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Burning Fat Fast
By Linda | June 6, 2011
Speed Fat-Burning
Springtime puts many of us in a frenzy to shake off winter fat. What is the quickest way to go about burning fat without sacrificing health? Fasting? Low fat? Atkins?
I’ve watched people gain and drop fat for over 25 years. Here’s my top 5 tips for healthy, speedy fat loss. It is based on what I have observed after working with people for years. It may not be what you read in the media.
1. Lose the sugar. Sugar, whether from fruit juice, candy, cookies, sodas, ice cream or bran muffins, turns into fat rolls faster than anything else. Ask any weight lifter. Sugars flesh us out. Sweeten with lo han or stevia, not sugar.
2. Eat more non-starchy veggies. Broccoli, mustard greens, asparagus, kale and other greens help the liver detox, cleanse the colon, flush excess fluids, and boost energy, which helps burn fat too.
Cook them with beneficial fats for best results. Good fats enable us to absorb the nutrients and they help burn fat.
3. Sleep 8 hours. Getting 6 hours of sleep increases obesity risk by 23%. Down to 5 hours? Your risk just went up 50%. Go to bed by 10 and get up early.
4. Eat more omega 3’s, less omega 6’s. Omega 3 fats (from fish, greens, walnuts, flax) in your cell membranes stimulate metabolism. Excess omega 6’s (from vegetable oils) pack on fat and slow metabolism.
5. Move. Walk, dance, clean the garage. Movement, especially interval training and resistance workouts, will speed your progress.
Share your own tips here.
Topics: Weight Loss Diets | 14 Comments »
June 8th, 2011 at 9:33 am
Keep the good stuff coming. I love reading your blogs. (or whatever they are called.)
I feel better on a GF diet. I do eat sugar but little oil. no meat. no dairy. fruits and veggies.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:46 am
For me its green tea. I drink it decaffeinated. I think it keeps my metabolism going. I am active and I keep my sugars down as much as possible. I take my sugar in wine.
June 9th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
I love to put the leafy greens (broccoli, spinach, kale) with some zucchini and onions in a pot and boil in water and chicken broth…simmer then puree in blender. I will then put on the stove and add some red pepper flakes to make it a little spicy, serve piping hot with ground black pepper and some romano/parmesan cheese (not best for cleansing)…yummy!
June 20th, 2011 at 8:23 pm
Very interesting.
Thanks.
July 29th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Great advice Linda
After years of dieting I have started to follow The Gabriel Method which is pretty much as this advice and it does work there is no doubt about it. Plus there is much less stress on your body because you are giving it the nutrition it needs!
jan recently posted..The Gabriel Method
July 30th, 2011 at 7:42 am
What is the nutrition? It is hard to tell if the Gabriel Method has specific dietary recommendations. Is there a link to the food part?
July 30th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Hi Linda
It is a bit hard to find the diet bit in his book because he spends a lot of time talking about the causes of obesity and how they need to be addressed and the power of positive thinking. In chapter 9 Why Diets Don’t Work – he goes into what to eat emphasising real foods – live fruit, raw nuts, seeds, vegetables, salads (preferably organic), grass-fed meats, free-range chicken and fish. He talks mainly about eating more of these foods and then Chapter 10 goes into the need to eat the correct fats and the best breads. It’s not a prescriptive diet at all, more about giving your body what it needs so that you don’t crave the rubbish.
I did Weight Watchers for 2 1/2 years and lost 12 kg but could never lose that last 3 kg. Also if I went “off” the diet I would stack weight on very quickly which is why I am now trying this one as I feel that I can follow this one for life. I haven’t lost weight as yet but my weight is rock solid stable. If I cut out all of the rubbish and added some exercise I am sure that would make a difference! However since it is winter so less conducive to eating salads and getting out in the cold to exercise, I am happy to be just stable eating this way. I don’t crave sugar and I don’t think about food from one meal to the next so it feels pretty amazing.
I don’t know if I could have been successful with The Gabriel Method if I hadn’t been a member of Weight Watchers first though as I learned so much from the weekly lectures – especially about portion control which was one of my big downfalls. So I think there is still a place for both as Weight Watchers gives you amazing support.
jan recently posted..The Gabriel Method
November 6th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
HI LINDA,
WOW! WHAT AN EYE OPENER FOR ME ON YOUR ARTICLE DISCUSSING A LOW-FAT, LOW CHOLESTEROL DIET, AND THE HARM IT DOES. I TO, WANT TO SHARE SOMETHING, I HAVE IBS, NOT SO FUN!! SO I HAVE A VERY VERY LOW-FAT DIET ALMOST SOME DAYS NO NFAT AT ALL, AND THAT INCLUDES HEALTHY OLIVE OIL AS WELL. FAT EVEN GOOD FATS, GIVE ME PROBLEMS WITH MY IBS. THAT IS WHY I AVOID FATS.AND FROM READING THIS ARTICLE I DO NOT WANT TO DIE EARLY FOR SURE!! BUT I DO EAT SALMON ALOT, BUT I DO NOT TAKE FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTS BECAUSE I EAT SALMON. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND. FAT IS AN IBS TRIGGER, HOW CAN I GET AROUND THIS? CAN YOU HELP ME? THE LAST BLOOD WORK I HAD MY CHOLESTEROL WAS 150. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP. THANK YOU FOR DOING WHAT YOU DO BEST, HELPING OTHER PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF. LORI
November 7th, 2011 at 7:50 am
Hi Lori,
IBS is tricky. Many things can trigger it, including stress. Bringing your cholesterol up would probably help you – the incidence of digestive problems increases with low cholesterol and yours is very low. Depression and cancer also increase with low cholesterol. Some fats are more healing and soothing than others. All fats are not the same. You need vitamin A to heal your bowel and the only way to absorb is with fat. The easiest fats to digest are coconut oil – this is even used in premie formulas. Also ghee and duck fat. You need a good probiotic plus supplements to heal your gut. Consider a nutrition program – you need to restore your bowel heath and that is hard to summarize here. Nutrition can make a huge difference.
March 17th, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Your #3 really hits home here! I know what to eat to feel good and maintain my weight, thanks to you. But with the feelings of fatigue I fight on a daily basis, it makes it hard for me to resist excess carbs and to also get a little sloppy with my eating. That is why I am off to bed right now!
March 31st, 2013 at 8:22 pm
Linda, you have spoken about food combining in the past. I feel as though this would be a great way to eat as I am planning my meals for the week. What are the guidelines for food combining? Thank you!!!
April 1st, 2013 at 9:01 am
This is a great way to eat, especially in Spring to facilitate liver detox. Basically you avoid having starch with protein; have dairy alone and have fruit alone or with similar fruits. You can mix carbs and proteins in a soup or stew that has cooked at least an hour. Non-starchy veggies work great with protein or carbs. Good luck.
April 3rd, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Great, thank you!!! Are beans and nuts considered a carb or protein? Also, how much exercise (running, interval training gym class or stationary bike riding) and for how often would you recommend for trying to lose 3-5 pounds? thank you!!
April 5th, 2013 at 7:32 am
Beans and nuts are both proteins for food combo purposes, although they both contain carbs.
The most efficient form of exercise I know of is high intensity interval training two to three times a week, and not for very long. Almost any form of exercise can be creatively turned into high intensity.