Fat Loss The Healthy Way

There are healthy and unhealthy ways to do just about anything — and losing weight is no different.

- Amy Benn

If you think that weight loss is all about calories in and calories out, you may be in for a surprise when I tell you that your muscle mass, metabolism, and overall health have about three times more impact on your ability to burn fat than what you eat. Sleep, rest, and stress reduction are also paramount.

And two more things: short bursts of high intensity body weight exercise is the most effective cardio, and eating whole foods regularly will speed up not only fat loss, but also muscle growth.

In my first season of competing, I was working full-time shift work, including weeks of night duty. I was chronically stressed, and I skimped on sleep. When I wasn’t looking after others, I was training. I was on numerous medications to keep my Crohn’s disease in check, and I relied on coffee to get through the day.

This lifestyle left me with what I like to call a ‘spare tyre’ of fat sitting around my midsection. As I prepped for my show, the fat seemed to come off everywhere except my stomach. As a fitness model, this was rather frustrating.

So I did some research …

FIRE UP YOUR METABOLISM

Here are five things you need to do to fire up your metabolism and burn fat the healthy way.

Increase your muscle mass: By weight training. This takes time under the bar, and it is best if you follow a structured program and focus on quality rather than quantity or volume.