How To Lose Weight In Your Knees

Pack Each Breakfast With Protein To Help Lose Weight With Knee Osteoarthritis

Americans are good at eating enough protein and fiber for lunch and dinner: a salad with grilled chicken, a turkey sandwich with a side of slaw, meat loaf with veggies.

But breakfast is where many fall short, says Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Green Brook, New Jersey. Bagels, croissants even healthier oatmeal have nowhere near the 20 to 35 grams of protein per meal that are recommended and that keep us feeling full, she says.

Harris-Pincus, author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club, says pairing protein with fiber makes for the best meals, especially when you are trying to lose weight.

Her go-to: overnight oats, which she makes by filling a jar with oats, plain Greek yogurt , a tablespoon of flavored protein powder, chia seeds, and fruit, then letting it soak overnight in the fridge. By switching up the fruits and the flavor of the powder , she gets variety in her daily oatmeal.

Eggs offer another good protein-fiber breakfast choice. Make a vegetable omelet, or pair scrambled eggs with high-fiber berries like raspberries or blackberries.

How Do I Get Rid Of Fat Around My Knees

To get rid of knee fat you must lose weight and decrease your overall body fat percentage. That is the most effective way to lose fat from any part of your body.

Unfortunately, doing knee-specific exercises probably wont help you get rid of your excess knee fat.

In fact, where you gain and lose weight largely depends on your body type and your genetics. The fat around your knee may be the last place you lose fat from or the first.

However, that doesnt mean that you shouldnt do leg exercises.

Interestingly, a study performed in 2017 divided participants into two groups of overweight women. One group only did lower body exercises in addition to cardio and the other group did upper body only exercises in addition to cardio. They found that the women in the lower body only exercise group had more fat loss compared to the women in the upper body only exercise group.

This is encouraging!

So, if you want to lose knee fat, you should do lower-body specific resistance training and eat in a way that will promote fat loss, i.e less calories.

So now lets talk about what types of exercises you can do.

Seated Leg Extension With Hip Band

The seated leg extension with hip band will require the use of a hip resistance band or glute band.

Heres how the exercise looks:

To do this exercise:

• Sit on the edge of a chair and place the band around both your legs at the level of your ankles.
• From here, begin straightening one knee out in front of you while keeping the other one firmly in place.
• The band will be placed on stretch, making it difficult to extend your knee.
• Again, really focus on the contraction of this exercise.

So there you have 7 great exercises to target the lower body in an effort to lose your excess knee fat.

Just dont forget that exercise alone wont help you achieve your goals. You must couple this with a proper nutrition plan!

If youre interested in a simple 6 week lower body workout program check out my Leg & Booty guide for only $9.

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Are Bad Knees A Legit Excuse To Skip Training

No, they are not. As we have seen above, there are many workouts that can help you lose weight and keep your muscles strong even without or fully involving the knee. Training, albeit slower and more controlled, can help heal knee arthritis and strengthen weak knee muscles. Before you try any of the above workouts, be sure to talk and seek advice from your doctor.

Why You Should Lose Belly Fat With Bad Knees

Its essential to lose your gut, especially when you have bad knees. If you dont do anything about it now, when you are still able, your chance of success grows exponentially.

If you dont, and your belly, your body, keeps growing, its almost impossible to get back into shape with bad knees.

Not to mention that one of the leading causes of death in the world is obesity. Your belly fat is killing you.

Make this day the day you get up the couch, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and destroy your belly fat.

Related articles:

• What causes belly fat and why you should not ignore it

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Understand Your Body Type

Different body types tend to metabolize foods in different ways. This means some people have naturally high metabolisms and can eat whatever they want without putting on weight. Others put on weight if they have even a single cheat meal.

There are three main female body types: endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph.

Endomorphs tend to put on weight easily and have a hard time keeping it off. Mesomorphs tend to be athletic and their bodies change quickly with the right diet and exercise routine, but with the wrong one, they can quickly put on weight. Ectomorphs are naturally thin and find it hard to build muscle tone.

No matter what your body type is, you need to focus on eating clean. The key is finding the right amount of calories and macronutrients for your body and fitness goals.

You can find out your body type by doing my FREE body type quiz. 🙂

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The Best Cardio Exercises For Bad Knees

When we think about doing cardio, most of us assume that it will involve walking, jumping, or running options that may be hard for someone with bad knees. Thankfully, there are some great cardio exercise options for people with bad knees. Some great workouts include:

1. Swimming. Swimming reduces symptoms of depression and cust the risk of chronic diseases, but it is also effective in reducing knee joint stiffness, strengthening muscles around the knee, strengthening your bones, and improving your overall fitness .

