Effective Tips To Lose Belly Fat
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Belly fat is more than a nuisance that makes your clothes feel tight.
Its seriously harmful.
One type of belly fat referred to as visceral fat is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions .
Many health organizations use body mass index to classify weight and predict the risk of metabolic disease.
However, this is misleading, as people with excess belly fat are at an increased risk even if they look thin .
Though losing fat from this area can be difficult, there are several things you can do to reduce excess abdominal fat.
Here are 19 effective tips to lose belly fat, backed by scientific studies.
The Biggest Causes Of Belly Fat
1. Hormones: Whether its beer guts or muffin tops, do our male or female hormones really dictate our midriff measurement?
They do to some extent, says Professor Crowe.
Men are more prone to gain weight in their belly due to testosterone. And for women, menopause can be a problem .
2. Eating too much: While high-fat foods like creamy cakes, cheesy pizzas and burgers dont help, eating too much in general is just as responsible.
3. Alcohol is not only high in kilojoules but when you drink, you burn off less fat. Alcohol can also affect the hormones that regulate satiety, causing you to overeat. Result: waist gain.
4. Lack of daily activity: For men, it can be a rude awakening to discover that after being able to seemingly eat anything during their teens and twenties, once they hit their thirties, have a family and a more demanding career, they gain a new gut companion. Its a lack of activity, whether organised sport or general racing around, that means those big hearty meals that were once burned up are now surplus to requirements, and end up as extra weight around the waist.
5. Menopause is a time when many women develop an unwanted belly.
Lower oestrogen levels after menopause can lead women to store weight more like men around their belly, gaining visceral fat and increasing the risk of heart disease, Professor Crowe adds. Once again, any weight gain is exacerbated by lack of activity and too many high-kilojoule foods.
How Does Belly Fat Accumulate
Were still learning about the exact mechanisms behind how we accumulate stomach fat, especially visceral fat, but we do know that stress and the hormone cortisol plays an important role, regardless of our age or life stage. In addition to this, a poor diet which is high in fast-releasing carbs and low in protein, combined with alcohol consumption, a lack of exercise and disturbed sleep will all influence our girth.
Another factor is our genetic make-up, researchers believe our genes influence how effectively we burn energy, our behaviour and our risk of developing obesity and associated diseases.
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Scientific Reasons For Belly Fat
We all know that eating too much and moving too little is the foundation upon which flab is built. But theres more to the belly fat equation than calories in and calories out. Certain stressors, for example, will see you scaling your belt notches with very little effort. Heres what you should look out for.
Keep An Eye On Portion Sizes
Most people who have been lean their whole lives have a much better understanding of proper portion size than people who are overweight, says Deborah Riebe, Ph.D., a professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Rhode Island. If they go out to eat, theyre much more likely to ask for a doggie bag right away or to leave food on their plate rather than cleaning it up.
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Insulin And Belly Fat
Insulin resistance is a term thrown around a lot, but most people dont understand what it means. Usually, insulin resistance is synonymous with fat gain however, insulin resistance is not a global phenomenon in the body. In other words, you can remain sensitive to the action of insulin in one tissue while remaining more resistant in another depot . Also, insulin resistance affects different areas of the body in different ways.
For example, insulin in the brain has a normal action of suppressing hunger. If you become resistant to insulins action in the brain, hunger will increase. Insulins net action in muscle cells is to aid muscle growth. It is also responsible for getting fuel into muscle cells. If muscles become resistant to insulin, it leads to muscle loss, less fuel getting into muscle and, therefore, fatigue and poor performance. In the liver, insulin decreases gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis . Insulin resistance in the liver leads to increased sugar production and enhanced glycogen breakdown, which raises blood sugar levels .
When it comes to the brain, muscles and liver, you want the body to be insulin sensitive. Being insulin resistant in these areas makes a person unable to burn fat and sugar or to feel satiated after eating. This is why many obese clients who are insulin resistant in these tissues tend to overeat and, at the same time, tend to be malnourished .
Make Better Food Choices
Watching your calories is an important part of losing your belly, but food choices count too. Harvard Health Publications recommends a focus on filling your diet with healthy carbs such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and eating lean sources of protein, such as beans, seafood and poultry, instead of refined carbs such as white bread, white pasta and sweets, and foods high in saturated fat such as butter, full-fat dairy and fatty red meat. For example, swap out your corn flakes at breakfast for a bowl of whole-grain flakes with sliced strawberries, add beans to your soup or salad at lunch, or trade rice pilaf for a quinoa salad at dinner to up the quality of your diet and lose your belly.
