strategy. Not every one of them will be suitable for you, but finding one that feels right and makes this difficult process a bit easier—and faster—could be a game-changer!
#1 Consume the same number of calories but at a different time of day
You'll have to eat for fast fat loss if you're serious about losing weight. This entails taking fewer calories per day than you expend. There's no avoiding it! However, there are a variety of ways to obtain those calories.
As a way of "raising" your metabolism, the old-school method of leaning out was to eat several small meals every day. The new-school approach is to consume an adequate number of calories within a specific time frame, usually between 4 and 8 hours. During the fasting window, your body is forced to use stored body fat for fuel, which is known as intermittent fasting.
You can eat somewhat larger meals and feel fuller by cramming all of your meals into an eating window rather than spreading your calories out over, say, 15 hours. This is ideal if you're someone who is constantly disappointed by subpar meals.
#2 Carbohydrate Cycling
Low-carb diets, such as the ketogenic diet, are more popular than ever, yet many athletes discover that limiting carbs makes their exercises unbearable. Furthermore, many of us enjoy being able to consume carbohydrates—and there's nothing wrong with that! Carb cycling, or alternating your carbs on a regular basis, allows you to eat enough carbs to fuel fantastic workouts while keeping overall calories and carbs low.
This is how you do it: To calculate your carbohydrate intake, use a macronutrient calculator. Then, two days a week—preferably on days when you're doing intense training—reduce your carb intake to regular levels. Eat the majority of your carbs either before or after your workout to take it to the next level. Reduce your carb intake by half on the other days of the week. On low-carb days, this method helps to reduce fat storage while also replenishing muscle glycogen.
#3 Increase the intensity of your workouts
With easy lifting routines like 5x5 and a few cardio sessions each week, you can shed fat at a steady, consistent rate. However, if you want to lose weight faster, you may benefit from speeding up the process and boosting the amount of calories burned when weight training.
There are two methods for doing so:
Make the most of your downtime! Spend your time on mobility exercises, light plyometrics, or bodyweight strength exercises. In the article "How to Burn Fat Faster in Your Lifting Workouts," strength coach Todd Bumgardner shows how.
#4 Mix and match cardio exercises
Interval training vs. steady-state cardio exercise is a contentious topic. Which type of cardio is best for quick weight loss? Interval training improves your metabolic rate and increases EPOC for hours after the workout is finished, whereas steady state provides for a longer fat-burning session and is easier to do more regularly. Which one should you pick? Why not combine the two?
Running is good for your heart.
Start with 5-6 intervals, then add 20-30 minutes of steady-state training to the mix. You'll be able to receive all of the benefits in only one workout. Furthermore, because the intervals reduced your glycogen stores, steady-state exercise will burn considerably more fat than usual.
#5 Perform a Full-Body Workout at Least Once Per Week
By targeting huge quantities of muscle mass in a single session, full-body workouts tend to raise your metabolism more each workout. Body-part splits, on the other hand, allow you—or compel you—to work out more frequently and attack each muscle group with a higher number of exercises.
Which is the superior option? There's no reason you can't do both this time! Every week, do one full-body workout, one upper-body workout, and one lower-body workout. Do a full-body/push/pull/lower-body cycle if you want four workouts per week. You're good to go with a couple of aerobic sessions per week.
