Avoid Trans Fat & Hydrogenated Oils
Those trans fats on your menu are hiding out in plain sight and sabotaging your lean belly plans every time you eat them. If a food product says it contains partially hydrogenated oils, you’re eating trans fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and obesity with every bite. In fact, research conducted at Wake Forest University reveals that monkeys whose diets contained eight percent trans fat upped their body fat by 7.2 percent over a six-year study, while those who ate monounsaturated fat gained just a fraction of that amount. Instead of letting harmful trans fat take up space on your menu, fill up with these healthy fats.
What Should I Do If Ive Got Excess Weight Round My Middle
Regardless of your height or BMI, you should aim to lose weight if:
- you are a man with a waist measurement of 94 cm or more
- youre a woman with a waist measuring 80 cm or more
And your risk of serious health problems will greatly increase if:
- you are a man with a waist measurement of 102 cm ,
- youre a woman with a waist measuring higher that 88cm .
If your tummy weight is in the higher risk category above I would advise you to contact your GP. You might also find it helpful to contact a dietitian, who will help you to develop an individualised plan for a healthier lifestyle.
There Are Two Types Of Exercises To Train Your Core:
- Full range of motion exercises like crunches.
- Stabilising exercises like the plank.
Its important to understand that no exercise will work if youre doing it wrong.
Ab exercises arevery easy to get wrong!
A common mistake I see in my online coaching clients form videos, is that they place too much emphasis on bending at the hips, rather than bending at the spine when doing traditional ab exercises.
To really work your abs, you want to focus on curling up through your spine and rolling your spine back down slowly.
You can think about bringing your belly button to your chest as you come up to contract your ab muscles.
This means that you need to have a posterior tilt in your hips when doing exercises like hanging leg raises and crunches.
There should be no arch in your lower back.
Here is an example of what this looks like for the hanging leg raise:
Notice where my feet fall in order to keep that lower back flat and ensure Im contracting my abs and not just swinging my hips!
Hanging leg raises are one of my favourite ab exercises to do, especially because they are easy to add progressions.
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Diet To Get Rid Of Excess Belly Fat
Consuming more calories than you burn can make you more likely to develop visceral fat. It sometimes accumulates around the abdomen.
Eating the right foods may help aid weight loss. Avoid or limit foods that are highly processed and high in refined sugars and bleached grains. Theyve been linked to blood sugar instability and inflammation in the digestive tract.
Instead, focus on adding healthy protein and fiber sources to your diet. Cruciferous veggies may help keep you full for longer and contain many nutrients. These include:
- broccoli
- kale
- cauliflower
Protein can boost your stamina and energy without adding a lot of calories to your daily calorie needs. Some protein sources include:
- hard-boiled eggs
- beans and legumes
- nuts and seeds
Avoid or limit artificially sweetened drinks, including energy drinks and diet sodas. Stick to anti-inflammatory beverages, such as unsweetened green tea and water.
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.
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Consume A Combo Of Calcium And Vitamin D
Say cheese! Adding some extra calcium and vitamin D to your diet could be the best way to get the flat stomach you’ve been dreaming about. Over just 12 months, researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville found that obese female study subjects who upped their calcium intake shed 11 pounds of body fat without other major dietary modifications. To keep your calcium choices healthy, try mixing it up between dairy sources, calcium-rich leafy greens, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.
Skinny With Belly Fat
Are you skinny with belly fat?
Perhaps you are skinny with love handles or muffin tops?
If so, you are skinny fat. My friend, you are not alone.
When you look at me with my clothes on, youd think Im healthy but
Appearance can be deceiving. Although I look skinny outside, I am all gooey and soft inside.
I did try to lose the belly fat by going to the gym 5 days a week. But, no matter how many kilos I benched or dumbbells I curled, I could not get rid of my pot belly.
Gradually, 5 days a week of exercise became 3, then 2. Eventually, I stopped going to the gym altogether.
Years of trying without results led me to stop. Lots of binge eating and not a whole lot of training had me belly up.
As if that wasnt bad enough, I became a Dad. Now, I love my daughter, and I think she is a miracle. But, I became more sedentary and developed what I call the obese Dad bod.
A little clarification about what a Dad bod is, according to Mckenzie Pearson from Clemson University in an article from Odyssey about Dad bod.
The dad bod is a nice balance between a beer gut and working out. The dad bod says, I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time. Its not an overweight guy, but it isnt one with washboard abs, either.
I do believe my stomach size is in the realm of beer guts, disqualifying me from having a Dad bod.
I finally realized I was very unhealthy when I couldnt get up the stairs without rest.
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Fat Burning Flat Stomach Ab Workout
- First, warm up with some cardio. You can walk, jog in place or do jumping jacks for 3 5 minutes,
- Next, pick your routine. Well be using 8 different ab exercises that target the abs in different ways. Rotating between the different exercises will help engage more core muscles so you can get flat abs and burn more fat during the workout.
