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By increasing your metabolic rate, or the rate at which you body burns calories, you can get rid of that belly fat and lose weight. It's a very simple equation, burn more calories then you consume and the fat will begin to burn away; up to a certain point anyway.
There is a point at which to few calories taken in can have an effect opposite of that which you desire. The thing you need to do is get your metabolism to speed up to the point that you can maintain your weight loss goals without starving yourself.
There are two main ways to increase your metabolism naturally:
1. Eat a healthy diet composed of complex carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. By eating the right types of foods you can speed up your metabolism and burn more calories then you take in.
2. Start an exercise program built around weight training and aerobic training.
If you understand how your metabolism works you will see why these two things have such a large impact on your ability to lose the fat. First you need on average 2000 calories a day to meet your metabolic needs.
Everyday you burn calories just going through your day. Even the smallest of bodily function require energy in the form of calories. This is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). You burn approximately 60% just through your BMR. Another 10% are burned during Dietary Thermogenesis which is the calories expended eating and digesting food.
Beyond that you need to boost your daily calorie burn through diet and exercise if you want to lose weight. Here's where weight training can boost your BMR. As your muscles are worked they actually tear and then repair themselves, becoming stronger and bigger. This requires energy in the form of calories and this continues long after your workout is finished. For each pound of lean muscle mass you will on average burn 50 extra calories per day.
Your diet also has an effect on how your body burns its energy. The more healthy and nutrient dense the foods you eat are the more calories you will burn through the day. This works because its takes the body more energy to extract those nutrients for cellular use. High fiber foods also require extra calories because of the amount of energy to digest them. Another metabolism boosting dietary strategy is to eat 5 to 6 smaller meals throughout the day. This keeps your energy levels high and keeps you from snacking.
So if you want to get your metabolism to speed up all it will take is some motivation on your part to eat healthy and start exercising regularly. Before long you will see the results as the weight begins to disappear as the new you appears in the mirror.
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Thursday, October 09, 2008 View other articles written by Andrew Bicknell(6,680)
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