There is no denial of the good fats, but sadly most people consume too many of the bad fats. Combined with little exercise it often leads to a slew of health problems – obesity, heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure, to name a few. Even if you are in good shape, listen up for a few practical tips to blast the fat.
Cut the amount of fat in your diet
How straightforward is it? Yet, easier said than done. If you are working on losing weight, visit many of the sites that offer extensive detail on the amount of fat, protein, carbs and vitamins in produce and many restaurant dishes. Some of the best examples are: Calorie Count, Calorie King, The Daily Plate, and Calorie Counter. As you can see from the names, they focus on calories but all include detailed fat information. Most of these sites allow you to set up a plan specific to your goals – weight loss, fat burn, low sodium or low sugar diets. Once you start writing down every morsel that you put into your mouth, you will be more accountable to yourself on the amount of fat (and other nutrients) you are consuming. Do it long enough and it will become a habit, and you can potentially eat without tracking down your meals. American Heart Association recommends your total fat intake to be less than 25–35% of your total calories per day. It’s possible you don’t need to lose weight but are still consuming a lot of fat or bad fat. So in the beginning, tracking your fat consumption and understanding the sources of it (that you need to reduce) is a helpful tool. When you are eating out, look for “heart healthy” items – they typically contain less fat.
Be selective about your fats
New York was definitely on the right track when the health-focused mayor Bloomberg ordered restaurants to eliminate trans fats from their dishes (and add calorie information). We know smoking is bad for your health, so there is no smoking in public places in many cities now. So why should we consume trans fats that have been proven to raise bad cholesterol, lower good cholesterol and contribute to heart disease at levels worse than saturated fat. Many restaurants, manufacturers and fast food chains love trans fats since they allow for longer shelf life thanks to the hydrogenation process. Sadly, according to the FDA, an average American eats 5 pounds of trans fats per year. Saturated fat has a similar effect on your cholesterol and should also be avoided as much as possible.
What you can do is to be selective – read your labels and avoid anything with trans fat and saturated fat. Trans fats are most commonly found in packaged foods, fries, doughnuts and popcorn. Saturated fat is typically in animal products – meat, dairy, eggs, some seafood. Certain oils – coconut oil, palm oil also have higher amounts of saturated fats. You shouldn’t be eating more than 7% of your calories from saturated fat and 1% of less of trans fats. With a slew of whole food-type stores and products, it’s not difficult to limit your consumption of these harmful fats. If you are unsure of the amount of fat you are eating, the first and easiest thing to do is to learn to read food labels as well as look up nutritional contents online. Plenty of the calorie counter sites above have mobile applications, so if you are eating out, you can still be aware of your food’s nutritional content.
Choose good fats
Not all fats are bad. In fact, your brain and body need the nourishment coming from some good fats, including monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. They are actually able to lower the bad (HDL) cholesterol and increase your good (LDL) cholesterol. They may also be able to lower your blood pressure. Monounsaturated fats include nuts – almonds, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios – and avocado and olive oil. According to Anne Collins, “Monounsaturated fats are typically high in Vitamin E, the anti-oxidant vitamin which is usually in short supply in many Western diets”. Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 rich seafood – salmon, herring – and sunflowers and sunflower oil. Focus your allotted daily consumption of fat on good fats only. And remember that all fats are rich in calories, so don’t overdo it on the amount.
Exercise actively and frequently
You should be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day. In our age of driving everywhere and hectic work schedules, activity is limited. So focus on staying active. If you can’t work out for 30 minutes or more in a row, break it up into shorter routines. Cardio (running, elliptical) is a known and popular fat blaster as you are achieving calorie burn (and consequently fat burn) fast. Note that lower heart rate (lower intensity cardio) are especially helpful in fat burn vs. muscle burn. However, it is the combination of strength training and aerobic activity that is most effective in helping you reduce the fat. Split up your workout into a cardio and weight training sessions. Mix it up to keep you interested and to keep your muscles challenged. If you are in the process of losing weight, having less weight as you exercise more will make it easier the next month with less overall body weight.
