Fat Loss - 5 Tips to Get You Started

The way you look will influence you in many different aspects of life. There is no escaping the stereotypes placed on a person with both good and bad looks. As unfair as it may sound, it is the cold hard truth. To further make the issue of losing weight even harder, many people simply do not have the time to dedicate to an hour of exercise each day. Is there any way to strike a balance between the demand of good looks and the low supply of time?

Fortunately there are still ways to lose fat even if you think all hope is lost. Here is a quick list of 5 fat loss tips to get you started:

1. Eat more protein. Instead of having that sugary snack, satisfy your hunger with a protein-rich snack such as a protein shake, peanuts, turkey sandwich, or even milk. Eating more protein will provide your body with an essential macronutrient that promotes muscle growth. With more muscle, your body will naturally burn more calories throughout the day without you needing to adjust your diet. Not only that, but protein will satisfy your hunger better than sugary snacks, and your body will even expend energy to effectively digest protein.
2. Eat every 2-3 hours. You should eat at least 5 times a day and have them equally spaced out around 2 or 3 hours apart. This keeps your body's metabolism at a peak throughout the day and thus causes you to burn more overall calories. However, do remember to keep these meals fairly small. A good strategy is to decide how many calories you want to eat throughout the day, I recommend 250-500 calories below your Basil Metabolic Rate, and divide that by 5 meals. That is how big your meals should be.
3. Never skip breakfast. There are many benefits to eating a hearty breakfast. You have more energy throughout the day, your body's functions perform more efficiently, you feel better and you are promoting a healthy metabolism. When you neglect breakfast, your body thinks that it is in a low supply of food and thus goes into "starvation" mode. This causes your body to store fat and other energy sources. Since when you wake up your carbohydrate reserves are depleted, it attacks your muscle. After all, at 9 calories a gram, fat provides a lot more energy for survival than muscle.
4. Learn how to control your carbohydrates. Carbohydrates will give you at most 2 hours to burn them before they are stored as fat. Knowing this, it is probably not a good idea to consume your carbs before bed. A general rule of thumb is to have carbs earlier throughout the day and drop them towards the evening.
5. Eat your fruits and vegetables. These are a great way to fill you up with little calories due to their high fiber content. Not only that, but they are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Make sure that your plate has a wide variety of color, so toss in some fruits and vegetables.