Well, it is easier than you think. Do these 10 things listed in this post to shed upper back fat in 3 weeks. Get a toned and slimmer back. Continue reading.
How To Lose Upper Back Fat
To lose upper back fat, you have to tweak your diet a little, follow an effective workout routine, and make a few changes to your lifestyle. Do these, and you will start noticing a difference in three weeks. First, let’s see what kind of exercise you should focus on.
1. Upper Back Exercises
You need to target your upper back while exercising. Here’s a 10-minute, no equipment back exercise routine (timestamp below video). Mix your workout routine with these effective back exercises using dumbbells and barbells. Make sure you warm up before doing these exercises. Maintain good posture, breathe in and out while doing the exercises, and take at least 15 seconds break between each exercise. Note: If you have a lower back problem, avoid exercises like swimmers, butterflies, superman hold, wing fly, and back lift. Talk to a physical therapist to know the best exercises for you. Apart from targeting your back, you must aim to lose overall weight. Here’s how to do it.
2. Cardio The Fat Out
To lose back fat, you must also lose overall weight. Cardio involves aerobic exercises that help mobilize fat, improve metabolism, and enhance mood. Do cardio every alternate day (do strength training on the other days) for at least 45 minutes. You may also do HIIT exercises to burn fat more effectively in a shorter period. You will start to lose weight, be proactive throughout the day, and sleep better.
3. Cut Down Calories
Cutting back on calories will help you create a negative energy balance. This means that along with exercise, if you consume fewer calories, you will help your body burn the stored fat and also prevent it from accumulating more fat. But you must be careful with the calorie count. Your calorie intake should go up if you are active. Also, the calorie count is not the only factor. You should be aware of what you consume.
4. Consume Good Calories
Good calories are calories you consume from foods like veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean proteins. Veggies and fruits are low in calories, but you should be careful about the glycemic index of these foods. Include lean protein sources like fish, skinless chicken breast, mushrooms, tofu, and beans and lentils in every meal. Protein helps increase satiety and thermogenesis and improves muscle tone (7). Consume whole grains like brown rice, red rice, black rice, sorghum, barley, etc. These are loaded with dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Whole grains are low in calories and help fill you up quickly and keep your hunger pangs at bay (8), (9). Healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, avocado oil, fish oil, and rice bran oil are rich in PUFAs (polyunsaturated fats). PUFAs helps lower inflammation in the body (10), (11). This, in turn, helps prevent inflammation-induced weight gain (12), (13).
5. Give Your Kitchen A Makeover
Kitchen makeover is an important step while trying to lose back fat. If you do not have junk food in your pantry, you are less likely to be tempted to eat it. Donate the foods that might cause you to gain weight. Refill the cabinets with healthy and low-calorie foods.
6. Check Your Hormone Levels
Hormones play an important role when it comes to body fat distribution. Insulin resistance is closely related to back fat and belly fat accumulation. Consult a licensed physician to know if your insulin levels are higher than normal, which might be the reason for excessive weight gain.
7. Don’t Consume Junk Food
Junk foods like fries, burgers, pizzas, processed food, canned, and packaged foods, packaged fruit and vegetable juices, and frozen foods contain additives, preservatives, hidden calories, and food colors that are harmful and fattening. Avoid consuming these at all costs. Cook at home to make your meal wholesome. Here are a few delicious and healthy recipes.
8. Walk It Out
Stress is one of the common reasons for weight gain (14). Work, school, relationships, finances, and social media can cause stress build-up (15). This results in increased production of cortisol and inflammation. Cortisol may interfere with your appetite, making you feel hungry more often (stress eating) (16), (17). Inflammation also adds in by causing unexplained weight gain. Go out for a walk. You will feel a lot better, think clearly, and be able to decide based on logic, not emotion.
9. Get Some Shut-eye
Sleep is the best medicine for an overworked brain. Sleep deprivation has been linked to weight gain. Less sleep increases cortisol (stress hormone) levels and hunger and decreases insulin sensitivity (18). You need at least 6-7 hours of sleep to feel fresh and take on the next day’s work head-on.
10. Wear The Right Attire
Last but not least – your attire or what you wear is also important. Here’s what you can do. Wear the right bra. This prevents making the bra bulge too obvious and visible. Shop for clothes that suit your upper body shape. If you want to take attention away from your back, wear tops and dresses that have V-necks and stitch lines that make your upper body look slimmer (a lot of sportswear brands do that). You may also wear color-blocked dresses that make your lower body look proportionate to the upper body, cool jackets, and makeup and accessories that highlight your best features. These are the 10 things you must do for three weeks to see a visible difference. Does walking reduce back fat? Regular walking may not specifically target upper back fat but it may help you lose overall body fat. Can back fat go away? Yes, a combination of a healthy diet, good sleep, and regular physical exercise can help you lose fat all over your body gradually.
