Exercises To Get Rid Of Belly Overhang
The current pandemic has thrown everyones plans and goals through the window.
Some have used the available free time to read more, others to take on hobbies they have always wanted to, to play videogames and more.
However, if you are one of those who decided to exercise more indoors or your New Years resolution was to get rid of that belly overhang, then dont get discouraged.
Your typical summer may not be around the corner, but strengthening your core goes beyond the looks.
In this article, well take a look at 5 of the best exercises to get rid of belly overhang. Keep reading!
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Cardio Workouts To Lose Belly Fat
- This 28-day plan by Alice Liveing will teach you the basics of strength training, helping you to build lean muscle with foundation moves.
- Or, this four-week Kayla Itsines workout plan incorporates HIIT to burn fat and tone muscle.
- PT Gauri Chopra’s four week HIIT plan will help to burn fat efficiently and increase your stamina and muscular endurance.
‘The key to continually improving and losing belly fat is to scale up your workouts every week. Incrementally increase the intensity and load of your workouts, and you will soon see improvements to your fitness,’ says Hughes.
Hormones That Cause Belly Fat
Believe it or not, your hormones may be sabotaging you as they cause you to store more stubborn belly fat. Hormones play a big role in where your body stores fat such as your belly.13
Your hormones can very well be the hidden underlying cause of why you have stubborn lower belly fat and arent able to get rid of it.
Leptin
Leptin is known as the anti-starvation hormone. It controls a number of different metabolic processes in your body that can enhance fat loss.
The leptin in your body comes from your fat cells. So the less fat you have on your body the less leptin youre going to have.14
As you begin cutting calories your leptin levels will also naturally go down. And when your leptin levels drop too far they will also begin to slow down your metabolism.15
This is because your body doesnt want to starve to death. So it will slow down your metabolism in order to keep its energy preserved and last longer.
This is one of the reasons why having a cheat meal can be a good idea. It can help to replenish these leptin levels so you can keep burning fat optimally.
Insulin
Insulin is produced in your pancreas and helps to transport nutrients from the foods you eat into the cells of your body.
Insulin can slow down the rate of fat loss too. It does this by slowing down the mobilization of fatty acids after they are released from your fat cells.16
If you used to be overweight from eating too many bad carbs then theres a good chance your insulin is messed up.
Ghrelin
Cortisol
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Focus On Low Calorie Foods
One of the most effective ways to lose body fat is to eat fewer calories than the body burns. This leads to fat loss throughout the body, including the abdomen.
Eating fewer calories than the body uses up creates a caloric deficit. This can help burn both visceral fat and excess subcutaneous fat.
Also, low calorie foods are often more nutritious than high calorie foods.
Eating fewer foods that are high in calories and low in nutrition for example, processed foods, baked goods, and french fries is a beneficial way to create a caloric deficit and improve health.
Try replacing these foods with nutritious, low calorie options, such as fruits, vegetables, pulses, and whole grain foods.
Taking in excess sugar seems to be a main driver of weight gain, especially in the abdominal area.
A high sugar intake may increase levels of visceral fat by promoting insulin resistance and spurring inflammation throughout the body.
It can be easy to consume high levels of sugar in drinks without realizing it. Check the sugar contents of beverages such as soda and sweetened tea and coffee.
For many people, reducing the amount of sugar in hot drinks and eliminating soda can remove excess sugar from their diets.
Tracking Progress And Staying Motivated
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Carefully Consider Your Carbs
While dietary fat has gotten a bad rap over the years, its more likely that carbohydrates are the culprit of a growing waistline.
Theres a general misunderstanding among people who have cholesterol problems that its simply through consumption of fat, says internist Spencer Kroll, M.D., who specializes in cholesterol and lipid diseases in his private medical practice in Marlboro, New Jersey. The overconsumption of carbohydrates and processed foods are the primary contributors to the accumulation of abdominal fat. Ive spent years trying to change peoples ideas that its not just about ice cream and heavy cuts of meatits really about carb modification.
You dont necessarily have to follow a low-carb eating style, but it is a good idea to reduce your consumption of simple carbs, such as fruit juice and cookies. Instead, look for carbohydrates that also come with fiber like vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains. Aim to consume at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, recommends Ward.
