Targeting fat for weight loss as oppose to just losing body mass in general results in better overall health. It is the fat that causes heart attacks, hypertension, diabetes and other problems that plague young and old alike.

As a result, targeting fat loss means concerning yourself with more than just losing weight. Targeting fat loss means making sure that the majority of weight that you lose is fat.

So as oppose to just jumping on a scale to see if you lost a couple of pounds, buy yourself a device that also determines your body fat. In the mean time, here are some things to keep in mind to ensure you’re losing fat.

First, exercise at your target heart rate. Even though you are also burning carbs at this point, by exercising in this range helps to ensure that you are losing the maximum fat possible. Trying to go all out for the entire exercise session will not only wear you out quicker, but it will also cause you to lose lean mass.

Secondly, eat at least 4 meals a day. When you eat, your body uses the energy from fat to process the food. The more meals that you eat, the more fat that you’ll burn. Over time this will have a dramatic effect on your fat for weight loss.

Third, consume low glycemic foods. Low glycemic foods, also sometimes call fat burning foods, require your body to work harder to digest. The more work your body does, the more fat it will burn. Just about any whole food falls into this category and when it comes to fruit make sure you eat the skin as well. The lowest glycemic part is found there.

And last, stay away from process foods. This is the single greatest cause of weight gain as consuming them rapidly raises your blood sugar- a signal to the body to start storing fat. By abstaining from these foods, soft drinks included, you decrease gaining fat and your weight loss goes up.

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Fiber is a roughage that is an excellent supplement for helping to increase your weight loss. Most know its benefits of keeping things moving out of your body, but few are aware of it’s benefits as an aide for getting those pounds to shed more quickly.

What exactly makes its use as a diet aide so special? Well first of all, many dieters complain that they sometimes feel empty after eating. By adding more fiber to you diet, you will not only be adding a healthy substance to your diet, but you’ll also feel fuller after you finish eating.

But you say, won’t that add more calories to my meal? Believe it or not, it won’t. This is the truly wonderful thing about it. Fiber does not digest when you eat it, so no calories are added to your meal.

But what about the calories you see associated with it on food labels? True, there are calories associated with fiber on labels, but the calories are not absorbed in your body. In fact most of it is used by bacteria in the colon. And since these calories do not raise your blood sugar, they are not counted towards your carbohydrate total.

Okay, but how does it make me feel full you ask. When you eat fiber, it absorbs water and swells in your stomach. This swelling is what makes you feel full. Also, since fiber absorbs water, it is important to drink at least 8 ounces or more of water.

As for finding fiber, it is found in fruits, vegetables, beans and grains. Sorry, juices don’t count. You need whole foods.

However, a nice technique to use with fiber to cut down on even more calories is to consume a dietary fiber supplement such as Colon Cleanse or anything with psyllium husk, 30 minutes before you eat. Because it leaves you feeling full, you are less likely to eat as many calories. As for its purgative properties, don’t worry. It’s not harsh like a laxative, so you won’t have to live in the bathroom!

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Your choice of foods is an obviously important part of any weight loss program. And no matter how much you try to convince yourself, cinnabuns will never be considered a diet food. However, an overlooked problem that goes unmentioned is that many of you cut back on your calories too much and therefore do not consume enough food during the day.

When it comes to weigh loss too little food is just as bad as too much food. For many this seems counter-intuitive. But as we take a look at how the body operates, you will understand why.

When there is balance between the food eaten and energy expended,your body neither loses nor gains weight. Of course when you eat more calories than you take in, your body responds by adding weight.

When you subtract calories, your body responds by losing weight and compensates for the energy deficit by consuming mostly fat. For fat to metabolize, carbohydrates are necessary. This is why in exercise physiology they say that fat burns in a “carbohydrate furnace”.

When you consume too few calories, especially carbohydrates, your body has to get that energy from somewhere else. This means that it will not only burn fat, but muscle as well.

As long as you’re in a negative calorie deficit, you will continue to lose weight, but body your fat ratio will be higher because of the catabolizing of muscle. If you are eating sufficient calories to replace the loss of carbs necessary to burn fat, your body fat ratio will be lower.

So by consuming sufficient calories, you not only continue to lose weight, but help to preserve muscle mass. If on the other hand, your calorie intake is too low, your body will respond by consuming muscle tissue as well.

So to obtain the best body possible, make sure you consume a sufficient amount of nutrients to keep your body burning fat efficiently.

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