Burn baby, burn

Why is it so damn hard for women to burn fat?  The answer: I’m still looking into it, but I know that it’s different from men, and likely at least a little different from woman to woman.  Join me on my fat burner journey?  I’ll site and link my sources as I go along and will not claim that I know anything to be fact.  I’m just a 26 year old who has literally tried everything from boxing to bootcamp, marathon training to personal training, dieting to nutritional appoints bi-weekly.  I lost 50 lbs like it was nobody’s business and am having the hardest time loosing this last 30…What am I doing wrong?!

I started researching.  Google is my new best friend.  “Fat burning tips for women”, “women burn fat”,
burn belly fat”…you get the picture.  I’m going to start documenting my findings here and label them.  I cannot possibly be the only one having a hard time losing weight.  Here is what I found to start with.

Change up the Routine

According to Women’s Health: Your Fat Burning Routine (http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/burn-fat-now) “routine” is the bad word in “workout routine”.   This is something that I’ve kinda known but chose to ignore.  My trainer always says “confuse the muscles”.  Well – what on earth does that even mean?  It means change up your workout.  Here are a few tips mentioned in the article…

Treadmill – “Challenge your muscles. At the end of a workout, slow your speed to 2.5 to 3.5 miles per hour. Skip for 30 seconds, walk for 30; walk backward for 30, forward for 30; stand sideways and shuffle with your right foot leading for 30 seconds, walk for 30, and repeat with left foot leading.”

Elliptical – “Use intervals. During every third song on your MP3 player or every commercial break, ramp up the intensity and go as hard as you can.”

Weight Lifting – “Minimize downtime. Allow 1 minute between sets for maximum burn. You'll keep your heart rate elevated and your metabolism juiced — both helpful calorie-burning boosts.”

Eat to Burn Fat

Since exercise is best accompanied by a good diet, I decided to research some good “fat burning foods”.  I never really realized there were foods that existed that specifically helped you burn fat.  Once again, I’m drawn to Women’s Health, they say fiber is the key.  Their Fat Burning Food List (http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/ways-to-lose-weight-with-foods-that-burn-fat) lists a few foods that help burn fat.

Berries – raspberries have 8 grams of fiber per cup, blackberries have 7.4 grams of fiber per cup, and blueberries have 3.5 grams per cup…guess who’s buying berries at the store today?!

Turkey – the fewest calories per serving of animal protein and also contain leucine which they say “may play a role in preserving muscle mass during weight loss, keeping metabolism running at full speed.”

Enova Oil – “made from soy and canola oils — is made of diglycerides, a type of fat that's metabolized differently from triglycerides (found in other oils — even olive) and so not stored as fat as easily.”

Peanuts – curbs hunger

Low-fat Yogurt – they say that calcium might help fight fat, this is a good source of calcium.  I am lactose intolerant, so I won’t be indulging, but it makes sense for those who aren’t lactose intolerant

Breakfast Cereal – I’m kind of surprised to see this one.  I was always told high protein for breakfast is the best way to go…they are saying cereal because it’s lower in fat than bacon and eggs and is packed full of fiber. Hmmmm  WH Best Cereals for a Healthy Morning (http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/the-healthiest-breakfast-cereals)

I’m going to try this and actually document weight, inches, energy.  Will it work?  I sure hope so! 

PS - if you're joining in on the 52WPC (52 week photo challenge), the first photo should be posted by Saturday and linked in the comments on this page.  This week...colorful!