When it comes to losing body fat, everyone wants a quick fix. We want to be able to shed those pounds with minimal effort and get back to our normal lives as fast as possible. Unfortunately, this is not how bodies work. It takes a lot of hard work and determination over time for weight loss to happen, and there are no shortcuts to that process. That said, there are two different ways you can achieve your goal of losing body fat: diet or exercise.
No matter which path you choose, you have to be consistent.
In order to lose body fat, you need to be consistent in your approach. You have to be consistent with your eating habits and exercise routine. If you're not going to stick with something for the long haul, then it will never work for you.
The same goes for determination and motivation: if these things aren't there from the beginning, they won't magically appear later on when things get tough (as they inevitably do).
Both diet and exercise have their role in losing fat.
While both diet and exercise are important in losing body fat, you should focus on one or the other. If it is easier for you to stick to a strict diet than it is for you to get out and exercise every day, then start with a good diet plan first.
If you find that eating better is more challenging than working out regularly (or vice versa), then switch gears and start with an exercise routine before making any changes in your eating habits.
You can't lose body fat if you don't burn more than you consume.
You can't lose body fat if you don't burn more than you consume. That's the simple truth, and it's what makes losing weight so difficult for most people.
Your body stores excess energy from food as fat in order to use it later on when needed (for example, during times when there isn't enough food). The amount of energy stored depends on how many calories are consumed and how much activity occurs during the day (or night).
Lifting weights will help build muscle and make your metabolism faster.
Exercise is a crucial part of any weight loss program. While it's true that you can lose fat by just dieting and being active, exercise will help you get there faster.
When you lift weights, your muscles burn more calories than at rest. This is known as the "afterburn effect" or EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). When this happens, it means your metabolism has increased and thus burns more calories even when at rest--for up to 24 hours after your workout.
Eating fewer calories daily will lead to weight loss if done consistently over time.
The most important factor for weight loss is calorie balance. Calories in, calories out. You have to burn more than you eat to lose weight, and it's not as simple as just eating less food or exercising more. The number of calories you eat in a day determines your metabolic rate--how many calories your body burns on average every day--and if you take in fewer calories than that metabolic rate requires, then over time (usually weeks), those extra "spare" calories will be stored as fat rather than used for energy or growth.
Calories are a measure of the energy contained within food (or other substances). They're usually measured using kilojoules (kJ), which means 1000 joules; one kilojoule is roughly equal to 4% of an average man's daily energy requirement or about 9% for an average woman's daily requirement.
Consistent hard work and determination yield results
There are a lot of diet and exercise myths out there, but the truth is that both are necessary for losing body fat.
When it comes to losing weight and burning fat, there's not much difference between dieting and exercising--they're both important! If you want to shed pounds of body fat, then you need to burn more calories than you consume each day through exercise or activity (or both). But remember: if you want your weight loss efforts to be effective over time, they must be consistent--so pick an activity that works well with your schedule.
Conclusion
Losing body fat is a process that requires hard work and determination. You can't lose weight if you don't burn more than you consume, but if you do this consistently over time, then your body will begin to use its own fat stores for energy instead of the food in your stomach!
