Your Guide to Reducing Body Fat: 5 Super Fat-Burning Foods You Must Eat + Fat-Burning Exercises You Can Do at Home!

Reducing body fat is the latest trend in weight loss! Have you ever been happy to see your weight drop a little, thinking you’re getting slimmer? But be careful, it could be an illusion! If you have too much subcutaneous fat, your weight will rebound quickly once you return to your normal eating habits! So, how can you effectively reduce body fat? Do you know how to calculate your body fat percentage?

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The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Body Fat: Fat-Burning Foods + Fat-Burning Exercises

Reducing body fat is the trend in slimming down! If you’ve noticed a drop in weight, don’t assume it means you’re actually getting slimmer. This could be a false impression, as excess subcutaneous fat may easily return once normal eating resumes! Even individuals with a normal weight and a slender figure may have a large amount of internal fat, which is often referred to as "puffy fat." So, how do you effectively reduce body fat? And do you know how to calculate your body fat percentage?

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Want to Reduce Body Fat? It All Starts with Understanding Body Fat!

Women with high body fat typically have an apple or pear-shaped body, meaning their waist and lower body tend to be more full. To reduce body fat, it’s important to first understand what body fat is. The human body is made up of bones, muscles, fat, and water, among other components, with fat being one of the main sources of energy. Fat also helps regulate body temperature, cushions external impacts, keeps the skin moist, and supports hormone functions. There are three types of body fat:

• Subcutaneous Fat: This fat is located just under the skin. If you pinch some skin, you’re feeling subcutaneous fat. It helps protect the skin from external impacts and defends against cold. However, too much subcutaneous fat can make the thighs and buttocks thicker, leading to lower body obesity.
• Visceral Fat: This fat surrounds the internal organs like the stomach and intestines. When there is excess visceral fat, it leads to a bulging stomach and central obesity.
• Blood Lipids: These include cholesterol and triglycerides. While you can’t see blood lipids from the outside, high blood lipids can lead to serious diseases like stroke, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

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How to Calculate Your Body Fat Percentage?

So, how do you actually measure your body fat percentage? Various body fat scales are available on the market to help individuals calculate their body fat percentage by sending a mild electrical current through the body and measuring the impedance. These devices use data such as height, weight, gender, and age to estimate body fat percentage and muscle mass. Although different brands may show slight variations, they are generally accurate. However, here are a few tips when measuring:

• 1. Measure on an Empty Stomach: It’s best to wait for at least 3 hours after eating to measure your body fat percentage. Measuring first thing in the morning after using the bathroom will give you the most accurate results, as water retention from urine can affect the results.
• 2. Consistent Timing: For the most accurate results, measure at the same time each day to track your body fat percentage over time.

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What’s Considered a Normal Body Fat Percentage?

So, what is a normal body fat percentage for women? The normal range for body fat percentage differs between men and women. If your BMI is within the normal range, the body fat percentage should be:

• Men: 15-25%
• Women: 20-30%

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Excessive Body Fat Increases Risk of Cancer and Aging!

Excessive body fat not only makes you look overweight, but it also seriously impacts your health. Studies have shown that women with body fat over 30% are 1-5 times more likely to develop age-related diseases such as gout, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Additionally, the lack of muscle strength can cause the skin to lose elasticity, and excess body fat makes skin sag and appear older.

Also, individuals with excess weight are at a higher risk of cervical cancer, stomach cancer, gallbladder cancer, colorectal cancer, kidney cancer, and breast cancer. It’s ideal for women to maintain a BMI between 18.8 and 24 to reduce cancer risk.

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Why Do People Have Excess Body Fat?

The first assumption might be to eat less, but this is not entirely correct. Most people who try to eat less end up losing water and muscle mass, leading to a higher fat percentage. Additionally, certain bad habits contribute to high body fat:

• Dieting and Restricting Food: Many women use dieting as a way to lose weight, but the changes in body weight due to dieting are temporary. Once normal eating habits resume, the weight will quickly rebound. The body reacts to long-term calorie restriction by losing water and muscle, and when you start eating again, it stores fat to conserve energy.
• Not Drinking Enough Water: The body is 75% water, and adults should drink 1.5-2 liters of water daily. Without sufficient water intake, fat metabolism slows down, and the body is more likely to store fat.
• Eating Sweets and Sugary Drinks: During summer, many people can be seen holding sugary drinks, and a regular serving of sweet milk tea can contain about 600 calories. If consumed every day, that could add up to 2kg of weight per month.
• Drinking Alcohol Frequently: Alcohol is high in calories and provides no nutritional value. For instance, a bottle of 375ml beer has the same amount of calories as a bowl of rice. Excess alcohol consumption leads to increased body fat.
• Lack of Exercise: Many modern individuals, especially office workers, are sedentary, which not only increases the risk of various cancers but also leads to the accumulation of fat in the lower body and slows metabolism.

