The 14 Best Ways to Burn Fat Fast Start Strength Training. ... Follow a High-Protein Diet. ... Squeeze in More Sleep. ... Add Vinegar to Your Diet. ... Eat More Healthy Fats. ... Drink Healthier Beverages. ... Fill up on Fiber. ... Cut Down on Refined Carbs

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30 Simple Ways to Burn Fat Fast
Jill Waldbieser
Life's too short for diets. But burning fat? Everyone has time for that,
especially when it's as easy as these expert tips.
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2. RAWPIXEL.COM/SHUTTERSTOCK
Fat burning matters
Here’s the truth: You didn’t gain those extra pounds overnight, even if that’s the amount
of time it took for your favorite jeans to go from comfy to “did I shrink these?” And you
can’t take them off that fast, either (the pounds—but also probably those jeans now, too).
Every expert ever will tell you that crash diets don’t work, are unhealthy, and offer at best
a temporary 몭x since you may end up gaining back more than you initially lost once you
fall off the wagon. But that doesn’t mean losing weight has to be a slow, torturous
process either. Yes, you’ll still have to eat few calories than you burn, but nutrition and
exercise researchers have uncovered some scienti몭cally tested ways to make that easier
and faster than ever.
ROSTISLAV_SEDLACEK/SHUTTERSTOCK
Good news, bad news
First, the bad news. There’s no such thing as negative-calorie foods and no magic
combination of nutrients that will generate enough metabolic burn to widen your thigh
gap. Things like caffeine, green tea, and spicy foods do mildly increase your metabolism,
but not nearly enough to make a difference on the scale.
“You need a de몭cit of 500 calories per day to lose one pound a week,” says Stacey Pence,
RD, a nutritionist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The only way to do
that is to eat less (hard) or exercise more (harder).
So what’s the good news? There are plenty of things you can do—or avoid doing—that
will make it easier to eat less and move more. And that means the pounds will drop off
faster than you can imagine. Find out the 12 everyday habits that secretly slow your

3. faster than you can imagine. Find out the 12 everyday habits that secretly slow your
metabolism.
MCKYARTSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Stay hydrated
Water isn’t just a calorie-free beverage, it’s also essential to the process of metabolizing
fat, known as hydrolysis, says Pence. So it’s important to drink enough 몭uids every day—
and you’ll need even more if you’re overweight. A good rule of thumb is to drink a
milliliter of water for every calorie you consume. Not into the metric system? If you’re
following a 2000-calorie diet, that comes to 67 ounces or just over a half gallon of water.
Pence says there’s truth to the idea that thirst is mistaken for hunger. “Your body
monitors blood volume and when it notices that you’re dehydrated, it sends out a
hunger signal,” she explains. So drinking water and waiting 20 minutes to see if your
stomach’s still rumbling is a good tactic.
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4. VICTORIASKY1/SHUTTERSTOCK
Eat protein at breakfast
When you 몭rst wake up, you’ve been fasting all night long. Your body doesn’t have
anywhere to get protein other than your muscles, and you don’t want to lose muscle,
your most metabolically active tissue (in other words, it burns calories even when you’re
not doing a thing).
To prevent that from happening, says Jessica Crandall, RD, a spokesperson for the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and personal trainer, aim for between 20 and 30
grams 몭rst thing. She likes an egg scramble with veggies, cheese, and black beans or 몭lls
to-go coffee cups with a mix of Greek yogurt, chia seeds, nuts, and berries. Don’t miss
these 13 things experts won’t tell you about weight loss.
MAGDANATKA/SHUTTERSTOCK
And all day long

5. Studies have found that the more lean protein in your diet, the lower your risk of belly fat.
One possible explanation: Protein takes longer to digest than quick-burning
carbohydrates, but is less calorie-dense than fat. Which means it will keep you full longer
on fewer calories.
Protein is also key in building metabolically active muscle, which helps keep your
metabolism active. Try adding some of these sources of lean protein to your regular meal
rotation.
ALOHAFLAMINGGO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Take a multivitamin
When you’re cutting calories, it can be tough to make sure you’re still getting enough of
all the good stuff your body runs on. “Nutrient de몭ciencies can stall or halt weight loss,”
says Crandall. She sees lots of patients with low levels of vitamin D, for example, a
nutrient that is critical to parathyroid hormone function—it helps with weight regulation.
If you’re not eating a well-balanced diet, a multivitamin can be a good way to bridge
those nutritional gaps and make sure you’re not missing anything that could impede
weight loss or muscle building, such as calcium or iron.
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6. MYROSHA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Boost your 몭ber intake
“Most Americans are averaging 16 grams a day. The goal is between 25 and 30, says
Crandall. Here’s why you may want to take that challenge seriously: Studies have
consistently shown that the more 몭ber you eat, the less you tend to weigh.
Fiber—both soluble and insoluble kinds—tends to 몭ll you up so you don’t eat as much,
and is prevalent in lower-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables. Though not all of them,
Crandall cautions. “Lettuce does not have a ton of 몭ber” so you can’t get by on salad
alone. She recommends adding one cup of fruit or vegetables to every meal or snack to
meet your quota. Or try these 몭ber-몭lled recipes.
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Eat more frequently
Spreading the same amount of calories out over the course of your day so that you’re
eating within an hour of waking up and then every four to six hours will jumpstart your
metabolism, kicking off your calorie burn, and keep it going at a steady pace all day long,
Crandall says. This works for a lot of people by keeping blood sugar levels steady,
preventing the surges and plunges that can lead to ravenous hunger and overeating. It
also keeps you from feeling deprived.
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8. NIKITA SAVOSTIKOV/SHUTTERSTOCK
And stop eating earlier in the day
Nighttime snacking may be even worse than we thought. When researchers fed rats the
same number and kind of calories but varied whether they ate them over an eight- to
ten-hour period or a 15- to 24-hour span, the late night diners became obese while the
rats who noshed only during the day lost weight. While they haven’t identi몭ed exactly
why this occurred, they believe it has something to do with eating in line with circadian
rhythms, or our bodies’ natural internal clocks, which can be triggered by environmental
conditions such as sunlight. When researchers repeated the study with humans they got
similar results—seems like a good idea to quit eating at sundown.
NEW AFRICA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Get your omega-3s
These fatty acids rocketed to fame for their ability to decrease the harmful in몭ammation

9. These fatty acids rocketed to fame for their ability to decrease the harmful in몭ammation
that is associated with many chronic diseases—including obesity. Crandall is quick to
point out that researchers have yet to 몭nd a cause-and-effect link—so don’t expect to
pop a 몭sh oil supplement, for example, and drop 10 pounds. But, she says, getting
omega-3s from whole foods such as nuts, seeds, and fatty 몭sh like salmon is a good way
to hedge your bets. And bonus: If you’re suffering from other kinds of in몭ammation, that
can lessen your willingness to be active, omega-3s might help there, too. Find out the fat-
burning foods you should add to your diet.
PETERVANDENBELT/SHUTTERSTOCK
Get some fat at breakfast
Fat gets a bad rap because it’s more calorie-dense than other nutients—nine calories a
gram compared to four for protein and carbs. But emerging research indicates that
healthy fats can help you feel full and stay that way; that means you’ll eat less throughout
the day.
A recent study in the journal Nature found that mice who were fed a breakfast in which
45 percent of the calories came from fat tended to burn more body fat over the next 24
hours than those who ate a meal that was only 20 percent fat. This is early research—it
needs to be repeated in humans—but mono and polyunsaturated fats like those found in
avocados and nuts do have plenty of health bene몭ts when you eat them in moderation.
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10. FOXYS FOREST MANUFACTURE/SHUTTERSTOCK
Have some probiotics
A healthy GI tract is teeming with bene몭cial bacteria, and scientists are uncovering just
how important those microbes are for keeping your weight under control. They’ve
discovered that the strains of bacteria in the guts of thin people differ from those in
obese folks, and there’s evidence that certain types of probiotics may help aid weight loss
by assisting with the regulation of appetite, fat storage, and other related metabolic
functions. You can get probiotics from live culture yogurt and certain supplements.
While popping a pill or eating yogurt won’t magically shrink your waist, warns Ginger
Hultin, RD, gut health is important. Read more about the weight loss bene몭ts of
probiotics.

11. BORIS KUZNETS/SHUTTERSTOCK
Cut back on alcohol
We call it a beer gut for a reason: Your body tends to prioritize getting rid of any alcohol in
your system, so it targets those calories 몭rst, which may impede fat burning, explains
Hultin. Alcohol also tends to be higher in calories (7 per gram), and its inhibition-
dissolving tendencies may lead you to overeat. Lose the booze, and you’ll likely lose more
weight, too.
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12. DEAN DROBOT/SHUTTERSTOCK
Strength train
Most people think of cardio as a weight loss all-star, but you don’t need to spend all day
on the treadmill to slim down. In fact, you might want to concentrate your efforts in the
weight room. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, which means that it burns calories
even when you’re not lifting; your body burns calories just to maintain muscle, so the
more of it you have, the more calories you torch. You lose muscle mass naturally as you
age, a process known as sarcopenia, which is why losing weight tends to get tougher the
older you get. One study found that just ten weeks of resistance training increased
resting metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns when you’re not doing
anything) by 7 percent. Check out this simple strength training routine that challenges
your entire body.
JACOB LUND/SHUTTERSTOCK
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13. Spend less time at the gym (really)
High-intensity interval training—HIIT—has gained a reputation as an ef몭cient way to get
fast results. This workout involves short (30 seconds to 몭ve minutes), vigorous bursts of
activity interspersed with periods of rest for maximum results. Incorporating HIIT into
your strength training may offer even more results, according to a recent study by the
American Council on Exercise—the results suggest the combo may be even more
effective in burning fat fast.
TORWAISTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Get enough zzzs
“Poor sleep quality or quantity can make it dif몭cult to lose or even maintain your weight,”
says Darria Long Gillespie, MD, a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at
The University of Tennessee. When you are sleep deprived, your body becomes less
sensitive to the effects of leptin, the hormone that usually signals that you’ve had
enough to eat. At the same time, the amount of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, increases,
so you want to eat more. Together, it’s a recipe for overeating.
On average, Gillespie says, people need seven to nine hours of shuteye a night. If you’re
getting consistently less than that, you could be suffering the effects of sleep deprivation.
Here’s the exact amount of sleep you need to burn fat fast.

14. GOLUBOVY/SHUTTERSTOCK
Don’t sleep like a baby
Sleep quality matters as much as quantity, according to Gillespie. In general, an
uninterrupted seven hours is better than 12 hours of tossing and turning. Of course, for
new moms or others for whom sleep is hard to come by, naps are better than nothing.
But if it’s possible to get your nightly sleep done in a solid block, that’s your best bet, she
says.
Good sleep hygiene can help. “Our ancestors needed to sleep when it was dark, quiet,
and cool, Gillespie says. “That meant it was safe.” Despite technological advancements
like heat and air conditioning, our bodies still crave those cave-like conditions. Draw the
blinds, use a white noise generator, and keep the thermostat set between 63 and 68
degrees.
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15. ALICE-PHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Go to bed early and be consistent
There’s mounting evidence that our body’s natural internal clocks, or circadian rhythms,
drive a lot of our biological processes, including weight maintenance. They tend to sync
up with daylight. That could be why studies have shown that shift workers tend to have a
higher rate of obesity and weight gain—their body clocks are out of sync. One study even
found that a third of people who experienced an interrupted sleep cycle for less than two
weeks became prediabetic; all of the poor sleepers saw markers for the risk of obesity
and type two diabetes climb.
TIPPAPATT/SHUTTERSTOCK
Power down devices
Another thing that messes with circadian rhythms? The blue light of digital devices. “We
have seen increasing scienti몭c evidence that the more you use devices, the higher your
risk of obesity,” says Gillespie. The reason is twofold: One, the more time you spend in
front of a screen, the less time you’re running around and playing. But also, experts
believe, the blue light these devices emit can disrupt your internal clock. One study
found that using a blue light-emitting device before bed delayed the release of
melatonin, a hormone responsible for sleep, and the effect carried over to the following
night as well.