You may also want to experiment with your starch intake. While some people do well with potatoes, oats, rice and whole wheat bread, others dont. Starch can be like rocket fuel to drive insulin resistance, says Dr. Kroll. When your body doesnt respond well to insulin, this can lead to pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Why Its So Hard To Lose Fat In The Lower Belly
Think of belly fat as your bodys rainy day piggy bank. Back in our ancestors early days they always didnt have easy access to food. They could go days, weeks, or even months without anything to eat.
So when they did come across some food their bodies had a way to store the extra calories and carbohydrates for future use.
So depending on your genetics, your body will store these extra resources as fat in stubborn places like your lower belly, love handles, thighs, bum, and arms.9
Your body will stubbornly hold onto the fat in these stubborn fat spots because it only wants to use it as a last resort.
But just cutting calories more and more isnt the answer. Your body will start to break down muscle which causes your body fat percentage to increase creating a skinny fat belly.10
Skinny fat is when your body becomes more flabby, saggy, and loose making the low belly flab appear even worse.11
This is why its crucial to have some level of resistance training in your workouts to regain this lost muscle.12 You dont have to bulk up like a bodybuilder, but you will need some muscle to tone and tighten your body.
Otherwise, just cutting calories and walking/running more can keep breaking down muscle and not improving your body fat composition.
Out-of-whack hormones can make it near impossible to burn those last pounds of stomach fat. If your hormones arent optimized for fat burning then they could easily instead be optimized for storing belly fat.
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You’re Doing The Wrong Type Of Workout
Listen up here. “Only doing abdominal-focused workouts, like crunches, won’t help,” Luke emphasises Belly fat is simply where your body stores energy, so you need to take a whole-body approach to tackle it, he reckons. Try HIIT training he says it’s “a great way to burn fat and get your heart rate up”, with squats, burpees and treadmill sprints all being examples of moves to try.
Emily agrees, saying that, in its simplest form, training abs alone, won’t get you abs. “Focus on the staple movements and progressively getting stronger at them over time. I’m talking about your planks, crunches, twists, holds and v-ups.”
She also points out that compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, overhead press and pull-ups are all effective at activating and working your core. Her final two cents on it? “Moving your body in a way that feels good, and keeps you moving consistently.” Hear, hear.
Why Does Belly Fat Usually Form
Weight gain as a whole is a little complicated but belly fat typically forms from consuming too many calories, which causes weight gain, says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. That said, you really cant control where fat accumulates in your body. We have practically no control on where that weight goes, Gans says. It usually ends up on our belly or hips and thighs based on ones genetics, sex, and/or age.
Gaining weight quickly raises the odds that youll develop more belly fat, says Jessica Cording, R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. But different body types are more prone to storing fat tissue around the midsection, she says.
Certain other factors, like not getting enough sleep or being stressed out can also raise your risk of developing more belly fat, Cording says. Higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol has been shown to promote more accumulation of fat tissue around the midsection, she explains.
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Step : How Is Your Nutrition
No pursuit of fat loss can occur without a frank discussion about what you are consuming every day.
To burn fat, you must be in a caloric deficit, period.
However, your food choices are very important. Lets take a look at a few questions on this flow chart.
First, are you trying to get rid of belly fat irresponsibly by using crash diet plans, extreme calorie restriction or extreme low carb diets?
If these are your weight loss strategies, you are likely never going to see long term success and you will probably increase fat storage and gain weight in the process.
Why?
Because diets like an extremely low-carbohydrate diet or a low carb high fat diet arent easy to sustain in the long run. You may get some results at the beginning but when you inevitably fall of the wagon, youll see that belly fat gain return and maybe surpass what was there before.
On the other hand, if youre dieting responsibly by reducing your calorie intake by around 200-500 extra calories per day, youre making the right changes in your pursuit of a lower body at percentage, flat abs and increased lean muscle mass.
Second, are you eating clean?
Im serious
How healthy are you really eating?
Often, people arent really eating as clean as they think they are. Eating clean means eating a healthy diet consistently over a long period of time. This is where portion size also comes in.
This doesnt have to be as complicated as counting calories, tracking macros or weighing your food.
What about cheat days?
What Is An Apron Belly
Also known as a pannus stomach or mothers apron, apron belly occurs when the belly and fat surrounding the internal organs expands due to weight gain or pregnancy, resulting in additional fat deposits in the omentum
The size of an apron belly can vary, ranging from hanging to the top of the pubic area to the upper thighs or even a persons knees. Two potential causes of apron belly are giving birth and gaining weight.
