This Is Exactly How Many Hours of Sleep You Need to Burn Fat Fast

Quick—what’s the best way to lose weight? If you said diet and exercise, you’re on the right track. But as it turns out, there’s a super effective method for burning fat, and you’re already doing it every day. In fact, the key to burning fat is so easy that you could do it in your sleep (literally!)

“One of the biggest mistakes that most people make [when trying to lose weight] is not sleeping enough,” Shawn Arent, director of the Center for Health and Human Performance at Rutgers University, told Business Insider. Here are 9 more ways to lose weight in your sleep.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, your body repairs itself by releasing growth hormones while you sleep. Those hormones stimulate muscle and protein synthesis, as well as a fat breakdown process called lipolysis. You’ll practically burn fat in your sleep if you eat this one food at night, too.

Since growth hormones tend to peak at night, not getting a good night’s sleep cuts that essential process short. Research shows that only getting four or five hours of sleep a night can lead to obesity down the road. Here are even more of the worst habits for belly fat.

The solution? Ideally, you should sleep seven to nine hours per night to keep your body burning fat while you snooze.

“Seven to nine hours seems to be a pretty consistent time frame for when we get the best repair and where we have the least relationship to obesity,” Arent said. “In other words, it’s kind of that nice window where you don’t oversleep, you don’t under sleep, and there’s enough repair that takes place.”

The National Sleep Foundation generally recommends that adults sleep for seven to nine hours every night, in order to wake up refreshed and alert for the day ahead. Next, read about these tricks to flatten your belly without a lick of exercise.

[Source: Business Insider]

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18 Ways To Win The Fight For Size

PUNCH UP YOUR MASS When it comes to training, are your gains coming faster than an Ali one-two combo? Or are you getting worked over in the corner like some washed-up pug, folding up under a rain of body blows?

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20 Ways to Beat Post-Holiday Weight Gain

Drink water

People often mistake thirst for hunger, so next time you feel like noshing, reach for water first. Drinking also helps you feel full. Some experts suggest sipping water (or iced tea) just before you sit down to a meal. Continue drinking as you eat to add volume and weight to your meal. 

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13 Best Keto-Approved Thanksgiving Foods

Turkey

Turkey Day without turkey would be a sad holiday indeed. Great news for ketogenic (keto) dieters: Turkey is entirely keto-friendly. Spice rubs and marinades are also typically keto-friendly. Just avoid any that use sugar or flour. “If you reach for turkey, grab a leg instead of a breast, since dark meat is higher in fat,” recommends Lindsey Bristol, MS, RD, of Swanson Health. Check out the 10 unexpected health benefits of the keto diet.

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11 of the Most Inspirational Weight-Loss Transformations

“My wife’s courageous cancer battle inspired me to be healthier.”

In November 2015, newspaper editor Jon LaFontaine was faced with devastating news he never expected to hear: His wife, Emily, had leukemia. During this dark time, this couple fought together to win the scary battle, which included Emily’s two bone marrow transplants. Throughout his life, LaFontaine had struggled with unhealthy food addiction. But after witnessing the love of his life conquer leukemia—her doctors declared her cancer-free in December 2016—LaFontaine was inspired to change his lifestyle and prioritize his health.

Over the course of a year, he dropped 95 pounds, crediting much of his success to Subway, where he selected veggie-rich meals instead of more fatty options. Once he started exercising and burning more calories, he added low-carbohydrate snacks but always paid close attention to his calorie intake to ensure that he was burning more than he was consuming.

While the details might seem exhausting, LaFontaine believes that shifting his lifestyle and mental attitude is what made weight loss possible. “If you want to lose weight, it’s about committing yourself to choosing healthy options, moderating the portions, and forcing your body into action. It requires consistency, too,” he says, “actively squashing excuses to eat bad food, excuses to avoid working out, and excuses to ‘start next week.’ It took me eight months and one day to lose 95 pounds; however, it took me nearly 12 months to even start my healthy journey.” Need inspiration from more weight-loss transformations? Be sure to repeat these 15 mantras for weight-loss motivation.

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11 Things that Happen to Your Body If You Stop Eating Red Meat

You may lose a few pounds

Red meat is calorie-dense, so cutting it out of your daily diet could mean a lower number on the scale. “Most portions of meat are more than the actual protein requirement, and these larger portions can be replaced by alternative protein sources that are much lighter in calories, still satisfying, and also easier to digest,” says Sally Warren, PhD, traditional naturopath at Metro Integrative Pharmacy. “A three-ounce serving of beef can be around 170 calories, but a portion of beans can be around 100 calories and tofu around 70 calories, each supplying the same amount of protein.” It may not seem like a huge difference at first, but it can add up over time. Fish, chicken, and legumes are lighter calorie alternatives, and good replacements to choose. A 2015 review article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reported that people on a vegetarian diet lost more weight than those on a non-vegetarian diet, although vegans shed more weight than people who still ate eggs and dairy products. Here are 13 more body changes you experience while eating a vegan diet.

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14 Foods with Way More Sugar than You Realize

Yogurt

Eat a carton of flavored yogurt and you might as well eat a candy bar. “Despite the small carton size and association as a healthy food, a typical low-fat strawberry yogurt can contain 26 grams of sugar per serving,” says Jennifer Jackson, MD, of Ascension Via Christi Health. Opt for plain yogurt, which has zero added sugar—or Greek yogurt, with nearly twice the amount of protein—and add your own fresh fruit, plus a hanful of nuts for healthy fats and staying power. Follow these simple tips to eat less sugar (without really trying).

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