12 Things You Should Never Do When Trying to Burn Fat

If you’re trying to lose weight, but you're really not seeing results in your fat burning regime, there are likely some things that you may be doing wrong. Exercising the right way to burn fat efficiently is important (see workouts on this blog for lots of ideas), but it is also important not to do the wrong things in the process.

Here are 12 things that can keep you from burning fat:

1. Not Eating Enough Calories – You should know how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain a certain weight. Choose to use your goal weight as your calorie range for best results. When you don't eat enough, your body may start slowing your metabolism to compensate, which is the opposite of what you want.

2. Eating Too Many Calories – Conversely, many people do not track their calories at all, and therefore they eat too many calories. Even if you eat only healthy foods, you can still eat too many calories and not burn fat.

3. Not Eating the Right Amount of Protein – You can both eat too little protein and too much protein. Shoot for about 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories to be healthy protein. Remember that you can get protein from vegetables, fruit, beans, legumes and nuts in addition to fish and meat.

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4. Not Eating Enough Vegetables – Try filling half of your plate with vegetables at every meal. The great thing about veggies is that they are very low in calories so you can eat a high volume of them without breaking your calorie bank. Plus, they're filled with fiber, vitamins, and other healthy nutrients.

5. Not Eating Enough Fruit – The sugar in fruit is not bad for you - as long as you don't over-indulge. When you feel like eating a snack or something sweet and you have the calories to spare, eat fruit. It’ll give you energy plus vitamins and minerals.

6. Not Eating Enough Whole Grains – Don’t give up grains just because you’re trying to burn fat. Steel cut oats, quinoa, cracked wheat, and other whole grains can be good for you in measured serving sizes.

7. You Drink Your Calories – To burn the greatest amount of fat, don’t drink your calories. Avoid drinking juice, sweetened coffee or tea, and other calorie-laden drinks in favor of fresh filtered calorie-free water.

8. You Eat “Calorie Free” Fake Food – Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can drink diet soda, and use fake zero calorie sweeteners and still burn fat. These additives can not only be dangerous but studies also show that people who use them tend to be fatter, not thinner!

9. You Avoid Exercise Entirely – You can’t burn fat and be a couch potato. Even if you have health issues that keep you from doing very strenuous activities, you can still use walking, swimming, or other gentle activities to get you moving and burn calories.

10. You Don’t Do Enough Cardio – Cardio is essential to burning fat. If you have health issues that prevent you from doing hard enough cardio, you’ll need to eat fewer calories to make up for it. But you can also try breathing exercises that can increase your oxygen intake and help burn fat.

11. You Are Too Stressed Out – If you have a lot of stress in your life, it will manifest itself as added fat, usually on your belly. Try to find a way to a way to de-stress every day. Try yoga, meditation or even prayer to take you out of your worries and calm yourself.

12. You Don’t Get Enough Sleep – Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. It’s important that you schedule your life so that on most nights you can accomplish this task, because not doing so can affect your hormone levels and cause your fat burning to stall.

Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. Being healthy is about taking action to do more of the right things, and fewer of the wrong things every day!

How What You Drink Affects Your Weight Loss Goals

What you choose to drink can make a difference in achieving your weight loss goals for your New Year’s resolution. Many drinks contain what is commonly referred to as empty calories. This means they are full of sugar that your body does not need.

Of course, the best way to quench your thirst is always going to be good old water, but there are times when you may want to enjoy something different, participate in sports or exercise routines where you need quick replenishments of vitamins and carbohydrates, or maybe you need an energy drink to get through a long day at work. These are fine, as long as you make wise choices that will not hurt your weight loss goals.

Soda Should be Avoided

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Soda is one beverage that has absolutely no nutritional value. All it has is sugar and carbohydrates that can lead to weight gain, thereby sabotaging your weight loss efforts. As a carbonated drink, even if you decide to drink a diet version, this is still not healthy for you. Much of the carbon can make you bloated due to its high content of sodium; this is something that you don’t need. AND, some studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks have harmful side effects, and can even increase appetite and make you want to eat more - not at all what you want to be doing when you're trying to lose weight! Just stay away from sodas altogether.

The Right Kind of Coffee Can Be Enjoyed

You may love those fancy drinks that you can get at almost every coffee shop around the world. You may think it is just coffee, so there is no harm, but there is. Many of these rich, flavored coffees are full of excess sugar and milk, meaning lots of extra calories.

If you desire a cup of coffee, stick to regular brewed black coffee. If black coffee is not your preference, use a safe sugar substitute and real milk - none of those chemical-filled non-dairy creamers. Coffee is great at providing you energy and is also known to assist weight loss goals as it curbs your appetite, so this is one drink you can enjoy wisely, in moderation.

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Sports Drinks are for Sports

There is a common misconception that, because a drink says it is a “sports drink” that it is healthy. Only a select few of these sports drinks are healthy, and only for those who have participated in a grueling sporting activity or long-distance running. These drinks are not for children to have for lunch, or for you to have just because you are thirsty. A very healthy alternative to sports drinks for the average person is plain water.

Vitamin Drinks Aren't Always Good For Your Goals

Another common misconception among consumers is the selling of popular vitamin drinks. To save you from hurting your weight loss goals, read the label. It is most likely high in sugar and calories. Yes, it has vitamins, but you can simply take a zero calorie vitamin supplement with water and still get your vitamins without the extra calories.

Alcoholic Drinks Only In Moderation

Alcohol is sometimes hard to avoid in social gatherings, so don't beat yourself up about that occasional glass of wine. Alcohol is okay once in a while, in moderation. If you choose alcohol, the least calories are found in hard liquor. If this is not your choice, the next best option is wine (in moderation), or very low-calorie light beers. Avoid fancy drink mixes that are loaded with extra sugar and calories. You can still have your social alcoholic drinks on a weight loss plan, it’s just about controlling the amount and making lower calorie choices.

How to Give Up Fast Food for the New Year

The start of a new year is a great time to make a commitment to better health. If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to lose weight, along with getting more exercise, you will also need to make healthier eating choices. One of the best things you can do for your health, and your waistline, is to stop eating fast food.

We all know that after a long day at work, it is so easy to drive to a fast food drive-thru and order a quick meal for the entire family. But during this time we are probably just focused on the time we are saving, and not the calories we are consuming.

Eventually, continuing a fast food regimen can lead to you becoming overweight. Just by cutting out fast food from your diet, you can lose weight quickly. Setting this as one of your weight loss goals for the New Year can easily be accomplished once you have identified it as an area you want to change.

Make a Commitment

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The first step in reaching your New Year goal of giving up fast food is to make a commitment to do so. When you make a commitment to yourself, and accept that as something that you want to delete from your life to live healthier, you are also identifying a benefit.

Giving up something that you may love is not easy, but when you have it attached to a benefit, you will be more inclined to stick to your goal. If you don’t see a benefit, the opposite will happen, and you will revert back to your old habits. Once you stop eating fast food, however, and begin eating healthy, real, whole foods, you'll probably find you actually don't miss it as much as you think you will!

Cook Meals Ahead of Time

To avoid those days where you work late or the children have activities that get done late, cook extra meals on the weekend and freeze them in serving size containers. Just by taking the extra time on the weekend to cook a little more than you normally would, means you can have extra food readily available that just needs to be reheated.

When you know that you have something that you can simply place in the microwave for a few minutes to feed yourself and your hungry family in minimal time, spending money on fast food may not even cross your mind. After all, fast food is just about that – getting food quickly.

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Keep Healthy Snacks Available

Keep healthy snack bars or dried fruit available in your bag or purse for those times that you or your children are so hungry after leaving work or an event. Choosing to eat a healthy snack will curb your appetite and make you less likely to pull up to a fast food restaurant for a quick snack.

By keeping non-perishable food available at all times, you will never be caught off-guard. You will give your hunger satisfaction for at least two hours, which is more than enough time to drive home and cook a healthy meal. It’s all about choices.

Choose Healthy Restaurants

If eating out or grabbing a quick meal is your only option, make wiser choices on where you eat. While you are not hungry, research and look for other places to eat that may be healthier for you and still provide a quick meal.

Many natural food stores now have food bars and freshly prepared healthy meals that can be warmed up in the store or eaten cold. These stores are giving you the option to make good choices and to stick to your health plan of not eating fast food that is full of fat and salt.

Staying away from fast food is not as hard as you may think. All it takes is some pre-planning and that deep desire to make a change for yourself to live a longer, healthier life.

For lots more tips on eating healthy, along with delicious, healthy, and fast recipes to prepare at home, be sure to check out our Cooking From Scratch blog. In fact, we're actually doing a series this month on eating to lose weight, so go check it out!

5 Foods to Improve Your Running Performance

With the great weather we've been having this fall, there is plenty of opportunity to keep your fitness routine going all the way up through the holidays. If you're a runner, living in a cold climate can often derail your exercise goals if you are not able to get outside and run as much for several months in the winter. You can still run indoors though, and when you do, make sure you're eating the right foods to stay on track!

