Manage Your Stress Levels
When you experience chronic stress, your body releases higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. One study found that overweight and slender women who had more stored fat around their belly secreted higher levels of cortisol than women who stored weight around their hips. The hormone has been linked to storing more visceral fat around the mid-section of the body.6,7
Look for a relaxing activity that helps you cope with stress. Some ideas include deep breathing, meditation, practicing mindfulness, yoga, reading a book and stretching.
Bust Out Your Toothbrush
Have you ever eaten something right after brushing your teeth? It didn’t take too appetizing, did it? For this reason, brushing your teeth right after meals is a great way to keep yourself out of the kitchen, and subsequently, hundreds of waist-expanding calories out of your mouth. But, don’t brush too soon if you ate something acidic: Colgate recommends waiting a half hour before doing so to avoid damaging your enamel. Sounds like a great reason to keep a toothbrush in your purse or briefcase, if you ask us.
Ditch The Artificial Sweeteners
While studies indicate that many people run to artificial sweeteners to help lose inches off waist fat, those artificial sugars are likely to pose the opposite effect.
A study conducted by researchers at Yale University indicates that artificial sugars are actually linked with the increased risk of abdominal obesity and weight gain.
Read Also: How To Rebuild Your Stomach Lining
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.
Lose Inches Off Your Waist
The first ingredient you need to lose inches off your waist is movement â and lots of it. There’s no single exercise that will magically whittle your waist in a fortnight. Instead, look for exercises that are convenient, affordable and enjoyable enough that you’ll actually stick to them.
A good first goal for physical activity is to satisfy the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services physical activity guidelines for Americans. Those guidelines â which start with 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week â are for health, not weight loss.
If you’re already eating an appropriate, nutrient-rich diet, that might be enough to tip you into a calorie deficit and start the weight loss going. If not, you can always adjust your diet and/or add more physical activity â ideally both.
What should that moderate or intense exercise look like? All the cardiomachines in the gym are fair game , but that’s just the beginning.
You can also walk, run, bike or inline skate outside. Go swimming at a lake or a swimming pool. Replace the easy chair in front of the TV with a home exercise machine. Join an adult sports league for softball, soccer, Frisbee or even Quidditch tackle outdoorsy adventures like kayaking or hiking.
Tip
But, hey, there’s a silver lining: Doubling those initial recommendations also gives you even more health benefits than simply meeting them.
Recommended Reading: Does Coolsculpting Really Work On Stomach
Do A Mix Of Cardio And Resistance Exercise
You can’t control where you gain or lose weight.
This is sometimes called “targeting weight loss” , and it isn’t realistic, says Lapaix. For example, abdominal exercises alone aren’t enough to get rid of or reduce belly fat.
“While it is common to hear about workout programs that target specific areas, you cannot pick the areas you’d like to target weight loss,” says Lapaix.
For example, resistance training focuses on developing muscles by lifting weights or using accessories like resistance bands. Whereas the main focus of aerobic training is to burn calories via cardio, like running or jumping rope.
“A mix of resistance and aerobic training will be beneficial to increasing one’s total body strength and help reduce overall body fat,” says Lapaix.
Having more muscle mass will increase how many calories your body naturally burns .
Results aren’t instantaneous, so consistency is key. Additionally, it isn’t a good idea to go from not working out at all to doing really intense workouts, says Lapaix, who recommends gradually adding intensity to your workouts to avoid injury.
Follow A Healthy Diet
Eating balanced, nutrient-rich meals has benefits beyond inches off your waist. An easy way to start eating healthy meals is to make half your plate non-starchy veggies, then fill up the remainder with lean proteins and whole grains. And dont forget to eat healthy snacks in between your meals such as a piece of fruit, unsalted nuts or nonfat Greek yogurt.
Not sure where to start? Consider intermittent fasting one study found that an intermittent fasting eating pattern may help reduce waist circumference in just three months.1
Jenny Craigs newest and most effective program ever Max Up follows an intermittent fasting pattern. Max Up can help you lose up to 18 pounds and 5 inches off your waist in your first 4 weeks.*
* Average weight loss on the Max Up program in a study was 15 pounds in the first four weeks and 1-2 pounds per week thereafter.
Don’t Miss: How To Settle Puppy Stomach
Ways To Lose 2 Inches Of Belly Fat In 2 Weeks
A slimmer waist, healthier body, and reduced risk of chronic disease start today with these belly fat-fighting tips.
Lets face it: that marshmallowy middle youre sporting didnt get there overnight. Stressful days at the office, indulging in one-too-many cheat meals, or finding excuses to skip a day, week, or months worth of workouts are all making it easy to pack on the pounds and making it difficult to get them off.