If you’re a diet soda drinker, it may be time quit. A 2015 cohort study published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found a strong association between the intake of diet soda and abdominal weight gain in older Americans. Instead, drink water or seltzer and flavor with a wedge of lemon or lime or a splash of 100 percent cranberry juice.
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Why Is Belly Fat So Hard To Shift
Belly fat is tricky to shift because there are so many factors influencing it. For example, where you gain fat will be influenced by your genes, your age and even your weight at birth, with smaller babiesgaining more belly fat later in life. If youre female and child-free then youre less likely to develop high levels of visceral fat than if you are a mum.
Losing Belly Fat Is Hard These 5 Healthy Habits Can Help
A slim waist and a flat stomach are coveted for the way they look, but it turns out that losing belly fat may not only help you feel better in a bathing suit it can also improve your health.
Belly fat, or visceral fat, isnt the type of fat thats under your skin the kind you can pinch. Instead, its deep within our abdomen, in between our organs. Why is it that some people store fat around their middle and some dont? Where we store fat on our bodies is determined by various factors, including hormones and genetics. Women tend to begin to gain more belly fat as estrogen levels start to drop during menopause. Also, as we age our muscle mass starts to decrease, which causes us to burn fewer calories, leading to weight gain.
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How To Beat Menopause Belly Fat
How To Beat Menopausal Belly Fat or middle-age spread with my 5 fail-safe tips. As our hormones diminish during peri-menopause and menopause, we have to make lifestyle adjustments in order to stay healthy and trim. Its easier than you think. But just dont make the mistakes that I see so many making. Follow my tips and youll be thrilled with the results.
If youre having trouble losing unwanted pounds, and not feeling yourself, feel free to book a BREAKTHROUGH call with me by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/31Hippl
S For Beating Belly Fat
There are four keys to controlling belly fat: exercise, diet, sleep, and stress management.
1. Exercise: Vigorous exercise trims all your fat, including visceral fat.
Get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least 5 days a week. Walking counts, as long as it’s brisk enough that you work up a sweat and breathe harder, with your heart rate faster than usual.
To get the same results in half the time, step up your pace and get vigorous exercise — like jogging or walking. You’d need to do that for 20 minutes a day, 4 days a week.
Jog, if you’re already fit, or walk briskly at an incline on a treadmill if you’re not ready for jogging. Vigorous workouts on stationary bikes and elliptical or rowing machines are also effective, says Duke researcher Cris Slentz, PhD.
Moderate activity — raising your heart rate for 30 minutes at least three times per week — also helps. It slows down how much visceral fat you gain. But to torch visceral fat, your workouts may need to be stepped up.
Rake leaves, walk, garden, go to Zumba, play soccer with your kids. It doesnt have to be in the gym, Hairston says.
If you are not active now, it’s a good idea to check with your health care provider before starting a new fitness program.
2. Diet: There is no magic diet for belly fat. But when you lose weight on any diet, belly fat usually goes first.
Continued
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Look At The Quality Of Your Sleep
Dont underestimate the power of a good nights sleep, too. Yes, it can help combat under-eye bags but, according to the University of Leeds, adults who get more than six hours of sleep per night are likely to carry 3cm less around their waist.
Head to bed earlier and follow the WHhow to get to sleep guide to ensure a lack of shut-eye doesnt hold you back from losing belly fat.
Focus On The Way Your Clothes Fit More Than Reading A Scale
As you add muscle mass and lose fat, the reading on your bathroom scale maynot change much, but your pants will be looser. Thats a better mark ofprogress. Measured around, your waistline should be less than 35 inches ifyoure a woman or less than 40 inches if youre a man to reduce heart anddiabetes risks.
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How Long Does It Take To Lose Belly Fat
As mentioned, anyone wondering how to lose belly fat fast isn’t alone, but this isn’t always realistic, and almost always not sustainable. It plays out differently for every single person. Our genetics, age, lifestyle, stress and sleep all play a role in how fast we lose belly fat the same goes for all body fat actually.
It’s not about trying to lose belly fat in a week or get rid of belly fat fast it’s about sticking to a pace that keeps you trucking on. For most people, the best way to lose belly fat looks like an 80/20 split of healthy habits and ones that are, perhaps, more fun than functional.
Read our complete guide on how long it takes to lose weight.
Estrogen Progesterone And Testosterone
No discussion of belly fat is complete without considering the impact of the sex steroids. Human fat tissue has receptors for estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, and these hormones impact fat metabolism . Receptors have varying concentrations in the different belly fat regions.
