The Myth About Reducing Fat
Posted by
Nirmala N.
I don’t know how many of my female friends struggle from the age-old problem of extra flab along their inner thighs. While exercise videos about toning the thighs fill the infomercials ad infinitum, there’s really no such thing as spot-reducing fat in specific areas of your body. According to fitness experts, another misconception is that fat can be conveniently replaced with muscle. Actually, by adulthood, we have a fixed number of fat cells and muscle fibers, and about the only thing we can really do is influence their size. That means that when you reduce body fat, you’re not shaving off fat cells—you’re just making them smaller.
So how to reduce the size of fat cells in general? Decrease the number of calories you eat each day. Do this by multiplying your weight by 11—that number is the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Just reduce this by about 200 calories a day, and there’ll be a gap between the calories you consume and those you expend, which will help you reduce fat.
Cutting fat to about 20% of your total intake would also be wise, as a gram of fat has nine calories, whereas a gram of a protein or carb only has four.
Burning calories through cardio (walking, skating, swimming, cycling) three to five times a week for 30-60 minutes helps a great deal, too, to increase your daily calorie deficit. When you start burning more calories than what you take in, your body gets energy by burning fat that’s already in your body.
Finally, lifting weights will help you become more muscular as your resting metabolism increases. You’ll burn way more calories while resting than you would if a higher percentage of your body weight comes from fat.
The Myth About Reducing Fat
Posted by Nirmala N.
I don’t know how many of my female friends struggle from the age-old problem of extra flab along their inner thighs. While exercise videos about toning the thighs fill the infomercials ad infinitum, there’s really no such thing as spot-reducing fat in specific areas of your body. According to fitness experts, another misconception is that fat can be conveniently replaced with muscle. Actually, by adulthood, we have a fixed number of fat cells and muscle fibers, and about the only thing we can really do is influence their size. That means that when you reduce body fat, you’re not shaving off fat cells—you’re just making them smaller.
So how to reduce the size of fat cells in general? Decrease the number of calories you eat each day. Do this by multiplying your weight by 11—that number is the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Just reduce this by about 200 calories a day, and there’ll be a gap between the calories you consume and those you expend, which will help you reduce fat.
Cutting fat to about 20% of your total intake would also be wise, as a gram of fat has nine calories, whereas a gram of a protein or carb only has four.
Burning calories through cardio (walking, skating, swimming, cycling) three to five times a week for 30-60 minutes helps a great deal, too, to increase your daily calorie deficit. When you start burning more calories than what you take in, your body gets energy by burning fat that’s already in your body.
Finally, lifting weights will help you become more muscular as your resting metabolism increases. You’ll burn way more calories while resting than you would if a higher percentage of your body weight comes from fat.