Watching that extra junk around your trunk turn your body into a full-blown Buddha belly puts you at an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and early death. Luckily, losing the weight doesnt have to take forever with these 22 belly fat-fighting tips, you can shave two inches off your waistline in as little as two weeks. Think your age will stand in the way of your weight loss? The 20 Ways to Lose Your Belly When Youre Older will help folks of any age get on track to their best body ever.
How Many Pounds To Lose An Inch: Fat Loss Vs Weight Loss
Measuring your waist circumference can be considered a reliable way to track your weight loss progress because, unlike your scales, it takes into account the distinction between weight loss and fat loss.
Weight loss is a decrease in your overall body weight. This weight includes muscle, fat, and water in the body. Thats what your scales show you when you hop on them in the morning: youve simply lost some pounds. Fat loss, by contrast, designates a reduction in body fat.
Waist circumference is a better indicator of fat loss than scales because muscles weigh the same as fat, but their size is different. This makes a ton of difference especially when you work out regularly and stick to a healthy diet at the same time.
When you train, you replace fat with muscles . Your scales oftentimes wont display this, but by measuring waist circumference, youll see a telling difference. One pound of fat equals one pound of muscle, and the scales wont move. But your waist circumference changes, because muscles are smoother and more compact, taking less space in your body.
Recommended Reading: How To Lose Stomach Fat In Your 50s
Bonus Points For Lifting
The HHS physical activity guidelines also recommend strength training your major muscle groups at least twice a week â and that physical activity can contribute to weight loss too. Not only will you burn calories while lifting weights, but you’ll also build lean muscle mass , which is four times more metabolically active than fat.
Strength training can mean going to the gym and pumping iron or using weight machines, but it doesn’t have to. Your options include free weights , weight machines, elastic resistance bands and bodyweight resistance exercises. Whichever approach you take, make sure to target all your major muscle groups.
Compound exercises that engage multiple muscles at once are more efficient in terms of time and calorie burn, and they have the added advantage of mimicking real-world movements. Think squats, lunges, leg presses and deadlifts for your lower body â and bench presses, push-ups, pull-ups, lat pull-downs, rows and overhead presses for your upper body. Core workouts, such as planks and crunches, are also beneficial.
Read more:13 Benefits of Weightlifting That No One Tells You About
Stick To More Veg Snacks
Probably you have listened to this many time that green veggies are the healthiest food to eat.
But one more thing is associated with this shrink your belly and waistline.
Sounds awesome! Right?
According to a study published in Journals of the Academy of Nutrition and Deities, the non-starchy veggies snacks like cauliflower, broccoli, and cucumber helped overweight people to shed off 17 percent of visceral fat.
Also Check: What To Do To Ease Stomach Pain
Skip The Bread And Order An App
When you go out to eat, avoid fattening freebies like bread and chips at all costs. If you’re ravenous when you arrive, ask your server for a side salad, soup, or a vegetable-based appetizer or side dish. Grilled asparagus, sautéed spinach, marinated mushrooms, and hummus with crudites are all examples of smart picks.
How Many Pounds Do You Have To Lose To Drop An Inch
When they’re trying to lose weight, most people measure their success by the number on the scale. But scales can be pretty misleading , because they can’t measure your total body composition. Instead of stressing about the scale, measure your waist circumference and start tracking inches lost.
Video of the Day
So, how many pounds do you have to lose to drop an inch? About 8.
“There’s really no exact answer for this, as everyone’s body is different and everyone loses in different places,” says registered dietitian and ACSM-certified personal trainer Jim White, RD, CPT, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios. “My best estimate would be around 8 pounds. Maybe a range would be better â in that case, 8 to 12.”
So clearly, it’s not that cut and dry. Keep reading to find out about measuring your waist and what those numbers mean, water weight and how that affects real fat loss, and healthy tips on how you can slim down.
Don’t Miss: What Can I Give My Dog To Settle His Stomach
Can I Store These Smoothies
Getting the smoothie ingredients in freezer packs and storing them for a few days and blending when necessary is a good option to use them later. Having said that, I suggest making the smoothies fresh as they have their nutrients intact and consuming fresh smoothies is a healthy way of consuming.
A simple solution is to make different smoothie packs and store them in the freezer if one has no time to make smoothies regularly. Also, if one plans to blend and store then store in the refrigerator for not more than 2 days. If stored and used, it loses its fresh taste and nutrient value.
You May Like: What To Do For Anxiety Stomach Aches
Cashew Butter & Raspberry Smoothie
Another way to include protein in your smoothie may be unexpected: cottage cheese. This creamy dairy product is typically consumed by the spoonful, but its also a welcome addition to this creamy pink drink that features frozen raspberries.
