Weight Loss Tips-Losing Fat and Keeping It Off

Regular exercise maintains daily caloric expenditure after weight loss.

More than 66 percent of Americans are obese or overweight. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, back pain, poor metabolic health and premature death. A recent Gallup poll found that 51 percent of Americans want to lose weight, while only 26 percent are making a serious effort losing fat.

Weight maintenance is extremely difficult. Ninety-five percent of people who lose weight will gain it back again with in a year. One reason for this is metabolic rate slow after weight loss, making it extremely difficult to maintain the losses. An important study showed that aerobic or resistance exercise helps maintain metabolic rate after weight loss.

Researchers studied physically inactive, obese middle-aged women who lost an average of 25 pounds. One group did aerobics, another group lifted weights, while another was sedentary. The exercise groups, particularly the resistance trainers, were able to maintain metabolic rate (calorie burning) after weight loss, which is extremely important for preventing weight regain.

Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss

Success in many sports requires minimal body fat and maximal muscle mass. Intermittent fasting might help athletes achieve this goal. Athletes must make weight in sports like weightlfiting, powerlifting and martial arts. Constant dieting can sap energy and trigger glycogen depletion in the muscle and liver, which makes it difficult to train hard.

Intermittent fasting, involving periods of fasting and non-fasting, might help athletes lose weight and maintain energy for intense training. Fasting every other day or even once a week results in a calorie deficit over time that promotes fat loss. Modified fasting allows athletes to consume some calories, which might be more realistic and palatable. Short fasts are best for athletes because they don’t cause significant muscle loss. Athletes can fast on non-exercise days so they have plenty of energy for physical activity.

Melatonin Helps Cut Fat

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain that promotes sleep. It is produced in response to darkness and light. Also, supplementing melatonin might promote weight-control. In a study on lean and obese mice were given melatonin or a placebo their drinking water for eight weeks.

Melatonin reduced weight, fat storage area and reversed fat tissue enlargement in obese mice, but not the lean mice. It worked by decreasing inflammation and normalizing adipokines, which are important fat-signaling chemicals. Furthermore, melatonin supplements help promote sleep and losing fat.