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Start Reducing Body Fat with Diet Control!

For women looking to reduce body fat, both diet and exercise play important roles. Start by improving your diet habits—don’t expect to see results immediately, but gradual changes can help reduce body fat effectively.

• Choose Whole Foods: Stick to whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, and meats, and avoid processed foods like cakes and cookies. These often contain high amounts of fats and sugars that can lead to excess calorie intake and hinder fat loss.
• Use Fewer Seasonings: Cooking methods are equally important. Fried and sautéed foods tend to contain a lot of fats. Opt for healthier cooking methods like boiling or steaming to avoid unnecessary fats.
• Replace Snacks with Fruits and Nuts: If you’re craving snacks during your fat-loss journey, choose fruits like strawberries and apples, or healthy nuts like walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts.
• Drink Moderate Amounts of Tea and Coffee: Green tea and black coffee (without sugar or milk) can help reduce body fat. Green tea contains catechins, which lower cholesterol and suppress fat absorption. Black coffee, with no added sugars, is a zero-calorie beverage that increases metabolism and helps burn fat.
• Avoid Sugary and Fried Foods: Sweets and fried foods, such as cookies, cakes, and fried fast food, are high in fats and sugars. Consuming too much of them will lead to increased fat accumulation.

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5 Super Fat-Burning Foods You Must Eat!

You can’t rely solely on exercise to lose weight. A combination of diet and exercise will yield the best results. Here are five foods that are not only delicious but also help burn fat and boost metabolism:

• Avocados: Avocados are rich in heart-healthy fats and fiber, keeping you full longer and reducing hunger during your fat-loss journey. They also contain potassium and magnesium, which help prevent bloating and regulate blood sugar.
• Salmon: Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is a great source of protein and helps improve chronic inflammation. Eating protein-rich foods during a fat-loss journey helps build muscle and increase your metabolic rate.
• Dark Vegetables: Vegetables like kale, spinach, and beets are rich in essential vitamins and minerals and help maintain health while aiding in fat burning.
• Green Tea: As mentioned before, the catechins in green tea boost metabolism and promote fat oxidation.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar helps control hunger and boosts fat breakdown. Add 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water or honey for a tasty and effective fat-burning drink.

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Exercises to Reduce Body Fat: Two Must-Have Moves!

To achieve successful weight loss, aerobic exercises and resistance training are essential! Here’s a breakdown of the two most effective types:

• Aerobic Exercise: Aerobic exercise is a full-body workout that burns fat and calories by increasing oxygen metabolism. Aim for a heart rate between 65-85% of your maximum heart rate and continue for at least 20 minutes to effectively burn fat.
• Strength Training (Anaerobic Exercise): Having enough muscle mass helps speed up fat burning. In addition to aerobic exercises, resistance training is vital for reducing body fat.

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4 Essential Exercises for Reducing Body Fat and Building Muscle!

Regardless of whether you’re doing aerobic exercises or strength training, both will help burn fat. Here are four must-do exercises for fat loss and muscle building:

• Jump Rope: A great cardio exercise, burning around 600 calories per hour while improving coordination and strengthening calves and ankles.
• Boxing: Boxing builds upper body core strength and burns 580 calories per hour. It’s a great fat-burning exercise.
• Jogging: An easy and effective way to burn 300-500 calories per hour, suitable for everyone.
• HIIT: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) boosts metabolism even after the workout ends, continuing to burn fat.

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At-Home Fat-Burning Exercises You Can Do

For those wondering if they need to go to the gym, these three exercises can be done at home and still effectively burn fat:

• Leg Raises
• Jump Squats
• Kettlebell Swings

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No Need for Exercise! One Solution for Effortless Fat Loss and Muscle Building!

Perfect Medical’s S6 Body Sculpting Treatment offers fat-burning and muscle-building features, which uses vacuum suction technology to burn fat and stimulate muscles without high-intensity exercise. It’s a great option for those too busy to work out but still want to slim down and tone their bodies. Interested? Book your session today and try it out!