Estrogen has anti-insulin and anticortisol effects on the belly . Progesterone also has anticortisol effects. This hormone combination is very effective at controlling belly fat. This is a big part of the reason why young women tend to maintain an hourglass shape and older women tend to lose it . Testosterone is interesting because higher levels in women are associated with more belly fat, while lower levels in men are a risk factor for more belly fat. Testosterone decreases LPL activity and raises beta-receptors density, but it also opposes the action of estrogen, which explains its positive impact in male belly fat and more negative impact in women .
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Take Time To Meditate
The older, wiser, less-bendy sister of yoga, meditation is an amazing activity that people can reap major rewards from. A 2014 study in Eating Behaviorsfound that individuals who meditate are less likely to overeat or give in to emotional eatingand this is key if you want to stay on track with your anti-bloat plan over the next day. To get started, unroll a yoga mat or sit on a carpet in a sunny room and take five uninterrupted minutes thinking about something that you’re grateful for.
Throw Out The Sugar Substitutes
Sugar substitutes such as xylitol, mannitol, maltitol, isomalt, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol tend to be found in sweet-tasting products marketed as low-calorie, low-carb, or sugar-free such as gum, cookies, snack bars, hard candy, and flavored water beverages. While it does help you cut back on calories, it remains longer in your digestive tract where it is broken down and fermented by bacteria, playing havoc with your gut. The result can be excessive gas, abdominal distention, bloating, and even diarrhea.
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Only Drink Water Or Tea
When people are bloated, they tend to skimp on water because they think it will make their bloating worse. Since water retention is the body’s way of holding onto fluid so it doesn’t dehydrate, the opposite is true. Drinking lots of water signals the body that it no longer needs to hold onto every last drop to stay hydrated. “Fluids, specifically water, are absolutely key for optimal digestion,” says Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN, registered dietitian and founder of Isabel Smith Nutrition.
Hormones And Body Fat
During menopause, your hormones get thrown out of whack. Your estrogen levels plummet, and body fat that used to settle around the hips, thighs, or butt now tends to settle around your middle.
In menopause, your progesterone also decreases, which contributes to elevated cortisol levels in the body. Elevated cortisol can cause you to gain that so-called menopause belly.
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Weight Gain And Metabolism
You may have unknowingly become a bit more sedentary as youve aged into your 40s and 50s as well, making weight gain all the more common. Your metabolism slows down as you lose muscle, and aches and pains or a busy schedule may keep you from exercising as frequently.
All of these factors can contribute to an increase of abdominal fat during your menopausal years.
Change Your Lifestyle And Combine Different Methods
Just doing one of the items on this list wont have a big effect on its own.
If you want good results, you need to combine different methods that have been shown to be effective.
Interestingly, many of these methods are things generally associated with healthy eating and an overall healthy lifestyle.
Therefore, changing your lifestyle for the long term is the key to losing your belly fat and keeping it off.
When you have healthy habits and eat real food, fat loss tends to follow as a natural side effect.
SUMMARY
Losing weight and keeping it off is difficult unless you permanently change your dietary habits and lifestyle.
There are no magic solutions to losing belly fat.
Weight loss always requires some effort, commitment, and perseverance on your behalf.
Successfully adopting some or all of the strategies and lifestyle goals discussed in this article will definitely help you lose the extra pounds around your waist.
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How To Lose Belly Fat While Running
One of the traps many runners fall into is thinking that the further they run, the more belly fat theyll burn, but thats not always the case. While long-distance runs are excellent at building endurance and burning calories, theyre not necessarily the best for dealing with body fat. To lose the flab, youll have more success by mixing up your training routine.
- Consider cross-training
Cross-training involves picking a primary exercise, which in this case is running, and supplementing it with secondary exercises such as swimming and cycling, which are both effective at burning belly fat, to improve the gains made by the primary exercise. These secondary exercises should be low impact, to reduce the risk of injury, and should only be done for a relatively short period of time, so no more than 30 to 60 minutes per session.
- Try trail running
A simple way to tweak your running to lose belly fat is to head away from the roads and onto the trails. Although your pace is likely to be slower, trail running provides more of a total body workout to help you tighten up those problem areas. Jumping over logs and rocks, running up and down hills and navigating unpredictable terrain that changes with every step will work your calves, quads, glutes and belly far more than running on a flat road. If you find youve reached a weight loss plateau on the roads, working smarter, not harder, by incorporating some trails could be an effective solution for you.