- To get started, do each exercise until you feel the burn. Once you feel the burn, do 5 more and stop. You can add more reps as your core gets stronger. Ideally, youll be doing each exercise at least 15 times and maxing out at 30.
- Quickly move from one exercise to the next, taking little to no rest between the moves.
- Completing one full round of all 6 exercises counts as one set.
- Do 3 full sets to complete the workout. You can add another set, too if you want.
- For the best results possible, use a fat-burning meal plan & complete workout program.
Ready to rock? Lets do this!
Here are all 8 of the ab exercises.
This is the advanced routine with all 8 exercises
This is the beginner routine. Hint: This routine doesnt have side plank pulses or toe tap crunches.
Arm and Leg Lifts
Crunch
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands behind your head with elbows out to the side. This is your start position. Squeeze your abs and lift your head off of the ground about 6 inches. Exhale as you lower back down to the start position to complete one rep.
Woodchop
HEEL TOUCHES
TUCK CRUNCH EXTENSIONS
Side Plank Pulses
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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But Do Power Up With Protein
While you might have to think twice about your protein powders, protein is good. “Studies have shown diets rich in lean proteins have the best body composition,” says Neiman. “They keep you full longer and release hormones that help keep your body at a favorable weight. So, eat those whole organic eggs proudly.” Chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, and nuts are also good options for protein especially if you’re trying to lose weight in hips.
Cook At Home As Much As You Can
When dining out you rarely know exactly what ingredients are included in your meals, but cooking at home brings you a lot more control over what you eat. If you’re trying to eat a healthier diet to reduce fat, cooking at home is a big help. Another great part of eating at home? You’ll most likely save a bunch of money, too.
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Strengthening Your Oblique Muscles
The Perfect Meal Plan For Weight Loss
Meal 1: 1/2 cup oats cooked with water and cinnamon 1 whole egg + 3 egg whites scrambled with spinach, peppers, onions, and coconut oil one cup coffee with almond milk.Meal 2: Kale, black cherry, whey protein, and almond milk smoothie one cup green tea.Meal 3: Spinach salad with tomatoes, peppers, avocado, oil and vinegar, and chicken breast 1/2 sweet potato one cup green tea.Meal 4: Apple and whey protein shake .Meal 5: Salmon with lemon and garlic asparagus large dark, leafy green salad with oil and vinegar one cup green tea.Meal 6: Scrambled egg whites .
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You’re Expecting A Quick Fix
Dr Luke explains that it’s easy to become impatient and frustrated when you’re trying to lose weight and haven’t seen the results yet. “But be realistic,” he encourages. “You won’t see results overnight. Your brain’s wiring plays a huge part in resisting changes in lifestyle, and it takes time to establish new habits up to 12 weeks. Stick with it for at least eight weeks and you should notice a change.”
Emily agrees, further emphasising that progress takes time. Disappointed that your progress looks a little different to someone else’s? Remember, one of the biggest misconceptions when trying to lose lower stomach fat is that a flat stomach, or ab definition of any kind, looks the same on everyone.
“Major spoiler they don’t! Id try to avoid chasing the perfect set of abs and instead focus on striving towards a strong core whatever that looks and feels like for you. Remember, even if we all trained the same, we wouldnt all look the same,” she points out.
How Do I Lose Flank Fat
Diet and lifestyle changes to lose flank fat Be mindful of what you eat. Healthy weight loss involves a balanced diet of nutrient-dense and low calorie foods. Drink more water. Water has zero calories. Create a cardio routine. Overall weight loss requires a regular cardio routine. Get enough sleep. Lower stress.
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Effective Exercises To Burn Stomach Fat
What Exercises You Need To Do To Get Abs
In order to get a great looking 6-pack, you need to work all the muscles that make up your core:
- Your rectus abdominis is the ab muscle that runs down the front of your body . It helps to bend your body forward and backward at the lower back.
- Your oblique muscles run down the side of your abs. They help to rotate your body and bend it from side to side
- Your transverse abdominis is a deep muscle under your abs that help to keep your core stable every time you move.
To build a tighter, better looking and more functional core, you should aim to strengthen all of your core muscles.
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Can Running Make You Lose Belly Fat
Running is an incredibly effective fat burning exercise. In fact, when it comes to losing weight, its difficult to beat. According to data from the American Council on Exercise, a runner who weighs 180 pounds burns 170 calories when running for 10 minutes at a steady pace. Make that a 30-minute run and that same runner will burn over 500 calories. But long runs alone arent going to help you shed that belly fat. You also need to make dietary and lifestyle changes to shift those problem areas.
Even if youre a regular runner who is watchful of what you eat, its still possible to have belly fat that you just cant shift. In many cases, this can be down to diet. Even experienced runners can make misguided dietary choices. For example, those who exercise regularly tend to eat more protein bars and sports drinks, both of which contain high levels of sugar. Unfortunately, that sugar loves to stay in your body, particularly around the tummy area.