Spot reducing, losing fat only from a specific place on the body, is not possible without surgical procedures such as liposuction. The human body stores fat where it wants to based on your genetics. It also removes the fat, when it consumes it, from where it wants to. And, in general, where it stores fat first is where it will lose it last and visa-versa. http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html
To lose the pear shape, you need to lose the fat and that means diet. Here are some things to consider regarding a fat loss diet.
- The only effective way to diet is to count calories. The fact is, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you're going to have to learn to count calories (Ok, Weight Watchers calls them "points"...that's just to keep their people in their program. It's still calories.). It takes some time but soon you'll learn to make good guestimates of your daily intake. And, if you're not losing or maintaining, you will want to take a look at your diet and make the necessary adjustments. Here's a good website for finding out how many calories various foods produce: http://nutritiondata.self.com/ .
- If you take in fewer calories per day than you burn, you'll have to burn fat. It's that simple. An average adult burns about 2000 calories per day minimum. So, in theory, if you take in only 1500 calories per day, you'll burn 500 calories per day in fat (your numbers may vary somewhat). Because a pound of fat will produce about 3500 calories of energy, a 500 cal/day loss will result in a loss of about a pound per week.
- It's never been easier to shed fat. Here's an excellent website to help you keep track of your calorie intake. It has a lot of helpful features too including tools to help you calculate how many calories you burn per day, a calories counter, etc. Check it out. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
- Eat smart. It should be obvious that if you eat foods which are low in calories/ounce, you'll be able to eat more food. So, eat smart. Avoid rich foods, foods high in fats and sugar, alcohol, etc. There are plenty of good frozen meals so don't think you have to prepare all of your own meals. Try to squeeze in some fresh fruit and veggies each day but be careful about those fruits. They can be very high in sugar and ruin an otherwise good diet. Just because something is consider to be a healthful food, doesn't mean that more is always better. Here's a great website, courtesy of your federal government, which will help you understand nutrition. http://www.nutrition.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=11&tax_level=1
- Crash digesting doesn't work. When you "crash" diet, trying to lose fat quickly, the body will counter your attempt by slowing your metabolic rate so you store fat more readily. However, because you are losing and can't store fat, the result is simply a slowing in the rate of fat loss...what is called "hibernation mode" or "starvation mode". When this happens, you need to stop dieting to allow your body to adjust to a normal diet again. Losing too much, too soon is counterproductive which is just another reason to
- Make it for life. Dieting properly is a matter of learning how to eat optimally and then changing your eating habits to conform to what you've learned. Dieting should not be about losing some pounds so you can go back to your old bad habits. Because your old bad habits are the reason you need to lose weight now, it should be obvious why you need to diet for life!
- Don't give up your guilty pleasures. A sensible diet can include fast food and some of your favorite guilty pleasures when done right. So, just keep the calories per month in the optimal zone, enjoy some of your special treats from time to time, and you'll be in control of your weight/fat situation and still be able to eat some of your birthday cake or comfort foods.
There is plenty more to learn about diet, exercise, and fitness and you can find much of it at the US National Institute of Health website: http://www.nih.gov/
The NIH Website is a great jumping off place for professionally reviewed information resources. Use it. Learn. Fitness begins with your brain.
Good luck!!
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