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by B. SixWise
About 46 percent of women and 33 percent of men are trying to lose weight, according to a study published in Obesity Research.
Whether you are consciously trying to shed some pounds, or are hoping to tone up before warm weather comes, there are certain techniques that can help you do so faster.
We’ve all heard about the importance of eating fewer calories and exercising more — surely an important facet of any weight-loss strategy. However, the following little-known techniques will support that strategy to help you burn even more fat and calories.
1. Eat Hot Peppers
Adding red chili peppers to your food “could contribute to the dietary management of obesity,” said Angelo Tremblay, a Universite Laval obesity nutrition professor.
That’s because capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers, is thought to play a role in curbing appetite and boosting metabolic activity.
“Maybe you can have the same effect with curry, so go to your favorite Indian restaurant,” Tremblay continued. However, researchers are still trying to determine if this effect, noted in animal studies, applies to humans.
2. Eat Smaller Meals More Often
By breaking up your meals into four or five (or six or seven) small meals, instead of the typical three, you are keeping your insulin levels under control for the entire day. Out-of-control insulin levels can lead to fat accumulation.
Not only that, but your body burns calories while it digests food. So, the more often you digest, the more calories you will burn.
3. Drink Lots of Water … Preferably Cold
If your body is dehydrated, it will not burn fat efficiently and it could lead to sugar cravings and fatigue. The typical recommendation is to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day … but according to some experts you should make sure it’s cold water.
“Drinking eight ounces of cold water can burn off an additional 9.25 calories as compared to room-temperature water,” says J.T. Kearney, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist.
4. Eat Sufficient Protein
Your body burns about 10 calories digesting every 100 calories of protein but just 4 calories for the equivalent amount of carbs. In other words, just the process of digesting protein burns a significantly greater amount of calories than does digesting other foods.
“A protein-based meal will elicit a thermic effect that is close to 30 percent of the total calories itself,” says Jack Groppel, Ph.D., co-founder of LGE Performance Systems in Orlando, Florida.
However, be sure you don’t overeat a high-calorie protein source, such as a bacon double cheeseburger, as this would be counterproductive. Instead, eat smaller amounts of protein, such as eggs, bison, poultry or lean ground beef, regularly throughout the day.
5. Eat Cinnamon
U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers have found that eating one-quarter to one teaspoon of cinnamon with food can boost your metabolism 20-fold, by making your fat cells more responsive to insulin.
6. Do Your Cardio Workout Last
According to Ken Fitzgerald, owner of Lift Gym in New York, you should do your strength training before cardiovascular work when you’re at the gym. This is because it takes your body 15 minutes to warm up enough to burn fat. If you jog for 30 minutes, then, you are only burning fat for 15. However, lift a few weights first, and your body will be warmed up and able to burn fat for the entire 30 minutes.
7. Work Your Muscles
The greater your muscle tone, the more calories you burn — even when you’re at rest. So some type of weight training should be a non-negotiable part of your workout routine.
8. When You Can … Fidget
Purposely moving around whenever you can, by stretching your arms, changing posture or standing, burns more calories than unconscious fidgeting, according to Mayo Clinic researchers. They found that this conscious activity (which they call NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis) can burn an extra 300 to 800 calories every day.
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