Getting Rid Of Lower Stomach Fat
First, throw out the idea that you can spot treat areas of fat on your body. You can do thousands of reps of toning exercises to tighten your waistline and not see fat loss.
Exercises like cardio, yoga, and crunches may tone your muscles and strengthen your lower abs, but they wont erase fat deposits.
The only way to lose fat on your lower stomach is to lose fat overall. A calorie deficit helps with this.
Get In Some Low Planks
“I absolutely love the low plank exercise because it creates a lot of stability around the entire core,” says Brian Flynn, owner of Flynn Fitness Solutions. “This helps you run a lower risk of back pain. It’s also a fantastic exercise to help slim down your waistline.”
How to do it: Set your forearms on the floor with elbows directly under your shoulders and legs fully extended behind you, with your knees locked out. The trick to this exercise is to be as parallel to the ground as possible, so try not to let your hips drop or your head push toward the ground. The more aligned you are, the more effective it is. Draw your navel in, squeeze your butt and try to pull your elbows toward your feet . If you are doing this exercise properly, you will probably only be able to hold it for 20 seconds. That’s OKput your knees back down on the ground with your forearms in place, rest for a few seconds, and have at another rep.
Using Diet To Lose Belly Fat
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Flavor Your Food With Garlic
A little garlic in your meals could mean a lot less weight around your middle. The results of a Korean study found that mice given a high-fat diet supplemented with garlic lost significantly more weight and abdominal fat than those who just ate fatty foods. Even better, they also improved their liver health, making it easier to stay healthy and burn off that excess fat in the long term. For more flavorful ways to make your food more enjoyable, turn to the metabolism-boosting spicy recipes and watch those pounds melt away.
Don’t Ban The Good Stuff
If you want to get a flat stomach, you’d be advised to avoid foods that cause bloating such as lentils, onion and broccoli. Ditch that thought! Lentils are a great source of protein as well as being rich in iron, onions both raw and cooked – provide fibre and broccoli and broccoli is packed with Vitamins K and C. These foods are so good for you it’d be ridiculous to cut them from your diet.
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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.
Cut Back On Carbs Especially Refined Carbs
Reducing your carb intake can be very beneficial for losing fat, including abdominal fat.
Diets with under 50 grams of carbs per day cause belly fat loss in people who are overweight, those at risk for type 2 diabetes, and women with polycystic ovary syndrome .
You dont have to follow a strict low carb diet. Some research suggests that simply replacing refined carbs with unprocessed starchy carbs may improve metabolic health and reduce belly fat .
In the famous Framingham Heart Study, people with the highest consumption of whole grains were 17% less likely to have excess abdominal fat than those who consumed diets high in refined grains .
SUMMARY
A high intake of refined carbs is associated with excessive belly fat. Consider reducing your carb intake or replacing refined carbs in your diet with healthy carb sources, such as whole grains, legumes, or vegetables.
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The Best Diet To Lose Belly Fat
You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Fact. To lose belly fat , you need to be in a calorie deficit. This means consuming fewer calories than you’re expending through exercise and general living.
‘When it comes to knowing how to lose belly fat, the best way to start is to watch what you eat,’ Belalij says. ‘When you digest large amounts of calories, your body allocates some of these to functional systems which work to keep you alive ,’ says Belalij. ‘It also uses it to fill up energy stores. Any excess is then stored in fat cells around the body typically being those of the belly.’
But like we’ve said, learning how to get rid of belly fat shouldn’t come at the expense of your health, so you want to make sure you’re not cutting back too much. To calculate your ideal calorie deficit, check out our handy guide below. It’ll help you work out how many calories you need to eat a day to hit your goals, without going too far.
Worried about the price of healthy eating? Stock up on cheap healthy snacks. By having healthier food in the house you’re less likely to face-plant the sugary stuff when hunger strikes.
Create A Calorie Deficit
The way to achieve fat loss is very straightforward: you reduce the amount of calories you consume and you increase the amount of calories you burn, and this will create weight loss over time, says Jillian Michaels, celebrity trainer and creator of The Fitness App. That said, those two habits, while simple, are not easy for most.
How many calories you should eat is highly individual, but being mindful of your calorie intake is key. Dont eat more than your body burns in a day, Michaels says.
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How To Create A Calorie Deficit
Creating a calorie deficit boils down to a simple math equation: Are you burning more calories than youre consuming on a daily basis? If you are, youre at a calorie deficit.
Burning 3,500 calories more than you consume is equal to 1 pound of fat, according to the Mayo Clinic.
For most people, losing more than 2.5 pounds of fat per week involves extreme calorie restriction and isnt recommended.
So No There’s Not But Here’s What You Can Do
1. Start simple
Typically there are many things you may need to improve to lose belly fat. But start by focusing on changing or improving just one thing. Then, once you conquer that first objective, you can move on to the next thing, and so on.
2. Target sugar
One good place to begin improving your food choices is to eliminate sugary drinks and not just soda, but juices. Sugar increases belly fat and fiber reduces belly fat thus when you’re juicing fruits, you’re removing the fiber, leaving pure sugar. So one quick fix, a very concrete fix, would be eliminating sugary drinks.
Replacing sugary beverages with water will help dramatically cut down your sugar intake, and then once you’ve taken that step, you can figure out how to cut down on foods that are high in sugar.
If you have a sweet tooth and need to put that final accent to your meal, eat an apple, melon or fresh berries. