7 Ways to Lose Fat Now

The number one concern for many people in springtime is weight loss. Actually it is not weight loss, but fat loss. Weight loss can be water loss or muscle mass loss, neither of which have any health benefits. It is only fat loss that generates the remarkable health benefits that come from weight loss.

Dr. Sears, famous for creating the ZONE diet says, “Gaining weight is not due to lack of willpower, but lack of hormonal balance caused by the diet. Likewise the best way to reduce excess fat is to re-balance your hormones.”

So here are Dr. Barry Sears’ 7 best tips for fat loss at the fastest possible rate. (Dr. Sears is the creator of the Zone Diet and one of the leading experts in the field hormonal responses induced by the diet and how they affect inflammation.)

1. Radically reduce your intake of omega-6 fats and replace them with monounsaturated fats. Excess omega-6 fats make a person fat and accelerate chronic diseases by increasing cellular inflammation throughout the body. Omega-6 fatty acids are now the cheapest form of calories and therefore are found in virtually every processed food product.

It is the omega-6 fats that drive cellular inflammation which is the underlying cause of obesity. This means getting rid vegetable oils (corn, soy, sunflower, safflower, etc.) and replace them with oils rich in monousaturated fats (olive oil, slivered almonds and gucacmole). This also means staying away from any processed food.

2. Replace grains and starches with non-starchy vegetables. This will lower the glycemic load of the diet and reduce the levels of insulin that makes a person fat and keeps them fat. Corn and peas are examples of starchy veggies you want to replace with green, leafy veggies.

3. Eat enough low-fat protein (fish, chicken, low-fat dairy products or soy imitation meat products) at each meal.  The size portion should fit in the palm of your hand. This is about 3 oz. of low-fat protein for women and 4 oz. of low-fat protein for men. These types of protein increase the feeling of fullness so you are less likely to snack between meals.

Another visual example: let the low-fat protein occupy about 1/3 of your meal plate and let the other 2/3 of your plate fill up with colorful carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables. Finally add a dash of fat that is low in omega-6 and saturated fats (the best “fat” choices are olive oil, slivered almonds or guacamole).

4. Eat healthy often. Never let more than 5 hours go by without a balanced meal or snack to maintain your hormones levels.

5. Take more omega-3 fatty acids in the form of purified fish oils. These fatty acids will reduce cellular inflammation as well as helping to burn fat faster when you exercise. You will need about 2500 mg. of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) per day.

6. Drink at least two glasses of water before each meal. This reduces calorie intake by about 14%.

7. Get at least of 7 to 8 hours of sleep per day. Less sleep increases insulin levels that increases the accumulation of body fat.

Dr. Barry Sears is the creator of the Zone Diet and the author of The New York Times bestseller, Enter The Zone. He is a leading authority on the dietary control of hormonal response and develops innovative approaches to help treat and reverse silent inflammation, the leading cause behind cardiovascular disease and Type-2 diabetes. A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Sears has dedicated his research efforts over the past 30 years to the study of lipids. He holds 13 U.S. Patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.