Hunger is a sensation linked to the need for food. When this signal reaches your brain, your body will increase your impulsiveness to make food your number one priority. Consequently, you will lose concentration and the ability to make long-term decisions.
Also, the blood sugar drop increases your appetite for sugary foods. The more sugar intake, the more fuel for your body to burn before it reaches out to the fat stores.
So, being hungry does not mean that you are burning fat. On the contrary, after missing a meal for several days, it may shift your metabolism to store fat instead of burning it.
To lose weight, you need:
- First, to have balanced hormones. In this way your body will be able to burn fat.
- Second, to have a daily calorie deficit.
In this article, we will describe how to encourage your body to burn fat, and how to balance your hormones and keep the blood sugar in a healthy range to reach a healthy weight.
Make a discipline
Your hormones are balanced in rhythms, so having discipline for your mealtime helps your body to reset its natural balance.
You do not have to make a strict plan on day one. Just try to keep a record of the hours your body feels hungry. Then try to eat every day at the same hours.
Snacking between larger meals helps your body burn more fat by keeping the metabolism working all day. It also prevents your blood sugar from dropping heavily. And as a consequence, you will be less hungry and have less craving for junk foods and sugar.
Aim for having the last meal at least 4 hours before sleep. Since maintaining a balanced circadian rhythm is crucial to have balanced hormones, sleeping with an empty stomach helps you have much better sleep and consequently lose weight easier.
Pack in the protein
Aim for 20-40 grams of protein in each meal. Protein makes you feel fuller after eating.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), most people should fill:
- - one-quarter of their plate with protein, including meat, fish, beans, eggs, or dairy.
- - one-quarter of their plate with whole grains.
- - Half of their plate with fruits and vegetables.
Lower your carbohydrates intake
Carbohydrates include starches and sugars, which are the nutrients that your body turns to glucose to meet the energy to function.
When your body does not have enough sugar to burn for its needed energy, it begins to burn fat instead. So, to encourage your body to burn fat, you need to lower the amount of sugar stored in your body by reducing carbohydrate intake.
But have this in mind, not all carbohydrates are the same. The complex carbs in fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain products do not spike blood sugar as much as simple carbs and sugars do. On the contrary, vegetables are the best source of fiber. Unlike refined carbohydrates, the slow absorption of fiber makes you feel full longer.
Researchers have found that eating fibers makes the brain reach meal-ending satiation level faster. Fibers absorb the water from your body and the food, and transport it to your intestinal tract. They also fill up your stomach and make you feel full earlier. Therefore you can still enjoy up to 3 servings of fruits and an unlimited amount of vegetables in a day.
Substitute sugar with better options
Sugars or simple carbohydrates will be broken down quickly. As a result, after consuming sugary food your blood sugar level rises and then drops quickly. That’s why you may feel a burst of energy after consuming simple carbohydrates, followed by feeling tired.
Maintaining a healthy blood sugar level is a crucial step to getting fit. Limit your intake of products with added sugar, such as desserts, candies, juices, soda, and sweetened beverages.
It may be difficult for you to cut out sugar at first, but you can choose your sweetener wisely. It is much better to sweeten your dessert with honey or syrup if you have to. Substituting sugar with healthier ones will help you to lower your blood sugar level. And lower blood sugar helps you to take more advanced steps.
There are several sweeteners you can use for cooking and in your desserts, or to pour in your coffee as a substitute for white sugar, such as stevia extracts, xylitol, monk fruit extracts, Date paste, raw honey, etc. Among them, some still raise your blood sugar level, but all of them are better than white sugar.
Cut out sugar
Sugar triggers more cravings for junk foods and carbohydrates. It also makes your body unable to burn fat. However, you do not have to cut out sugar at once. Cutting sugar at once may make you feel tired and less energetic, since your body adapted to that level of blood sugar.
You can do it step by step. Try to cut it down slowly, or as I mentioned earlier, you can start by substituting sugar with healthier ones. After several months, your blood sugar decreases, and you can cut it out.
Sugar goes by many names. Agave nectar, syrups, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, honey, molasses, and more are all sugars. Always check the food labels, to find out how much sugar you will consume by eating that product.
Enjoy more fat in your low-carb diet
If you succeed in reducing your sugar and carbohydrate intake, you do not need to be afraid of fat. When you reach a healthy blood sugar level, your body will switch to using fat to supply energy for its function.
Weigh yourself less often
Transforming usually takes 3 to 6 months to be completed. In the first days of lowering your carbohydrate intake, your body will lose water. That is why you may feel you are losing weight faster in the first few days and not much after that. And this may make you disappointed when you see this reduction stop or slow down. And, as soon as you start to get back to your past eating habit, the water comes back. So, you may weigh yourself less often.
Being more active after meals
By following this method, you prevent blood sugar spikes after a large meal since your body uses the energy taken from the food you have just eaten.
Exercise is the key to burning fat. Your body burns stored sugar and begins to burn fat as you continue exercising.
