By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro

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"Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action."
-- Benjamin Disraeli

Have you been trying to lose body fat, but find it comes off at a snail's pace? Tired of losing a pound a month as you exercise and diet your brains out? If you're working out with efficiency and maintaining a slight caloric deficit, you can actually lose up to 1.5 pounds per week. That's a lot of fat loss in the course of one year.

However, even if you haven't been consistent, I have some metabolism-boosting tips that should help ignite some good, steady fat loss.

1. Increase your meal frequency: That's right, I want you to eat more often, but don�t increase your total calories. For example, if you eat three times per day, break those three meals into five to six smaller meals and eat every three hours. Food can actually help burn body fat when it�s used strategically. When you eat a large meal such as a big bowl of pasta, you raise your blood sugar levels and the body increases its level of insulin. This only serves to make you fat! If you break your meals into smaller feedings it helps to control blood sugar -- this puts you in a better position to lose fat . If you�re an eDiets member, you�re already experiencing this great method through one of our many meal plans.

2. Break up your workout: Many people are pressed for time and the thought of exercise becomes another stress in their lives. With family responsibilities, work, financial pressures, etc. the thought of exercise is like a weight on their shoulders. However, research has proven that two short bouts of exercise per day will actually stimulate the metabolism more than one longer bout. Go for a brisk 15 minute walk first thing in the morning before work and then another one at lunch time. Do this five days per week and I know you�ll see progress at the end of 30 days.

3. Eat breakfast: Although this is an obvious one to me, I�m always amazed at the amount of people who think they're doing the right thing by skipping breakfast. I always stress to my clients to think of the body from the inside-out. The human body�s main goal is survival. If it senses any type of emergency, it will do everything in its power to keep you alive. If you sleep through the night and then deprive the body of food in the morning, what do you think the body is sensing at this point? That's right, it senses a potential famine and then holds onto stored body fat to keep you alive. I�m not exaggerating this point -- this is exactly what happens. Remember, calories from food represent heat. Use the heat to rev your metabolism.

4. Cycle calories: This is a technique I�ve used on several clients with amazing success. For three days, consume your minimum calorie requirement based on your height, weight and goals. Then, on day number four, increase your calories by an additional 400 (nutritious foods only). For example, if you�re losing fat by consuming 1200 calories per day, simply raise your calories to 1600 on day number four. This technique can actually get the metabolism racing and stimulate additional fat loss. Just remember that the additional calories come from good sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats -- not pizza.

5. Drinks lots of water: Remember what I said about thinking of the body from the inside-out? Muscles and other tissues are made up of approximately 80 percent water. If you limit your water intake, the body will retain water and make you feel like the "queen or king of bloat." We all know how absolutely awful it feels to be bloated. It doesn�t take much for this to happen -- the body only needs to be dehydrated by approximately 2 percent for this to take place. Drink .55 multiplied by your body weight in ounces of water per day. Staying hydrated will release some excess water trapped in the body and most likely reduce your weight by a few pounds.

6. Exercise in the morning: If you can fit it into your schedule, exercise in the morning. People who exercise consistently in the morning find that exercise at this time regulates their appetite all day long. They don�t get as hungry and they start the day with a boost to the metabolism.

7. Perform cardio interval training: Cardio interval training is simply short bursts of high-intensity exercise combined with more moderate intensity within the same workout. Studies have shown that people who perform interval training twice a week (in addition to two other days of lower intensity cardio) lose twice as much weight as those who do just a moderate cardio workout. You can easily incorporate interval training into your workout by inserting a 45 second burst into your stationary bike workout every four to five minutes. You can also add a 45 second super brisk walk to your treadmill workout in the same timeframe. Your body will be working harder and will be forced to burn more calories. In addition, you won�t need more than 25 total minutes for your workout. Try to get two additional days during the week of lower intensity cardio as well.

8. Boost your metabolism by reading instead of watching TV: Researchers at Memphis State University monitored 32 girls as they watched a half-hour television program. They found the metabolic rates dropped as much as 16 percent below resting metabolic rate. In other words, they burned fewer calories watching TV than they did just by reading!

9. Drink green tea: Green tea is a popular tea from Japan that has numerous health benefits, including weight loss. It�s not 100 percent certain how green tea helps one to lose fat, but it appears to increase the amount of calories the body burns -- not necessarily because of the small amounts of caffeine it contains, but due to a compound abbreviated as EGCG. When purchasing green tea make sure the label states that the green tea used is standardized for caffeine and EGCG.

10. Practice hydrotherapy: This could have been placed in the "drink lots of water" section but deserves its own section due to its efficiency. First thing in the morning, drink 32 ounces of very cold water on an empty stomach. Don�t eat breakfast for at least 30 minutes. The cold water will force your body to raise its core temperature, thereby stimulating your metabolism and excreting any excess water. You may find that you lose two pounds the first month you try this. If you want to take it a step further, do the same thing at lunch. Just make sure to wait the 30 minutes prior to eating. Remember though, if you�re consuming excess calories each day, this tip won�t work.

Try several of these easy-to-use tips and start getting your fat burning metabolism revved.

If you're looking for the ultimate solution, you can find it at eDiets with our results-oriented nutrition and workout programs, as well as through our ongoing commitment to member support.

Time to get started! Join eDiets and visit Raphael�s support group (Fitness For You) for interactive support! We all know that fitness is a vital part of living a healthy lifestyle -- let Raphael and eDiets help you on your way!