That said, apron belly does not only occur in women or people who have overweight. Men, those who have lost weight, and others may also develop an apron belly.
An apron belly can increase the risk of certain cancers, including ovarian cancer. It has also been associated with
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Tips On How To Reduce Bloating In Less Than 24 Hours
How many times can you recall having a bloated belly while trying to squeeze into a tight-fitting pair of jeans? It’s even more frustrating if you watch what you eat and exercise. Belly bloat is often to blame, but luckily, it can be temporary. We turned to the research to see what’s causing your stomach to buldge, as well as provide helpful tips for how to reduce bloating.
Stubborn Fat Has More Alpha Receptors
To burn fat, it must first be released from your fat cells. This is known as lipolysis.
In stubborn areas like your lower stomach, fat is released more slowly than from other areas.
This is because stubborn fat cells actually have a different type of receptor than normal fat cells: they have what are known as alpha receptors instead of beta receptors.
These receptors are what interact with hormones known as catecholamines, which are what trigger these cells to release fat however, the alpha receptors in the stubborn fat cells cause the fat to be released far more slowly than the beta receptors in the normal fat cells.
So, when you lose weight, youll typically see more initial weight loss from the fat cells with beta receptors, while the fat cells with alpha receptors will be slower to respond.
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How To Get Rid Of Lower Belly Fat + A 15
Muffin top. Belly pooch. Love handles. There are plenty of ways to describe extra belly fat, most of them with less-than-desirable nicknames. Everyone would love the secret of how to get rid of lower belly fat, females especially.
Whether youve struggled to lose belly fat after having kids, have recently hit menopause, or life have simply gotten in the way, most of us have dealt with carrying extra weight around our middle before.
However, if you want to get rid of lower belly fat for good, its not enough to try a few sit-ups and call it a day.
The hard truth is: you cant spot reduce belly fat. If you want to lose fat, you have to lose it all over.
Getting rid of belly fat and sculpting the muscles underneath requires both changing your diet and ramping up your workouts. This article covers 9 helpful lifestyle and exercise tips to get rid of lower belly fat:
Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Consuming alcohol once in a while is okay but, if you want to shed some lower belly fat, then you have to forget about consuming sweet alcohols and beer daily.
Drinking beer every day can alter the shape of your body and make it look like a pear and alcohol on the other hand, stresses the liver which, in turn, has to overwork to detoxify the body by getting rid of the toxins. This can get in the way of your goal to lose lower belly fat.
If you want to know how to lose lower belly fat fast, then you have to say goodbye to beer and alcohol.consumption bump
Instead of drinking alcohol, drink green tea or water with squeezed lemon. Either that, or you can say goodbye to your dream of having a flat belly.
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Keep In Mind That Hormones Play A Role
If you’re struggling to lose lower belly fat, underlying hormone imbalances could be playing a role, explains Maritza Worthington, a functional nutritionist who specializes in digestive and hormone health. “In my experience, the top two culprits behind stubborn belly fat have to do with either excess cortisol or estrogen dominance,” she says. “Typically hormone imbalance issues dont happen overnight, and are the result of insulin resistance, malnutrition, lack of exercise and a high stress lifestyle.”
Worthington shares a few pointers:
- Eat regularly and skip the fastingthe body actually stores more belly fat when skipping meals. “This could be because the body experiences higher cortisol/stress from starvation, and as a coping mechanism stores more belly fat , not knowing when the next meal will come,” she says.
- Focus on balanced meals and avoid eating protein or carbs alone. “Theres a reason why your body uses macronutrientsprotein, carbs, & fatsfor optimal fuel. And skipping one of these macronutrients can actually work against your metabolism.”
How Can I Lose My Tummy In 7 Days
We think you already know what we’re going to say, but we’re going to go ahead and say it anyway. Whilst, technically speaking, you can lose weight over the course of a week, there’s no magic diet nor secret hack that will enable you to shift an entire organ within a week. And, any diet promising to enable such fat loss is, at best, unsustainable and, at worst, potentially damaging to your physical and mental wellbeing.
‘The majority of diets follow the same cycle of restrict, crave, binge, restrict,’ says Nutritionist Jenna Hope. ‘During the restriction phase you may lose weight as youre significantly limiting your calorie intake, or in some cases, your carbohydrate intake . However, as the cycle continues you begin to regain the weight plus more due to the bingeing.’
So, in short, steer well clear.
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