How To Get Your Body Into Fat Burning Mode

It is common knowledge that burning excess fat can be extremely difficult. Indeed, for many, it is one of the greatest challenges of exercising and a common ultimate goal. There is no secret about it: burning fat (fast) is not easy. So what’s the secret to how to get your body into fat burning mode?

Among diet and exercise, several other factors can influence your progress toward fat loss. The good news is that, with the right effort and commitment, you can increase the speed at which your body burns fats. If you want to learn how to get your body into fat burning mode, you’ve landed in the right place, as I’ve collected for you some of the best ways to promote fat loss and reach your results quicker and more efficiently.

Turn to Strength Training to Burn Fat

Are you one of those people that still think that hours of cardio will be the only way you can burn fat quickly? Well, you should reconsider that. While cardio can be beneficial to fat loss and for burning excess calories, it alone won’t be enough.

If you want to learn how to get your body into fat burning mode, you should accept that you must include strength training in your routine. This type of exercise will help you increase resistance, build mass and increase your strength.

An example of strength training is using weights on a machine or free weights to provide resistance against your muscles, which can be easily done at your home gym too. Don’t make the mistake of confusing bodybuilding with Strength Training. By combining aerobic exercise with effective and appropriate strength training, your chances to burn fat and getting rid of excess weight will be maximized.

The benefits of strength training do not end here. Resistance training can also increase the number of calories your body burns at rest and is extremely effective in reducing the dreaded belly fat.

A simple workout consisting of 2 to 3 sets with 8 repetitions per exercise for the full body 2-3 times per week is adequate for the type of strength training we are discussing here.

Increase Your Protein Intake

Diet has a large influence on your overall health. Many people mistakenly assign the actual workout or strength program with cardio as the primary vehicle of fat burning. However, this is untrue. In my personal experience diet, getting your total calories required and your macros in the right spot, are the largest part of the equation.

In the chart above the point is that your time spent burning calories in the gym is dwarfed by the work you can do in the kitchen. A solid food prep routine with commitment and accountability will go further than gym consistency for weight loss. However, fat burning itself requires specific dietary choices.

Enter increased protein intake for increased fat burning capability.

If you want to burn more fat and reduce your appetite (known as satiety), you should start to follow a high-protein diet. By increasing your daily intake of proteins, you’ll be able to preserve muscle mass more efficiently and to speed up your metabolism, promoting weight loss.

Generally, eating more proteins also tends to increase the filling of fullness after a meal and to decrease appetite during the day, which will help you reduce your daily calorie intake while making it easier for you to lose excess weight.

Understand How Your Body Gets Energy and Adapt Your Diet Accordingly

You need to be aware that a balanced diet is essential for a healthy body. Your body primarily uses fats and carbohydrates as a source of energy, while proteins are mainly used to repair muscles after exercise.

If your routine consists of higher-intensity interval training, you should know that the primary form of energy to fuel such activities will be carbohydrates more than fats, as they are more readily available in the body.

For strength training resistance types of exercise, your body will mostly rely on fats, which is why you should not eliminate fats from your diet but prefer healthier sources of them.

What are good Fats?

• Cheese
• Avocados
• Whole Eggs
• Fatty Fish like Salmon, trout, sardines
• Nuts (found on both lists)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Yogurt (not the fat-free stuff)

The Cleveland Clinic has a great article on how to identify good vs bad fats. Check it out.

What are good carbs?

• Vegetables any and all
• Pumpkin Seeds and Chia seeds
• Whole grains: Oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc
• Whole Fruits: Apples, bananas, strawberries, etc
• Tubers: sweet potatoes and potatoes
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, etc.

Harvard Health, one of my go-to sources for nutrition, has a helpful article on good quality carbs.

It’s really about Calories in the End

In general, for fat loss, what counts is the number of calories that go into your body versus the number of calories you burn in a day. Make sure you follow a healthy diet, by taking into account your daily needs and ensuring that you burn more calories than you eat if you want to lose excess weight.

The point in adding the above paragraph is that it’s easy to get lost in the forest and lose the big picture. The big picture of losing fat and weight loss, in general, is that you MUST have a negative caloric balance in relation to your maintenance calories.

I’ve placed a calorie calculator on our site just for situations like this. If you would like more help with your calorie calculation or just have questions about it contact us.

Fat Burning Supplements and Herbal Choices?

I’m not a nutritionist nor am I an MD so take what I say with a grain of salt her and make sure you check with a doctor, as with any advice involving your health, before starting something new. However, there are several supplements and herbs that have been shown to increase metabolism and help with fat loss.

Not being a nutritionist my take here is from personal experience and that of clients. First and foremost I usually err on the side of NOT adding anything to my body that doesn’t naturally belong.

I don’t take pre-workout supplements. I don’t go to lose weight fast clinics either. In my world weight loss and fat burning are about hard work and changing behaviors.

That being said I’ve found the following helpful and examined thoroughly by those that do know this stuff professionally. Check out this link from WebMD on this very subject.

WebMD Fat Loss Suggestions

• Green Tea Extract
• Chitosan (not for those with a shellfish allergy)
• Chromium
• CLA
• Glucomannan
• Green Coffee Extract

At the end of the day, it’s about a calorie deficit as mentioned above and putting in the work to change habits. I’ve personally only used Green Tea Extract for a few months in the past when cutting for a powerlifting meet. My suggestion is to put in the work with diet and exercise first and when those are firing on all cylinders and you stall add one of these.

Exercise Regularly and Create a Routine

As obvious as this might sound; regular exercise is essential for long-lasting and efficient results. My personal experience has found that getting regular exercise involves removing barriers to not exercising. A huge barrier for many is time and money, which is why I’ve written on the home gym vs a gym membership.

Over time your body will adapt to regular exercises and increase your ability to burn fat even in rest mode. In fact, by exercising regularly, you ensure better blood circulation, which makes your body more efficient at extracting and delivering oxygen, which in turn, helps cells to burn fat at a constant rhythm.

To make sure you include some amount of exercise daily in your routine, you should schedule it daily. If you don’t have a lot of time, even a few minutes of regular, intense exercise will be beneficial. Make sure you change your daily routine to avoid overtraining but also to decrease boredom while exercising: keeping healthy should be your priority but it should also be fun and motivating!

The Bottomline: How To Get Your Body Into Fat Burning Mode?

It’s about diet and increasing your protein intake first and foremost. Further, adding strength training alongside a moderate amount of cardio is secondary. Finally, utilizing supplements can help as a last resort when you are stuck.

Now that you know how to get your body into fat burning mode, what are you waiting for? Stop finding excuses and start working out!