How to Lose Trans Fat

Foods with trans fats, such as margerine, reduce the amount of good cholesterol and increase the amount of bad cholesterol in your body.

Trans fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that have hydrogen added to them to make them solid at room temperature and to give them a more favorable texture to consumers. The consumption of trans fat increases the risk of heart disease, obesity and other cardiovascular problems. A combination of diet and exercise will reverse the effects of trans fat consumption, but avoiding the consumption of trans fat will aid most in shaking its effects.

Instructions

1. Do cardiovascular exercises. Cardiovascular exercise will help improve your oxygen intake, and doing cardiovascular exercise will help you eliminate the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol you have accumulated from consuming trans fats. It has also been linked to increasing your metabolism and increasing your stamina, which will allow you to work out longer and burn more cholesterol. Some examples of cardiovascular exercise are cycling and swimming. You should try to do at least thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day to most effectively reduce trans fats.

2. Do resistance training. The American Council on Exercise says that resistance training reduces the amount of LDL cholesterol and increases the amount of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, which reverses the effects of consuming trans fats. Resistance training will increase your lean muscle mass, which helps burn excess fats. Doing resistance training will create microtears in your body's muscles that need time to heal, so give yourself 48 hours of rest in between resistance training sessions.

3. Eat healthy. Stay away from foods that have too much trans fat and too many calories. When you go out to a restaurant, ask for the nutritional facts of the food you want to eat. Check the nutritional facts on the foods you buy at the grocery store for their nutritional value, and avoid foods with high amounts of trans fats, sodium or calories. According to the American Heart Association, the amount of trans fat you consume should consist of no more than one percent of your diet.

4. Make a schedule of your daily routine, and find space to incorporate cardiovascular and resistance training workout. Be sure to schedule what you will eat and when you will eat it, and make sure the meals you schedule contain little or no trans fats. Try not to consume any foods outside of what you have scheduled. Creating a schedule and sticking to it will help turn diet and exercise into habits, which will decrease the amount of trans fats in your body.

References

• American Heart Association: Trans Fats
• American Council on Exercise: Strength Training Benefits More than Muscles
• Women's Sports Foundation: Exercise Tips for Fat Loss
• Baptist Memorial Health Care: Strength Training Basics