Body fat or adipose tissue is a constituent of the human body. Its primary function is to provide energy to the body. Body fat builds up differently in men and women. Recent studies explore the health consequences ensuing from these differences. 

Usually, men have an  apple-shaped  body. This is because men accumulate visceral fat   fat that is stored in the abdominal cavity   around the belly. Women, on the other hand, depict a  pear-shaped  body because they have more fat deposits around the hips. Visceral fat is extremely dangerous because it affects the internal organs of your body, including the liver, intestines, and pancreas. 

Body Fat Percentage in Men and Women 

To evaluate your health, it is essential that you know your body fat percentage (BFP). A healthy body fat percentage depends on a number of variables such as age, body type, gender etc. For example, BFP range tends to be higher in women than in men because women require more body fat. The average BFP of females falls in between 25% and 31%. 

What is a good body fat percentage?

Ideally, for men between ages 20-40, healthy BFP ranges from 8%-19%; between ages 41-60, normal BFP ranges from 11%-22%; between ages 61-79, the normal should be between 13%-25%. For women aged between 20-40 years, healthy BFP ranges from 21%-33%; between ages 41-60, normal BFP ranges from 23%-25%; between ages 61-79, the normal should be between 24%-36%. 

What body fat percentage is unhealthy?

Body fat percentage below or above the normal range (as stated above) is considered unhealthy. For instance, if the BFP of a woman aged between 20-40 years is more than 30%, then it is considered overweight. Similarly, if a 50-year-old man has BFP below 11%, he is deemed underweight. Nevertheless, there are several ways to maintain a good body fat percentage.

How to Lose Body Fat Percentage?

Many people come up with questions like   Is it hard to lose body fat percentage? Certainly not, unless you have a serious underlying condition (obesity or PCOD). You can reduce your BFP by following the pointers below- 

  Follow a protein-rich diet   It will decrease your appetite, reduce calorie intake, and preserve muscle mass. Good protein sources include dairy products, meat, eggs, legumes, seafood etc.   Add vinegar to your diet   Induces a sense of feeling full, lowers body fat, and reduces calorie intake 

  Eat more healthy fats   Helps you burn fat quickly. Coconut oil, olive oil, and avocados are good sources. 

  Reduce carb intake   Cutting down on refined carbohydrates like white bread/rice, pasta, snacks, cereals etc. can help you shed that extra flab. 

Besides following a healthy diet, you should also engage in physical activities to bring down your body fat percentage to its normal range. Exercise more often   begin strength training to get rid of belly fat and build muscle mass. You can also lose fat by consuming these natural fat burners:

  Caffeine   boosts metabolism and helps you burn more fat as fuel

  Green tea extracts

  Protein powder/supplements   boosts metabolism and reduces appetite 

  Soluble fibre 

Having a healthy body fat percentage is the key to staying fit and steering away from a host of ailments. Therefore, maintaining a balanced diet along with moderate exercise and routine check-ups is extremely important. 

How Body Fat Affects Men's & Women's Health Differently?

Milk is nutritious, but sometimes, avid dieters shrink away from consuming milk. It is generally believed that the fat content in milk hinders weight loss. On the contrary, milk has a lot of benefits.

Here are some facts you need to remember before you say no to milk:

Nutrients and milk: Particularly, milk is an excellent source of zinc, vitamin B, protein and most importantly, calcium. So when you ditch milk in your crusade of weight loss, you skip out on calcium, the mineral primarily responsible for good bone health. Some studies suggest that calcium can actually add to weight loss, but this needs more research to back it up. 
Health and milk: Previously milk did get a bad reputation when it was linked as a supposed cause of stroke and heart attack. But a recent study produced a result which proved the complete opposite, milk can actually prevent stroke and heart attack! According to research, milk can actually lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 
Muscles and milk: Milk contains whey and casein protein, both of which are high-quality proteins if you are looking to build muscles. Whey is a fast protein (gets digested faster) while casein is a slow protein (gets digested slowly). Your body gets a good and healthy supply of proteins when you consume milk, so don t write it off just yet. 
Fat and milk: As mentioned before, calcium can cause your body to burn fat. There is research pending on it, but the preliminary results suggest that dieters shouldn t skip out on milk. You might argue that you can just consume calcium supplements in that case. However, it has been discovered that other milk proteins to add to fat burning, which you cannot get from supplements. Milk is good for you, but it isn t a miracle weight loss food. So yes, you will need to follow a healthy diet as drinking a glass of milk with a couple of doughnuts will not help you at all.
So, milk is not all evil as people think it to be. It could be good for your weight loss plan. And the best way to incorporate milk into your weight-loss diet is to consume the low-fat skimmed milk variant than the whole fat milk as you get 90 calories from one cup of skimmed milk as compared to 150 calories from whole milk with nearly the same protein and calcium content. This way you get the best of milk without worrying about the fat in it plus an extra fat loss of 1 kg (9000 calories) from 150 cups over the time with a saving of 60 calories in each cup.

Milk - Is It Good or Bad for Your Weight Loss Plan?

If you are into healthy eating, but like a dose of fat in your diet, we have a surprise for you. Not all fats are unhealthy. Saturated fats should be taken as a part of your diet while trans-fat should be banished. There are a lot of fats that are healthy and can actually help in promoting good health. So, read on to know how to eat lots of fat and still be healthy!

1. Avocados: The fat in Avocados is a mono saturated fat. Other than fats, Avocados provides potassium, fibre, magnesium, folate & vitamin E.

2. Eggs: The fats found in eggs are considered healthy. Moderate consumption of eggs is not associated with increased heart disease risk in healthy individuals. Though eggs contain cholesterol, it is also rich in protein, biotin, choline, vitamin A & antioxidants lutein & zeaxanthin. Choline is needed to produce acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter for memory, mood, muscle control, and other brain and nervous system functions. Thus, egg being a good source of choline & other nutrients should be consumed in moderate amount. 

3. Fish: Fish has proven health benefits thanks to the omega three fatty acids which can actually aid you in your weight loss journey and keep your heart healthy. This lean protein also helps in giving you essential nutrition when ingested on a regular basis.

4. Seed Oil: Sunflower, olive oil and flaxseed oil have healthy fats with proven health benefits for everyone. The fats present in this kind of oil are very healthy and can actually help in retaining the good health of bones.

5. Nuts: Dry fruit, almonds, figs, pistachios and raisins help in giving you your daily dose of natural fats that are healthy. You can munch on these for essential vitamins and minerals along with the fat content.

Improve your overall health as well as the quality of your hair and skin with these essential and healthy fats!

Fats & Health - Can They Go Hand In Hand? 

5 Ways to lose weight with tea

Apart from going on a diet and / or hitting the gym, there are many natural ways to shed the extra kilos. One of these highly effective ways is drinking / sipping tea. Consuming Green tea, nowadays, has become very popular because of its many health benefits.

Also  tea is very effective at improving cellular function and your body's immune system.
Tea Contains nutrients known as phytonutrients that are found in fruits and vegetables. Also its flavonoid content can help you in losing significant amount of belly fat.

To help you to lose weight while improving your overall health, it is recommended to have tea without any milk or sweetener added into it. The many different ways that tea can help you to lose weight are-

1.Adding tea drinking When you are working out / going to gym:
A study reveals that having 4-5 cups of green tea every day alongside a 25 minute workout for 12 weeks can help an individual lose 907 grams more weight than an individual who doesn't drink tea.
Another Brazilian study has highlighted the fact that individuals who take about 3 cups of green tea every day tend to experience fewer cell damage brought on by workouts. So, to accelerate your body's recovery rate following an intense workout, it is best to consume green tea.

2. Before heading out for dinner
Having a cup of green tea before going out for a dinner can significantly reduce your desire to eat. This is because EGCG, the active compound found in green tea, brings about a boost in the production of the cholecystokinin (CCK) hormone, which is responsible for suppressing hunger. The more this hormone gets released, the more your desire for food decreases.

3. Before going to bed
Tea is also known to contain compounds that can reduce your stress levels, induce sleep and subsequently cut down your body's ability to store fat. For this reason, making a habit of having tea before your bedtime will prevent you from experiencing sleep deprivation, which is a factor that contributes to weight gain.
Before going to sleep, consuming a cup of chamomile tea can help to calm your nerves and release stress.

4. After you wake up
Having green tea right after you wake up can help in weight loss, as this is the best time when your body is better at absorbing EGCG, the active ingredient in green tea that is responsible for fat burning.

5. Adding it to your salads as a dressing
Adding green tea to your salads can increase your chances of losing weight. A study found that when used in salads, green tea can reduce your appetite by 40%, thereby helping in losing weight.  

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

How To Sip TEA Most Effectively for a Visible Weight Loss

5 Proven ways to burn 2 inches of belly fat in 8 weeks flat!

The fat that builds up in your tummy takes a longer time to burn in comparison to fats that are stored in the other parts of the body. 
Here are 5 effective ways to lose 2 inches of belly fat in just 8 weeks:

1. Go for a brisk walk - Brisk walking for 20 minutes every day can help you to lose 1 inch of belly fat in 4 weeks. Research reveals that going for a walk between 8am and noon is highly beneficial as working out in the morning light gives a boost to your metabolic processes, which enable your body to burn more fat.

2. Cook with coconut oil - Cooking with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil on a daily basis can help you to touch the 2 inches' mark as well. It contains medium chain triglycerides (a type of fatty acids), which are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and do not require bile for breaking them down, leading to faster digestion of fats. Plus, coconut oil doesn't increase your cholesterol levels since its fat content is burned as energy rather than getting stored in your body and causing fat accumulation.

3. Eat 3 hours before sleep - Several studies highlight that having dinner very close to your sleeping hours can hamper your sleep quality and its fat-burning ability. It not only increases your body temperature but also blood sugar and insulin levels while reducing the production of melatonin ( a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycle) and growth hormone. For this reason, it's best to have the last meal of your day 3 hours before your bedtime so as to allow the stomach acids and enzymes to convert the food into energy.

4. Have more proteins - Several studies show that having a protein-rich diet can be highly effective in reducing belly fat. Consumption of protein can cut down food cravings by 60%, enhance metabolic rate by about 80-100 calories a day, and reduce daily calorie intake by about 441 fewer calories/ day. Both animal protein and plant protein have been found to be effective against belly fat. Try including low-fat dairy products, fish, chicken, soybeans etc in your diet to shed extra inches from your tummy.

5. Include choline-rich foods in your diet - Choline is a water-soluble nutrient that acts on those genes that are responsible for fat storage. It breaks down fat in the body and uses it as energy instead. This nutrient is found in abundance in eggs, seafood collard green, and lean meats.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

5 Proven Ways to Burn 2 Inches of Belly Fat in 8 Weeks Flat!

Burn fat while you sleep

Its unbelievable but true! you can lose weight even as you sleep if you strictly follow these lifestyle changes.

1. Eat small frequent meals every 2 hours during the day: your body needs energy for metabolic functions. Your body may crave for sweet and junk food, but have that in portions like cheese, butter, chocolate of your finger tip size, chicken/fish of your palm size is absolutely okay to have once a week, either you can substitute your cravings with healthy food like a date or a piece of dark chocolate for sweet cravings.
There are certain foods that burn fat while you sleep. 

A. Whole grains - including whole grains (whole wheat, barley, brown rice, quinoa, wheat germ etc), legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans etc), dairy foods, spicy foods, green tea, and citrus fruits, in your daily diets.
B. Have citrus foods daily - citrus fruits which includes vitamin c plays a role in body's fat burning process.
C. Consume green tea - it boosts your metabolism as it is rich in antioxidants.
D. Spicy foods - spices are known to improve metabolism. If you've had a tasty dinner, sleep without worry that your body will be losing calories while you sleep.

2. Sleep well: how long you sleep and how well you sleep, are both equally important for your body. Minimum 8 hours of sound sleep is very important.

3. Resistance training: for your hormones to function properly and for your body to burn fat
Weight or resistance training is a must if you want to keep your metabolism high. When you lift weights, you increase the amount of calories your body burns. Hours after you lifted weight, your body continues burning the fat.



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