Contributed by Fitness Nutrition Specialist Ola Bennis
Men and women hit the gym for different reasons. No matter what your fitness goals are, most ladies face a common challenge in attempts to lose weight. Excuse us guys, but it’s girls talk this time. Since it’s not possible to target weight gain/loss in just one specific area of your body, losing too much weight will reduce the size of the breasts.
One frequently asked question I get is ” how can I lose weight without losing my curves?”.
Anatomically, the majority of the breast tissue is comprised of fatty tissues, so there’s no guarantee that you can keep those fats while losing weight, but it’s easy to minimize the shrinkage by some dietary adjustments and the right exercise. Here are some guidelines to follow when you want to slim your body yet save your good stuff:
1- The breast tissue overlays the chest (pectoral) muscles. Focus onย building up your underlying chest muscles while burning fat by strength training your upper body 3 times a week.ย ย Do bench press exercises, push-ups, incline chest pressesย and other weight training exercises. This will make your breasts appear larger, compensating for the size loss due to fat loss. Exercise is necessary for maintaining breast shape and firmness.
2- Cardio classes are one of the best ways of burning fats and staying fit.. But since we don’t need extra fat loss, limit the amount of cardio exercises ย performed. Aimย for training at a moderate- to high-intensity for no more than 45 minutes, 3 days a week.
3-ย Losing weight at a slow and steady pace is the best thing you can do forย your body. Your body will thank you; I promise.ย Fast weight loss does not give the skin time to shrink back and may cause your breasts to look droopy. Avoid crash diets; don’t aim for losing more than 1 kg a week. Aim for a toned body instead.
4- In order to enhance muscle growth and development, make sure you eat a nutrient rich diet. Eatย an adequate amount of lean protein from fish, poultry and meatsย specially post workout. Eat clean and don’t forget to include your daily portion of fruits, healthy fats and complex carbs.
My all time favorite advice.. Don’t aim for weight loss, aim for a healthy body and a state of wellbeing. Just by following a healthy life style, you’ll lose the extra fat and have a toned body. No nutrition plan is complete if you don’t workout, and no exercise is enough if you don’t get proper nutrition.