2. Rowing. Injuries such as the autologous chondrocyte implantation or ACI can be effectively rehabilitated by rowing . Not only does rowing strengthen the knees, but it also works out the quads and hamstrings. However, since this workout relies heavily on knee movement, you should first speak to your doctor and see if this is a good option for you.

3. Elliptical workouts. These are considered low-impact aerobic exercises, and they are a good alternative to running or jogging for someone who has joint pain due to arthritis. When compared to using a treadmill, using an elliptical machine can be less stressful on your knees, hips, and back .

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What Is The Best Cardio Exercise For People With Knee Injuries

Low-intensity steady state cardio is by far the safest option for most people. This includes:

• walking
• Stairmaster
• dancing

Most people can handle these types of activities without any pain or discomfort. Moderate cardio and high-intensity options are not as well tolerated.

The downside of low-intensity activities is they burn fewer calories per session. Though they make up for that by being sustainable. You can enjoy a 30-40 min walk in the park every day.

While running may start causing pain due to the higher impact forces acting on the joints. Hence most types of cardio need to be limited. Thats why less intensive daily activities are better.

You can also explore intensive cardio options for the upper body. But its hard to avoid involving your legs without the appropriate equipment. Upper body cardio is generally hard to implement.

Make Meals From Scratch

By making meals from scratch, people can avoid most trans fats as well as unnecessary sugar, additives, and preservatives, which many processed foods contain. Research suggests that additives and preservatives are associated with inflammation1 and obesity.2

See An Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Arthritis

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Lower Body Exercises For People With Knee Pain

Dealing with injuries, especially when it comes to the knees, is not easy because it can be challenging to find ways to still train legs without aggravating the knees. Most squats and lunges are not good for people who have knee pain and those are two of the biggest compound movements you can do for your lower body, right?

Fat Calves & Genetics

The hand you were dealt in the genetics lottery is also going to play a big role in the size of your calves. Women tend to have a similar if not more muscular lower body than men . This is why many untrained women have similar strength to men in their lower body. The good news is its much healthier to have more fat in your thighs and calves than your belly . But if you do have a pear-shaped body then you can thank your parents for passing you on the genes for having bigger calves .

Ok so just because your genetics might suck doesnt mean youre stuck with having bigger calves forever. Many people who have bad genetics for weight gain and fat distribution can still reverse it by doing the right stuff.

But this does mean that youre going to be fighting an uphill battle with slimming them down. Someone who doesnt have the genetics for bigger calves will have a much easier time getting rid of their calf fat than you will. Now I cant promise theyll be as thin as a rail when its all said and done but you can get some significant results youre happy with.

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Target The Fat In Your Knees

You might have heard spot reducing doesnt work but this isnt totally true. Yes if youre really overweight and try to just do leg presses to get rid of your leg fat then its not going to work . Thats because you still have too much fat on your body.

The trick with targeting stubborn fat is to lower your total body fat and then add in exercises for your knee area. By lowering your total body fat youll then be able to tone up these stubborn areas with lean muscle. But if you just lose weight by cutting calories then this stubborn fat will never go away.

Ideally, women should have a 20-30% body fat or maybe even less . If youre not sure of your body fat then use a smart scale or have it measured by a local personal trainer. The smart scales arent totally accurate but theyll give you an idea of your progress. Unfortunately, your body tends to lose fat slower in these stubborn spots. But youll get better results the more progress you make with lowering your body fat and target toning the area.

One of the best ways to target stubborn fat is to exercise while fasted. Intermittent fasting is one of the best ways to burn fat on your body . Studies have found working out fasted produces more fat burning in the body . Adding in ketones to your diet while fasting can also accelerate your fat loss . Just like the keto diet, they signal for your body to burn more fat stores for energy. I take Keto Elevate in the morning with my coffee.

Best Knee Fat Exercises

Lunges

Weight And Inflammation In The Knees

Another problem with excess weight is a factor that contributes to it: A poor diet, which can further damage the knees by causing inflammation in the joints. This leads to pain, swelling and deterioration in the cartilage. Foods that promote inflammation include things like refined sugars, white flour, processed oils, full-fat daily products and animal fats.

On the other hand, studies have found that natural anti-inflammatory foods and supplements can be a safer and effective, alternative treatment for pain relief.3 Fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, olive oils and fish oils, and lean meats have anti-inflammatory properties.