There are a few things you may already know about food and your running performance. You may have realized, perhaps by learning the hard way, that it’s not good to eat right before you run. You may have also realized that some foods give you more energy than others. But what you might not realize is that food also has numerous health benefits, and when you choose the right foods it can enhance your running performance. Here are 5 to incorporate into your diet year-round.

#1. Nuts

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Nuts like almonds and pecans have three benefits for runners. They contain healthy omega fatty acids which reduce inflammation. Reduced inflammation means less irritation and pain in your muscles and joints. They also contain a healthy amount of protein which is needed for muscle repair. And during runs nuts are rich in fiber which digests slowly in your body and helps your blood sugar levels remain even.

#2. Quinoa

Perhaps you’ve heard about this wonder grain. Quinoa is a whole grain that is packed with protein. As a whole grain that means it is an excellent source of carbohydrates which runners need for energy. And the protein in quinoa helps your muscles repair after your run. When your body has a food source to turn to for muscle and cellular repair it results in fewer aches and pains.

#3. Coffee

Caffeine is a common ingredient in many sports nutrition drinks, gels, and bars. It provides a nice energy boost during your workout. Studies have also shown that people who consume caffeine before a race or a run have a lower perceived effort level. Meaning they don’t feel like they have to work as hard to achieve the same result. Take care though; some runners suffer from stomach distress if they consume coffee before a run - and moderation is always key. One cup of coffee is plenty.

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#4. Salmon

We’re back to those amazing omega three fatty acids. Salmon is one of the best sources for these fats. They reduce inflammation throughout your body including your lungs and heart too. Studies have shown that eating salmon reduces asthma symptoms. You can also take an omega three fatty acid supplement or try another cold water fish like cod.

#5. Steel Cut Oats

Steel cut oats are the unprocessed form of oatmeal. They take a bit longer to cook than your standard quick oats but they taste better too. Try them with nuts and berries for a breakfast that will keep you full and energized for your entire run. The carbohydrates from the oats are an excellent source of energy. The berries provide antioxidants and the nuts are rich with omega fatty acids and protein.

Experiment with different foods to find the pre and post workout meals that work best for you. As a runner you know the importance of providing your body with energy, so give it the best fuel possible with these five foods.

Diet Vs. Exercise: Which Helps You Lose More Weight?

Which is more effective in helping you lose weight, diet or exercise? Obviously, in the perfect world you would exercise regularly, develop a sensible and nutritious diet, get lots of sleep and drink lots of water. That would help effectively return your body to its ideal weight. But if you had to choose one or another, exercising or dieting, which is the most efficient and healthy way to lose weight?

The short answer here is that there is no short answer. You really should exercise frequently while also eating properly. Unfortunately, a study out of Ohio State University's College of Public Health indicates that when you spend time on one action or habit, that often creates less time for another activity. You are focusing all your time and energy on exercise so your diet suffers, or vice versa.

Body mass index. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As it turns out, those that believe dieting will help you lose more weight than exercise generally have a lower body mass index (BMI). That information comes from a handful of studies published in Psychological Science. 1,200 participants in South Korea, China, France, Canada and the United States were asked what they believe the main factor is that keeps people overweight. Height, weight and other measurements were taken.

The shocking revelation was, people who believed fitness and exercise was a more important factor for weight loss than proper diet and nutrition actually had higher BMI numbers. They had more body fat. This is because your weight loss mentality impacts your food choices. If you believe exercise is more important than diet for losing weight, you don't pay as much attention to what you are eating and how much you are eating.

And if you believe that proper diet and nutrition removes more weight than exercise, you are more inclined to pay attention to what you put into your body. For instance, in one of the above referenced studies, the volunteers were offered unlimited chocolate. Time and again, those that believed staying active was the key to losing weight ate more than their diet-minded counterparts.

How can you use this revealing research to your advantage? Understand that exercise can definitely help you lose weight. But also remember that effective weight loss means putting the right things into your body in the first place. (See our main blog for lots of eye-opening articles where we reveal the truth about healthy eating - which the food industry does not want you to know!)

Cut back on fast foods, refined carbs, white flour, sugar and salt. Drink lots of water, which is often all your body requires when you think you are hungry. Consistently focus on creating a healthy diet, and find fun ways to exercise that you enjoy and can fit into your schedule, and your mental beliefs will help you reach your weight loss goals faster.