When a person wants to lose weight, he wants to get rid of excess fat. However, in fact, it often turns out that most modern diets and training methods cannot burn fat by definition. As a result, it turns out that a person, along with fats, loses muscle mass.
To understand exactly how to lose weight, you need to know what the process of burning fat is. That is, due to what processes inside the body is fat burning.
The first process. Fat needs to be released from fat cells
Fat is located in fat cells, the number of which in humans remains unchanged regardless of the amount of fat. That is, when losing weight, we get rid not of fat cells, but of the fat that is in them. The more fat in these cells, the greater their size and mass. Fat cells can stretch very much. Now scientists have shown that the number of fat cells can change throughout life, but this change is not significant.
So, the first thing to do when it comes to losing weight is to release fat from cells. For this, it is necessary that somewhere in the body there is an energy deficit. The body then releases special enzymes and hormones into the bloodstream, which are transported through the bloodstream to the fat cells and release fat from the fat cell.
It is not difficult to create an energy deficit - you need to do any kind of physical activity. True, there are some nuances here, which we will talk about at the end of the article.
Second process. The fat has to be transported to the muscle that lacks energy and burned there.
The fat, after being released from the fat cell, is transported along with the blood to the muscle. When he reaches this muscle, he needs to be burned in mitochondria, the so-called "power plants" of a person. And so that fat can burn, it needs enzymes and oxygen. If there is not enough oxygen or enzymes in the body, then the fat will not be able to turn into energy and will again be deposited in the body.
That is, in order to burn fat, it is necessary to release it from the fat cell using enzymes and hormones. Then it is transported to the muscle and burned there by the reaction of fat with enzymes and oxygen.
This process can be called natural weight loss. Therefore, for proper weight loss, it is necessary for the body to receive physical activity, which would be accompanied by a large consumption of oxygen, and at the same time have all the necessary enzymes to burn fat. That is, he ate right. By the way, these enzymes are mainly found in protein foods.
Other articles that may be of interest to you:
1. How to run to keep fit
2. How to lose weight on a treadmill
3. The basics of proper nutrition for weight loss
4. Effective weight loss exercises
Some features of the process of burning fat in the body
There are two main sources of energy in the body - glycogen and fat. Glycogen is more potent and easier to convert into energy than fat. That is why the body first tries to burn it, and only then comes the turn to fat.
Therefore, the workout should last at least half an hour, since otherwise, especially with the wrong diet, during the workout you will never reach the point of burning fat.
Exercise with high oxygen consumption means any aerobic exercise - that is, run, swimming, bike, etc. It is these types of exercise that best promote fat burning. Therefore, strength training, especially in a stuffy room, will not help you lose weight. Yes, this kind of training will train your muscles. But they will still not be visible due to the layer of subcutaneous fat.
Ideally, aerobic and strength training should be combined, since running or cycling alone will also not give the desired result, because the body is able to adapt to a monotonous load. And sooner or later, regular jogging will simply stop working to burn fat. And this is where the alternation of the load will give the desired effect. Plus, the more muscles in your body, the faster fat is burned, so strength training is necessary with proper weight loss.
And the main point that many do not know about. Fat is a source of energy, not a localized tumor. That is why, by acting on a specific area, for example, on the stomach or sides, you cannot burn it in this particular place. The most you can do is to move the fat below or above the area you will be working on due to the elasticity of the skin.
Therefore, ab workout does not burn fat in the abdominal area - it burns fat approximately evenly from the whole body.
The only thing to consider is that each person has genetic characteristics. Therefore, some fat is best removed from the thighs, while others from the belly. This can happen even with absolutely the same training process and nutritional system - this is just a genetic feature.