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Exercises To Avoid If You Have Knee Pain

While we have extensively covered the best workouts for bad knees, there are several workouts that should be avoided as they may cause further knee pain and injury. They include:

• Full/Deep squats
• Lunges
• Running or jogging
• Full-arc extensions. These apply constant pressure on the anterior cruciate ligament and can make your knee cap slide unnaturally to the left or the right .

Squats With Hip Bands

Squats with hip bands is one of my favorite exercises of all time.

You will need a hip resistance band to perform this exercise, which you could find at The Postpartum Trainers shop if you do not have one.

Here is how it looks:

To do this exercise:

• Stand with your feet straight, and approximately shoulder-width apart with the resistance band looped above your knees.
• Begin squatting down by simultaneously bending at the hip and knee while forcing your knees outward against the band.
• Try to reach a depth where your thighs are parallel to the ground and where your knee is at a 90-degree angle. If you cannot get this low, do not worry. Only go as far as you are comfortable.
• From here you will stand back up and remember to focus on activating the quadriceps muscles.
• Repeat this 10 times.
• Feel free to use an external resistance in the form of a dumbbell or kettlebell.

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High Intensity Interval Training:

We would recommend high intensity interval training to people who are confident about their fitness level. This training can be a great deal if you want to shed abdominal muscles. To perform HIIT you would need a stationary bike or an elliptical trainer as it will keep your knees protected while helping to shed some extra pounds.

Frustrated By The Fat Above Your Knee Here’s How To Sculpt That Area And Burn Fat Experts Say

If you’ve ever been frustrated and flummoxed by the bit of fat right above your knees and wondered how to get rid of it, you’re not alone. Though less talked about than, say, belly fat, the fat above your knee is just as common and natural. It all depends on where your body naturally stores fat, said Jackie Vick, NCSF, a certified personal trainer for the Gold’s AMP app. “If you tend to gain weight and store fat in your lower region, fat pockets above the knees will be a common area for you,” she told POPSUGAR.

No surprise: it mostly has to do with genetics, said exercise physiologist and Bowflex fitness adviser Tom Holland, MS, CSCS. “Everyone stores fat differently, and where and when you lose body fat is also primarily dictated by your genes,” he explained. A 2013 study backed that up, finding that thigh fat is genetically predetermined to end up in your legs.

But it’s not as hopeless or pessimistic at it sounds. Just because you’re more likely to store fat in your thighs, and specifically in the area right above your knees, doesn’t mean you’re powerless to reduce it. You can’t target and spot-reduce the fat in that area , but you can work to decrease overall body fat and build lean muscle in your legs. Together, that combination can give the area above your knee a more toned appearance.

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Learn Whats The Best Type Of Cardio For Getting Rid Of Knee Fat

Cardio is a great way to help your body go through its fat reserves. But that doesnt mean you have to go out on long runs or push yourself for hours on the treadmill.

Walking, jogging, swimming, and boxing are all great options but if I have to choose Id say that nothing works as good as walking.

THE KEY TO GETTING RID OF KNEE FAT IS WALKING

Walking is actually the best way to get rid of knee fat. Walking slims down your entire legs. With walking, you cant choose exactly where in your legs the fat will decrease. But its usually from your problem areas.

So if knees are a problem area for you, walking a lot will likely help. For me personally, my problem areas are knees and inner thighs. And when I do lots of walking, these areas slim down the most.

Just make sure youre working out according to your body type. Mesomorphs and endomorphs should try to do cardio 5-6 times a week. Ectomorphs need to get a cardio workout in at least 3 times a week.

Remember, dont beat yourself up if you feel out of shape. Everyone has to start somewhere. The important thing is to get moving. As long as you stay consistent, youll get results!

BONUS TIP: To see results quicker, try fasted cardio or interval training.

How To Strengthen Your Knees

The knee is the largest joint in the body that provides stable support to your whole body. Knees also provide flexibility and stability in your legs so that you can stand, walk, run, crouch, jump and turn around with ease. Thus, it is essential to keep your knees strong and healthy.

Knees become weak with age, but people can have knee problems at any age. Weak knees can affect your mobility and make it difficult for you to carry out everyday activities, such as lifting boxes or walking downhill.

Weak knees can occur as a result of an injury or strain on the knees, nutritional deficiency, a sedentary lifestyle and excess sodium intake, smoking or drinking. It can also be due to osteoarthritis in the knee, which results from wear and tear on its parts.

If you suffer from weak knees or pain, you can make some lifestyle and dietary changes to strengthen them.

Here are the top 10 ways to strengthen your knees.

Contents

• 10. Anti-inflammatory Foods

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