It seems that everyone wants to find out how to burn fat, whether it is about the tips for shedding those extra winter pounds or advice on making a serious adjustment to their lifestyle and long-term health. With the obesity epidemic on the rise all over the world, it is no surprise that the past decade has seen more fat-burning diets, products, strategies, and tips than ever before. If you are desperate to burn fat quickly and finally reach your health goals, then you will need a comprehensive strategy of dietary choices, exercise, and lifestyle changes. By approaching fat-burning from multiple angles, you are more likely to burn fat healthily – and keep it off!
Table of Contents
Ways to Burn Fat Fast
There are many lifestyle choices you can make to burn fat fast, including going to bed earlier, drinking more water, reducing screen time, eating out less, and wearing a pedometer.
Sleep Well
Studies have shown that being sleep-deprived can seriously impact your weight, by not allowing your body to repair and re-charge during a full night’s sleep, so be sure to get enough rest! [16]
Cardio helps to keep your belly in shape. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Drink Water
Drinking water will keep your body hydrated, which is essential for normal metabolic functioning, but if you drink water before every meal, it will also cut down on caloric intake and lower your risk of overeating. [17]
Avoid Smoking
Smoking adds carcinogens to your system, which can increase oxidative stress and put a strain on your immune, respiratory and metabolic systems, while also making you more sedentary, thus leading to fat storage. [18]
Limit Use of Technology
In today’s technology-driven world, it can be hard to pull yourself away from tablets and devices, but these activities keep you stationary and lead to a sedentary life. Limit your screen time to 2-3 hours per day if you are serious about burning fat. [19]
Spend Time Outside
Spending more time outside naturally makes you more active, as you are required to walk more, you increase your vitamin D supply and are more likely to experience passive fat burning.
Avoid Eating Out
Although eating out at a restaurant is a fun treat, it can be difficult to track your calories and monitor your fat intake. Try making more of your meals at home and avoid fast food whenever possible. [20]
Use a Pedometer
Using a pedometer to count your steps will help you hold yourself accountable to your goals, and the gamification of pedometers and related apps make it a fun way to burn fat fast! [21]
Easy Ways to Burn More Fat
If you have ever wondered how to burn fat with a change in your diet, try foods like high-protein meals, eat small meals more often, reduce overall carb intake, and add green tea to your daily intake.
High-Protein Diet
Adding more protein to your diet, particularly from lean meats, fish, and tofu will help you increase muscle mass and burn fat faster by increasing metabolic speed and boosting energy levels. [22]
Vary Your Meals
You should ensure that your caloric intake is varied throughout the day and week. Eating different types of healthy foods will make your digestive system more adaptive and responsive to different nutrients.
Gradually Reduce Calorie Intake
Don’t go on a crash diet or cut your calorie intake in half, as this will leave you feeling weak and unmotivated to lose weight or burn fat. Gradually lower your calorie intake every few days, giving your body and your metabolism time to adjust to the leaner diet. [23]
Eat “Good” Fats
Eating “good” fats, like omega-3 fatty acids, will help to reduce levels of “bad” fats and triglycerides in the body, which will improve metabolic efficiency and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. [24]
Eat Small Meals
Eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day, rather than overloading your stomach and system 2-3 times per day, will keep your energy levels consistent and train your body to always be burning fat, even when you’re not exercising! [25]
Reduce Carbs
Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars and stored as fat by the body, depending on the type of carb you are eating. A great way to burn fat fast is to significantly reduce your carb intake to stop additional fat deposition. [26]
Tips to Shed Body Fat
Some of the easiest ways to shed body fat include taking the stairs, taking vitamin D supplements, finding a support network, and standing at work.
Vitamin D
Studies have shown that high levels of vitamin D can help your body burn fat faster and make your workouts more efficient, so take a supplement or get out in the sunshine! [27]
Find a Network
A support structure can be key when trying to lose weight and burn fat. Join a gym, speak with friends who have also tried to lose weight, and ask about their best ideas for how to burn fat.
Take the Stairs
Taking the stairs whenever possible can become a routine in your life that burns small amounts of calories and gives your body tiny bursts of physical activity throughout your day. [28]
Goal Setting
Make specific and realistic goals that will hold you accountable. Saying you will lose 30 pounds in a month isn’t healthy or realistic, and you could be discouraged when you miss the mark. Choosing a realistic target will keep you motivated and working hard. [29]
Get Rid of Scales
Get rid of the scale in your bathroom, and don’t be a slave to every fluctuation in weight. Burning fat and changing your lifestyle is a gradual process, so sweating every pound lost or gained is a poor use of your energy.
Exercises to Burn Fat
For people who want to learn how to burn fat by changing their physical activity levels, some of the best exercises include high-intensity interval training, weight training, sprints, countdown workouts, swimming, and jumping rope.
High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Alternating brief periods of intense exercise with brief periods of rest in between can kickstart your metabolism in a major way. This is widely considered as one of the best exercises to burn fat fast. [30]
Sprints
Similar to HIIT, sprints are concentrated periods of intense energy expenditure and calorie-burning that can drop your fat levels fast. [31]
Swimming
This exercise works out almost every part of the body, without any negative impacts, as you might get from running. Many obese people wondering how to burn fat fast find success with regular swimming. [32]
Jumping Rope
You burn more than 10 calories per minute jumping rope, and it works multiple muscle groups, making it an excellent and simple way to rapidly shed fat. [33]
