When it comes to losing weight, the main goal is to burn fat rather than just lose extra pounds. Losing an equal amount of fat and muscle will still allow you to lose weight, but you won’t have the physical changes to the body that create the preferred beach body. By learning fat burning principles and techniques, it is possible to ensure that most of the weight lost while dieting comes from fat.

Start with nutrition:

One of the main fat burning principles that every individual should follow is a healthy diet plan. The secret to burning fat throughout the body is to reduce calorie intake and increase the amount of energy used throughout the day through exercise and movement. For many, burning fat begins in the kitchen.

The temptation to eat more calories than the body needs or simply reach for unhealthy foods without nutrition results in fat gain. The ideal diet plan should contain a high level of nutrients from dietary sources while eliminating unhealthy foods that have little or no nutritional value.

To burn fat, start by reducing your total caloric intake each day by 500 calories per day. This will naturally cause the body to start burning some of the extra fat stored in the body if the weight is currently being maintained rather than gained. If the problem is weight gain, it may be necessary to cut 600 or 700 calories per day to get the same impact.

The next part is getting proper nutrition. This means about nine servings of fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors each day, whole-grain carbohydrates, and lean protein sources.

Add some exercise:

Exercise is another component of burning fat. For basic good health, the body needs at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. To burn more fat, it may be necessary to increase that amount to 45 minutes a day.

Moderate exercise should combine weight training and cardiovascular aerobic methods to burn fat. Cardio aerobic options can range from running and biking to swimming or just walking at a brisk pace.

Weight training increases muscle mass. The more muscle there is in the body, the more calories the body will burn even when at rest. Weight training can range from simple exercises like push-ups and squats to lifting dumbbells and using a weight bench. The goal is to build more muscle.

Visit a doctor:

In some cases, a condition in the body can make it difficult to burn excess fat from the body. Conditions like hypothyroidism can slow down the body’s metabolism and result in increased fat gain.

If more exercise and lower caloric intake don’t result in extra fat loss, the problem could be related to a medical condition. Seeking a doctor’s advice in this scenario and having a few simple blood tests can determine if an underlying medical cause is causing the fat gain.

Burning body fat is about eating fewer calories than the body needs. Unless a medical condition is causing weight gain, a combination of reducing calorie intake and exercising more will result in fat loss.