Body Blitz: 5 Simple Steps to Permanent Fat Loss. Joanna Hall

Чтение книги онлайн.

      THE LOW-DOWN ON BODY FAT

      So why do we have body fat and how can Body Blitz help us get rid of it? Whether we like it or not we all have fat in our bodies. Each one of us is born with 23 billion fat cells and each of these fat cells has the ability to get bigger and bigger, as well as smaller and smaller. A certain amount of fat is important for our bodies as it gives us shape, warmth and insulation – the problem comes when we start to store too much fat in the body from overeating and under activity.

      It is inevitable as we get older we are going to lay down more body fat as our body’s metabolism changes. To combat this we need to establish nutritional and exercise strategies to minimize body fat gain and improve our overall health. Fat cells do not disappear but the actual amount of fat in the cells can decrease and increase dependent upon how well we eat and how much exercise we take. The Body Blitz Plan provides you with all the strategies you need to lose body fat and weight – and keep it off for good!

      HOW CAN WE DECREASE THE SIZE OF OUR FAT CELLS?

      Unfortunately, if we are consuming more calories than we are expending our fat cells will get bigger and bigger. Although fat cells do not generally divide and increase in numbers, if we eat excessively and gain a significant amount of weight (40–50 pounds) then our fat cells will get bigger and divide and it is likely that the body fat gained at this time will pose more of a problem to shift. While this may seem depressing it helps explain why sometimes we look at friends and they appear to have dropped the weight effortlessly, while our own efforts seem to require a lot more persistence. Appreciating this will allow you to approach your Body Blitz Plan with a realistic picture of what you can achieve long-term.

      The most effective way to decrease the size of your fat cells is to reduce your weekly intake of calories. This can be achieved through a combination of sensible nutrition and physical activity (see Steps One to Five for specific strategies). For fat cells to get smaller we need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories per week. At first sight this figure can appear alarming, however the trick to effective body fat loss is to ensure that the calorie deficit is achieved slowly and consistently. Spreading the 3,500 over seven days means you are aiming for a decrease of 500 calories each day from your normal daily calorie range. If you split these 500 calories between accumulated physical activities, structured exercise and the nutritional strategies in the Body Blitz Plan, the figure becomes a lot more manageable. As we go through the book you will see how you can achieve this calorie deficit effectively, while continuing to live your life to the full. Different lifestyle constraints will mean that more emphasis will be placed on the different strategies at different times.