Another source of protein in this smoothie is cashew butter, which Dr. Rosendahl says is a great addition to smoothies to lose abdominal fat:
Nut butter is my go-to for incorporating protein and healthy fat into my smoothies, says Dr. Rosendahl. The protein and omega-3 fatty acids found in nut butters help you to feel satiated longer and promote balanced blood sugar until lunch time, both of which are important to successful and sustainable weight loss. I prefer almond butter, but cashew or walnut butter are other great choices.
You May Like: How Do You Lose Fat Around Your Stomach
Also Check: What Can I Eat To Clean My Stomach
Choose Healthy Eating Over A Diet
Reducing belly fat is less about a short-term diet and more about a new approach to eating. “Reducing belly fat takes a combination approach of a low-calorie diet that is high in fiber and low in carbohydrates and sugar along with cardiovascular and weight training,” said Dr. Kashyap. “If you are willing to do the work, you can move past genetics and lose it.”
Youve Got Too Much Of The Wrong Gut Bacteria
Most of the bacteria that dwell in your gut are pretty useful. They produce hormones, regulate your immune system, digest food, extract nutrients, control your mood, manage your appetite and much more besides.
Now, two groups of beneficial bacteria are dominant in the human gut, the bacteroidetes and the firmicutes. However, the number of bacteroidetes is decreased in obese people when compared with lean people, according to research.
In another study, scientists took stool samples from 1300 twins and found that the less diverse your gut bacteria, the more likely you are to have belly fat. Grow your gut community to shed serious timber.
Read Also: What Foods To Eat To Lose Stomach Fat
Add More Strength Training
A daily run or spin class is great for your heart, but cardio workouts alone won’t do much for your waist. “You need to do a combination of weights and cardiovascular training,” Sangeeta Kashyap, MD, an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic, told Health. Strength training increases muscle mass, which sets your body up to burn more fat.
“Muscle burns more calories than fat, and therefore you naturally burn more calories throughout the day by having more muscle,” Kate Patton, RD, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic, told Health. Patton recommends 250 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 125 minutes of high-intensity exercise a week.
Dr. Cheskin also agrees strength training is the way to go, as it builds muscle. “When you build muscle, you tend to replace fat with that muscle,” said Dr. Cheskin.
Include Tart Cherries In Your Diet
Cherries have several health benefits. They are a good source of antioxidant pigment resveratrol, a substance that helps you lose weight, lowers rates of macular degeneration among older people as well as the risk of dementia. According to the data collected from a study at the University of Michigan, rats that were provided with high-fat food along with tart cherries lost nine per cent more body fat than those in a control group did over just 12 weeks.
Read Also: How To Flatten Stomach Naturally
Eat Protein Throughout The Day
Make sure you add protein to your meals. Options include meat, fish, eggs, dairy and beans.
Protein helps keep you feeling satiated, lowers hunger hormone levels and may even help you eat less at your next meal, studies show.
We dont have to be on high protein diets as much as we need to add adequate protein thats spread throughout the day, says Dr. Creel.
Dr. Creel also says you should aim to add protein to your snacks. Thats when we tend to overeat, he notes. Try having a Greek yogurt or string cheese, which can make you feel more satisfied.
What Can You Eat
Each volunteer was encouraged to measure portions based on the size of their hands.
Aim for a daily intake of:
- Three fist-sized servings of carbs
- Two palm-sized servings of lean protein
- Two cupped handfuls of vegetables or salad
- Two fist-sized servings of fruit
- Two servings of fat or oil covering the tip of your thumb.
You can also have 200ml/ pint of milk, or two 125g pots of natural or low-calorie yoghurt.
Generally, you can eat your usual foods, so long as you reduce the portion size. Avoid or limit sugary and high-fat foods, such as fast foods.
The speed of waist reduction varies from person to person, so even if you reduce your calorie intake by the suggested amount, your results may differ.
As time passes you will lose weight and you’ll need to recalculate your calorie requirement. At your new weight you’ll find your daily requirement has dropped. So you need to drop again to keep 500 calories below your daily requirement. By recalculating you will keep losing 1lb a week.
Recommended Reading: Can Birth Control Help Stomach Issues
Eat Your Biggest Meal Post Workout
After an intense weight workout, your body needs carbs and starches to replenish blood-sugar levels and stop the breakdown of muscle. This is also the time when your insulin sensitivity and metabolism are at their highest. Enjoying your biggest meal when your body is craving energy and cutting back on the rest of your meals throughout the day will minimize any unwanted fat gains.