If you have always dreamed of melting that ugly and stubborn layer of fat around your body, and finally getting that six pack that the chicks swoon over, all while still being able to eat your favourite foods, then you may just want to read on...

Hey, sorry if that title and subhead was too "clickbaitey" for your tastes. However cheesy and outrageous that claim may sound, I would say it is true and ABS-olutely possible and achieveable (pun intended)

If you noticed, my title states "How To Burn Fat", without ever mentioning the word "Fast". Well the reason's simple. You can burn away all that fat to your heart's content, but you can't do it fast. 

I used to be an obese teen, always tired, always panting after climbing a short flight of stairs, and no matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get rid of that fat. I tried many exercise programs, countless diets, did thousands of situps and crunches, yet I still couldn't achieve what my ideal physique.. Let's face it, almost every guy out there like you and me want to get that smokin' hot bod with that ripped six pack abs, a set of huge guns with the bulging biceps and T-shirt hugging triceps, as well as a well-rounded chest. I wanted it so badly, I was willing to do anything to become that dream version of myself. 

That was when I discovered a secret, or rather, a principle, that only a few are able to completely grasp and understand. That was about three months after I started to lift. Once I heard of this principle, I was skeptical something so simple could work. But I gave it a try, and I've never looked back since I started 7 years ago.

As I said, 7 years in the iron game chasing aesthetics and strength without turning to drugs and stimulants and the unwillingness to follow a diet regimen has led me on a journey of research into sports science and nutrition, and though there is still a lot for me to learn with regards to lifting and fitness, I do know quite a bit about losing that belly fat that doesn't seem to budge no matter how many sit-ups and crunches one does, as well as about packing on solid muscle mass and gaining strength, which I'll probably cover in another post in the future.

So let's begin.

There is only, in my honest opinion, only one principle that rules the realm of fat-loss. Almost every scientific concept and proven diet that helps with weight loss and fat-burning relies on this one principle. Without this, you'll never lose weight or burn fat no matter how hard you try.

To lose weight or burn fat, you MUST be in a calorie deficit

Now, what is a calorie deficit? 

A calorie deficit is when you consume less calories than you burn. Or rather, simply put you're using more energy than you take in, where a calorie is a unit of energy.

It's that simple.

ENERGY CONSUMED < ENERGY BURNED 

Let's now look at the two parts of the fat-burning, weight loss equation

Energy consumed is really just what you eat. It doesn't matter what you eat, it can be pizza, donuts, fries, fried chicken, basically anything that you love. But do remember that moderation is key, and as long as you're watching how much you eat, there really isn't a need to watch what you eat. Take a look at an experiment done by Prof. Mark Haub, who lost a whopping 27 pounds by eating Twinkies, Oreos and protein shakes every day. Of course, don't even try it because common sense says it's not healthy and is a non-refundable one-way ticket to diabetes.  Of course, Prof. Haub went about his daily routine during this experiment, which just goes to show how a mere reduction of calories can directly lead to weight loss or fat loss. ( Haub went from having a BMI of 28.8 to a BMI of 24.9 which is in the acceptable range while he was overweight before. His body fat went from 33.4 to 24.9 percent )

The second component is burning off more energy. How can this be done? By exercising of course.

Going to the gym, lifting heavy shit and doing some form of vigorous activity each day for some time will definitely aid in burning off all them calories. One protocol I personally recommend is HIIT, or high -intensity interval training which has you complete specific strenuous exercises in a short amount of time, usually 20-30 minutes. It has been said to trigger an afterburn effect, where your body keeps working to expend calories at a faster rate for the next 24 hours or so.

Losing weight or burning fat is an eventual process and one should take it slow. Even though you're armed with this neat little fat loss principle, I would suggest against extreme diets where you cut down calories excessively. Males should consume at least 2000 calories a day, females at least 1800. Cutting too many calories out of your diet such as eating only 1400 calories a day may be unsustainable and may cause you to binge-eat.

So, remember not to restrict your diet and eat what you want, but do exercise moderation. Losing weight and getting the body you've always wanted shouldn't be a painful and hard process, but rather a period whereby you experiment with how your body reacts to differing caloric intake amounts. It may take a long time, but it should be sustainable in the long run, and you should see changes in your physique as time goes by.

All the best and have fun!