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17. AFRICA STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Don’t forget to fuel up
It’s a little counterintuitive, but consuming calories after you’ve just burned them appears
to be vital to fat-burning. Your muscles need a combo of protein and carbs to replenish
energy stores and build new muscle. In one study, people who downed a 270-calorie
shake with 24 grams of protein and 36 grams of carbs after their workout lost about four
more pounds of fat and built more lean muscle than those who didn’t refuel post-
exercise. Eating protein after a workout may help with lean muscle gains and could also
help to prevent overeating later in the day, says Lesli Bonci, RD, a nutritionist and owner
of Active Eating Advice. Find out what 몭tness instructors eat post-workout.
AFRICA STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Eat enough
Creating a calorie de몭cit will help you lose weight. But if that de몭cit is too big—you’re
eating too few calories—you could hurt your metabolism, says Bonci. Your body will go
into starvation mode, conserving every calorie by slowing your metabolism and ramping
up your appetite to try to force you to eat more.
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18. GIGGSY25/SHUTTERSTOCK
Don’t sit still
Moving isn’t just for the gym. Americans tend to sit too much in general. You can combat
that, 몭nds research, by engaging in “spontaneous physical activity”—몭dgeting, tapping,
and getting up from your desk or the couch frequently. Make moving a habit by
standing when you take calls, for instance, using the stairs when possible, or bouncing
your legs when you’re seated. Every calorie burned helps.
BETHANY TABBERER/SHUTTERSTOCK
Avoid diet soda

19. Avoid diet soda
Diet drinks can have a kind of mental placebo effect, making you feel like it’s OK to
indulge because you “saved” all those liquid calories. And research shows that your body
may be tricked too: People who chug one or more diet drinks a day are more likely to be
overweight—not less. Can the soft drinks, whether the sugar in them is real or a
substitute. Find out 30 other tiny diet changes that can help you lose weight.
KIKOVIC/SHUTTERSTOCK
Swap re몭ned grains for whole grains
You don’t have to nix all carbs, just make sure you’re eating the right ones. A recent study
published in Plant Foods and Human Nutrition found that after 12 weeks, men who ate
only whole grains lost about an inch and a half off of their belly, while those who ate only
re몭ned grains didn’t lose any. Toss the white bread and pasta and stock up on complex
carbs instead.
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20. ARTEM VARNITSIN/SHUTTERSTOCK
Be an early bird (at the gym)
Getting your workout in 몭rst thing can burn more fat than sweating it out later in the
day. When you 몭rst wake up, carbohydrates, your body’s preferred energy choice, are in
short supply, so your muscles are forced to burn fat for fuel, a process known as ketosis.
For men, they’re an added boost because testosterone levels are highest in the a.m.,
allowing guys to push a little harder during their workouts. Here’s how many minutes
you need to exercise to burn fat all day long.
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21. a good way to get rid of it.
CEGLI/SHUTTERSTOCK
Chill out
Literally: According to a recent study published in the Nature journal Scienti몭c Reports,
cold temps may transform body fat from the typical white kind to brown fat, which
actually helps you burn calories and burn fat fast. While more research needs to be done,
taking your workout outside on a cold day or setting the thermostat slightly lower in the
house could potentially help trigger the change at a cellular level.
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22. MAKESTORY STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Chill more
Figuratively, this time: Stress is a diet saboteur and it adds belly fat. University of Florida
Health researchers have discovered that chronic stress stimulates the production of a
protein called betatrophin, which interferes in normal fat metabolism. Meditate, get a
massage, take a vacation—just 몭nd a way to ditch the stress and those pounds will melt
away like your troubles. Here are 37 ways to ease stress today.
AFRICA STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Drink dairy
People often cut out dairy when dieting, but cow’s milk has a lot of the nutrients that are
essential to fat burning, including vitamin D and calcium. It’s also a great source of
protein, which you need to build lean muscle, which is why experts say milk is a better
post-workout drink than other beverages. Some research suggests that chugging moo
juice after exercise results in more muscle gain and fat loss than drinking energy drinks.
Find out more calcium-rich foods that are natural fat-burners.

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