HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT LOSING YOUR CURVES

Any successful weight loss program results in a reduction of fat all over your body. Often when women see this happening, they start to worry about whether or not they can hit their goal weight and still have curves. With the right combination of diet and exercise, it is possible to shed pounds while keeping your natural shape!

GRAB THOSE HEAVY WEIGHTS

Theres a reason why weight lifting is growing in popularity among women.

With the myth that lifting heavy will make you too bulky largely dispelled, ladies are starting to discover the benefits of working with free weights and barbells. Strength training allows you to target certain muscle groups, such as the glutes, thighs or chest. Performing targeted lifts creates firm, defined curves. You still cant spot reduce fat by lifting, but you can design a program that builds strength in specific areas.

GET INTENSE WITH CARDIO

Staying on the treadmill for hours may burn a lot of calories, but it doesnt help you keep your curves. In fact, too much steady-state cardio can stress your body and promote unhealthy fat gain around your waistline.

To maintain your shape as you lose weight, choose high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routines that crank up your heart rate while simultaneously challenging your muscles. HIIT torches calories and helps to hone the work you do while lifting weights. These workouts are also more efficient than steady-state training, with many HIIT routines delivering a significant calorie burn in only 20 or 30 minutes.

EAT CLEAN

To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in, but you also have to avoid eating too little.

Your caloric intake should be sufficient to support the amount and type of exercise you engage in, and those calories should come largely from clean, whole foods. That means reaching for brown rice instead of white pasta and raw nuts instead of potato chips. Including healthy plant-based proteins at each meal supports muscle gains.

PAY ATTENTION TO BODY FAT

The point of losing weight is to get rid of fat, but women need a certain level of body fat in order to remain healthy.

Monitoring your body fat percentage will help ensure that you dont lose so much fat that your curves disappear. Staying between 20 and 25 percent body fat lets your developing muscles show while still providing enough padding in important places. Body fat measurements are also a more accurate way to determine progress than the scale, since youll often gain weight when swapping muscle for fat.

Balance is the key to keeping your curves while losing weight. With a combination of strength training, intense cardio and a healthy diet, your body will begin to slim down while becoming more toned in all the areas where you want to see a bit of bulk. Keep an eye on your progress and make changes to your program as necessary to support the development of the body shape youre looking for.

For even more tips follow me on Instagram @VannaBelt where I post every day!