Starving in order to burn fat is not only unnecessary, it can be harmful to your health. At the very least it will slow the metabolism and sap your energy.

I’ve spent some time in Yahoo Answers over the last few weeks, and one of the questions that is often asked in the weight loss section is: “Do I have to starve to lose weight?” or “Do I have to starve to burn belly fat?” Even more disturbing was the cry for help from one girl, who had lost a few pounds and was scared to death that it was going to come back. She was afraid to eat a decent meal and wasn’t getting the proper nutrition from her diet. Most of the people who answered this plea just said, “No, don’t starve, it’s not good for you.” They didn’t offer any solutions, so I directed her to a free e-book which would educate her on the modern fat burning philosophy.

The starvation diet methods of the nineties are still lingering in the minds of many people. It is probably responsible for keeping some from even trying to burn fat, though they desperately need to. I can identify with that, I lost eighty pounds over 8 agonizing months on one of those plans. When i reached my target weight, the diet was over! I kept the weight off longer than most do, I think, but in 3 years I was back where I started. A “diet” should not be a thing you do for a period of time, but a healthier way of eating for your lifetime. That’s not going to happen if you’re hungry all the time.

Luckily, we’ve learned a lot about weight loss and burning fat (they are not exactly the same thing) over the last 15 years. And we’ll probably learn a lot more over the next 10 years. But what we have now is far superior to the “old ways”. We know now that we can burn fat by eating the proper amounts of healthy foods, which will support muscle maintenance, and burning off the fat through a more active lifestyle and a reasonable exercise regimen. Someone who has a lot of fat to lose may even get by without much exercise for a while, but it’s not recommended. The problem is, so many people are not aware of the new methods and are still stuck in the past.

These diets also recommended cutting your fat intake practically to zero. This deprives your body of beneficial fats and essential fatty acids, like Omega-3.

We now know that when you drop your daily caloric intake by more than 20 percent of your “maintenance” level, several bad things happen, which leads to binging and eventually just quitting the weight loss attempt. For one thing, your metabolism slows down, and your body goes into starvation mode. When this happens your system, not knowing when your next decent meal is coming, panics and trys to store fat and burn lean muscle tissue for energy. This combination makes it very hard to burn off fat, saps your energy, erodes your muscles, and weakens your immune system. Just for starters. That’s why I mentioned earlier that “weight loss” and “burning fat” are not quite the same thing. You can lose weight without burning much fat. Not good.

So starvation is not the way to go. By calculating my personal daily caloric needs and eating a diet of lean meats, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, I am burning two to two and a half pounds of fat per week and I’m never hungry. Sometimes I have to force myself to eat the next scheduled meal because I’m not hungry yet! And I’m burning fat now at the same rate that I was losing weight in the nineties. It’s just much more enjoyable now, and thus much more sustainable. I feel better than I have in years, and I have more energy. This is the reason I began this regimen in the first place, the weight loss is secondary. With plenty of delicious, healthy foods to eat every day, I have no desire to go back to my diet of trans fat!

Don’t starve yourself, and don’t go on a “diet”. Instead, adapt to a lifelong regimen of healthy, delicious food. Find a dietary system that will provide you with the macronutrient ratios you need to feel good and burn fat in the process. There are many new books on this subject in the bookstores, libraries and online. Click here for an example of my “fast food” diet menu.

By the way, the modern diet regimen also allows for occasional “cheat meals”. It is now understood that it is better to have a cheat and be done with, rather than getting frustrated and giving up altogether. So if you’re craving that piece of pizza, go ahead, then get back to the routine. Just be reasonable about the servings and don’t feel guilty, whatever you do. Remember, your new way of eating will make you feel better, improve your health, help to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other modern maladies. And you will burn fat without starving!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?id=1937701

Judson Lassiter
http://burnthatfatnow.com  ]]> http://burnthatfatnow.com/burnfat/burn-belly-fat-burn-fat-without-starving/feed 3 http://burnthatfatnow.com/burnfat/lose-inches-of-belly-fat-now http://burnthatfatnow.com/burnfat/lose-inches-of-belly-fat-now#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:44:28 +0000 Judson Lassiter http://burnthatfatnow.com/burnfat/?p=3  How To Lose Belly Fat With A 10 Minute Workout
By Steve Chaballa

Are you looking to change the shape of your body or trying to lose belly fat without joining a high priced gym? If so, try this high energized cardiovascular fitness routine that that was developed by Keli Roberts.

With this 10 minute exercise routine you can burn up to 150 calories every single day.

The first two minutes of this fat burning routine is: Jump Rope – Begin by performing two jumps for each turn of the rope. Safety: Use the correct size jump rope and always land softly on the balls of your feet (that is the upper part of the bottom of your foot). Keep thinking I am losing weight.

Minutes two to three: Squat Thrust into a Push Up. The proper technique for this exercise is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms strait down next to your sides. Slowly squat down with your head forward and bring your hands to the floor just outside of your feet. Your hands should be pointing forward as well. Then in one movement, push your legs back and out behind you (into a pushup position). Perform one strict pushup and then jump back into your squat position and then stand back up. Keep thinking, the fat is vanishing.

Minutes three to four: Jump Rope with only one jump per turn. Keep thinking, The fat is melting away.

Minutes four to five: Back to the Squat Thrust and Push Up only this time you are going to add the Side Plank. After completing your squat thrust and push up, you are going to lift and rotate your left arm off of the ground and over your head. Your left foot will rotate and rest on top of you right foot. And you will rotate your neck so you are looking up at your ceiling. Rotate back to the center and repeat on the other side. When finished, hop back into your squat position, stand up and start again. Keep thinking, no more belly.

Minutes five and six: Jump Rope. Same as minutes three and four. keep thinking, I am losing body fat.

Minutes six and seven: Back to the Squat Thrust and Push Up only this time you are going to add the Leg Lift. This is the same as minutes two and three only this time you will lift the toes of one foot about twelve inches off of the ground only after you have performed your push up. Lower your foot and repeat on the other side. Hop back up to your squat position, stand up, and start again. Keep thinking, goodbye belly.

Minutes seven and eight: Jump Rope. Same as minutes three and four. Keep thinking, my belly is getting smaller.

Minutes eight and nine: Back to the Squat Thrust and Push Up only this time you are going to add Mountain Climbers. Repeat everything as in minutes two and three only this time after your push up, you will quickly jog in place from your push up position. Make sure you bring your knees up to your chest on each rotation. Perform 5 jogs and repeat this entire process. Keep thinking, I am going to lose weight.

Minutes nine and ten: Jump Rope. Same as you first two minutes. Keep thinking. If I do this everyday, I will lose belly fat. Good luck to everyone.

We recommend using a soft padding such as a yoga mat when performing this exercise. This will cut down on any injury and save some of those knee joints for you. If you need more information on gym mats and yoga mats, please visit Ultimate Fitness Equipment – for all of your fitness needs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Chaballa
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