Will my body burn fat when I exercise?

At any time whether we are resting or exercising our body burns a combination of all three types of energy; carbohydrates, fat and protein. The only difference is that during activity the body burns a larger number of energy (calories) and a lower percentage of fat. Yes, a lower percentage of fat when we exercise. Remember though this does not mean less total fat burned, we burn many times more calories than at rest so even though fat percentage lowers it still results in more fat stores used up by exercise.

For beginners one thing to watch when attempting to burn fat is Anaerobic exercises. This is because these types can burn much less fat directly, as little as 10% fat may be used during anaerobic exercises. However anaerobic exercises such as weight training, basket ball and tennis should not be completely avoided as they can help to burn fat indirectly, as well as boosting overall energy metabolism so they can have value for losing weight. Anaerobic exercises would probably be best if introduced into a regime after some fitness has been developed through aerobic exercising.

Read more about the types of fuel used when exercising.

G.I.Dieting for many Dieters

The G.I. Diet is sweeping the UK, and many dieters are losing weight permanently. G.I. stands for Glycemic Index, it's basically a system which scores foods on how good they are at controlling appetite.

It works by helping steady blood sugar levels, a low blood sugar has been shown to trigger hunger. Many foods of today are processed and contain added fats and refined sugars. This not only adds to extra calories but the sugar is absorbed rapidly. A rapid rise in blood sugar causes the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone which helps lower the blood sugar. The problem is that such a rapid rise causes the release of too much insulin which in turn lowers the blood sugar too much. A low blood sugar causes us to feel hungry as this is our body's sign that we are low on energy. Now the dieter feels hungry and craves sugar. The person eats another meal of foods loaded with refined sugars and fats. The end result is the dieter eats too much food which are high in energy.

Foods with a low G.I. Index mean the sugar is absorbed slowly, limiting hunger and keeping energy levels up during the day. Low G.I foods don't necessarily mean healthy low fat foods, you'll be surprised at some of the foods on the list of low G.I. One of my clients started to eat porridge every morning for breakfast, she can't believe how effective it is at reducing mid-morning hunger.

Take a look at the list of G.I.Diet foods

Many other food list to help lose weight can be found from our weight loss homepage