4 Fat-Burning Foods

Not all calories were created equal. Eating certain foods may actually help you shed body fat. We have so many reasons to eat right and control our weight. Some might be at the beginning of their journey, looking to replace their fatty counterparts with healthy alternatives, while others might be looking to shed the lingering five pounds remaining on their fit frame. Whatever your fat loss goals are, here are four fat-burning foods to help you drop fat fast. Fat Burning Foods




#1 Eggs How they help: “Eggs have been shown to enhance weight loss—likely by increasing satiety and allowing for reduced calorie consumption later in the day,” explains Brian Zehetner, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS. A study conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisians State University in Baton Rouge found that including two eggs with your breakfast helped reduce appetite and calorie intake for 24 hours compared to a breakfast of comparable calories from bagels. Those who ate eggs lost considerably more weight and abdominal body fat than those who consumed bagels. In addition, egg protein sports one of the best amino acid profiles found in foods, making it a great muscle builder. The fats contained in the yolk help slow digestion, reducing hunger and providing numerous health benefits. What to do: Consume two or more eggs up to five days a week as part of a healthy breakfast. Also, make sure to reduce fast-digesting carb sources, such as bagels, from your breakfast because they cause an insulin response that stimulates appetite and encourages body-fat storage.


 #2 Cinnamon How it helps: Cinnamon helps you control body fat by improving your body’s response to insulin and helping to burn body fat—two effects you want when you’re trying to shed some lard. First, cinnamon encourages insulin uptake in muscle cells, encouraging muscle building for those who are training rather than encouraging the storage of more body fat. Second, research has found that a compound in cinnamon (methylhydroxychalcone polymer) encourages body-fat reduction by enhancing glucose burning inside your fat cells—that’s like having a fire within a fire. For these reasons, cinnamon extract is often used in many fat-burning supplements. What to do: Liberally sprinkle cinnamon on your oatmeal. Add it to protein shakes (blending may be the best option to ensure that it mixes properly) and shake it onto your Starbucks blend of the day (it will add flavor without calories and deliver a double dose of fat-burning effects).



 #3 Oatmeal How it helps: This classic breakfast food may help reduce body-fat levels by providing slow-digesting carbs with plenty of fiber to keep your insulin levels stable throughout the day. A study performed at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom concluded that athletes who consumed slow-digesting carbs at breakfast and lunch had lower insulin levels than those who ate fast-digesting carbs (sugary carbs like fruit juices and sodas). Ultimately, this helps increase fat-burning because higher insulin levels help move fat into storage more readily, especially if you’re not training regularly. What to do: Eat a small bowl of oatmeal in the morning. For even better results, sprinkle it with cinnamon and eat it with two eggs and black coffee—that’s the breakfast of fat loss champions.



 #4 Green Tea
How it helps: The acceptance of green tea in America has shown steady growth, even making some inroads against the more popular staple: black tea. While both teas contain caffeine—which helps boost metabolic rate—the primary fat-burning component in green tea is the catechin epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG inhibits an enzyme that breaks down norepinephrine. Also, this neurotransmitter is crucial for regulating your metabolic rate. By inhibiting the breakdown of norepinephrine, green tea effectively increases your metabolism. “Both caffeine and EGCG have a mild effect individually, so reaping the benefits of both in a healthy and good-tasting beverage makes sense,” says Zehetner. What to do: You can drink as much green tea as you like, but research has shown that supplemental forms of green tea extract are even more effective for burning fat. For best results, you should take up to three doses of 500 milligrams each day.

Systemic Working Of The Physique:

Most sports require a strong core region, making the squat a valuable addition to many athletes training programs. As a muscle-builder, squats - both the standard version and its variations - are unsurpassed for building leg size from all angles, and for working the physique systemically.




Squats work all the muscles of the quadriceps (the rectus femoris - middle head- vastus lateralis - outer head - and vastus medialis - inner head) and hamstrings (the biceps femoris - outer head - semimembranosus - middle head - and semitendinosus - inner head), along with hip flexors and abductor (on the outer thighs) and adductors (on the inner thighs). Physically Demanding: The benefits of squatting do not end there. In addition to at least 75 percent of the body's muscle (primary ones being the shoulders, back, trapezius, gluteus maximus, and calves along with the thighs and hamstrings) being worked through the squat, it is the most physically demanding of the various weight training exercises, so will therefore enhance cardiovascular health and endurance levels.


Metabolic & GH Stimulation:

The squat, due to its intense nature, will also stimulate the metabolism greater than any other movement, which will assist with fat burning, both during the exercise itself and at rest. Also, of special interest to bodybuilders, and due to its degree of difficulty and strenuousness, is its ability to release higher amounts of growth hormone, which will contribute greater overall gains in muscle size and strength. Strength Enhancement: Lastly, the squat has been shown to enhance strength in all other lifts due to its ability to work a greater range of muscles, thus adding to its reputation as a total body developer.


Standard Squats:

Hailed as the king of all bodybuilding exercises, the front squat is known to add more total body mass than any other movement. As a leg mass-builder it is unparalleled, so should form a major part of any bodybuilders training arsenal.

Preparation & Execution:

Position bar in squat rack about three inches below the upper shoulder area. Place hands evenly spaced on the bar, and place bar comfortably across trapezius area. Push weight up using legs, not back. Walk weight out. Place legs at slightly wider the shoulder width with toes pointed sightly outward. Keep head up and chest out. Arch back. Slowly bend knees while keeping hips under the bar and torso erect (do not bend the back). Fully descend into a deep squat, while controlling the weight and keeping tension on the leg muscles. At bottom of movement, push bar up with feet and hips while breathing out forcefully. End at lockout and repeat (a non-lockout position can be used for one set of this exercise per workout).