Green Tea
If you want to tone up and build muscle, you have to exercise, but if you want to lose weight, you have to watch what you eat. Pictured: Japanese green tea cup during the annual Baikasai, Plum Blossom Festival at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine Getty Images/Buddhika Weerasinghe

Health experts say that if you want to tone up and build muscle, you have to exercise, but if you want to lose weight, you have to watch what you eat. Unless a person is considered morbidly obese and is under the close supervision of a doctor, his or her calorie deficit should never be more than 20 percent less than their total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is one’s calories for maintenance and eating food equivalent to this amount helps you maintain your weight. Eat a bit less and you start losing weight.

Healthy Eater said that having a calorie deficit is the key to weight loss, more than upping your cardio and metabolic rate. This is why if you are looking the get rid of back fat, or lose weight elsewhere in the body in general, being more mindful with what you eat works. Of course, that is easier said than done. There are plenty of delicious food everywhere that’s it’s very easy to just “have a small bite” or “a taste” and think it won’t matter. It will.

Here are some of the best foods to enjoy if you want to lose back fat.

1. Veggies and Greens

Eating half a plate, at least, of veggies will not only lower your caloric intake but also help satisfy your hunger and cravings. Cooking greens, salads and vegetables are filled with phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals without adding to your caloric load. Plus, eating salads takes time, thus helping curb your appetite in the long run and aid it losing back fat.

2. Sweet Potatoes

Can’t really totally stay away from carb-like food but concerned about losing back fat? You can try snacking on sweet potatoes. These goodies are loaded with carotenoids and fibers that will help you feel full for longer. Sweet potatoes take longer to digest compared to other types of carbs. They also contain antioxidants that will help lower insulin resistance, thus preventing calories from being turned into fat stores.

3. High-fiber foods

Great examples of high-fiber food are brown rice, oats, legumes and whole grain bread. Fiber takes longer to be digested and will, therefore, leave you feeling full for a longer time compared to consuming refined carbs and sugars. Water-soluble fibers also bind with fat and aid in its quicker absorption.

4. Apples

Apples are rich in pectin, which helps reduce the amount of fat that your body absorbs by binding with it. Experts recommended eating an apple at least 30 minutes before having a meal to welcome the fat and escort it directly out of your system.

5. Green Tea

Green tea and its powerful cousin matcha are highly popular for their fat-busting capabilities and can be helpful if your quest to get rid of back fat. According to a study, drinking a cup of matcha after exercising (either via a direct drink or in shake form) can boost fat burn rate by as much as 25 percent.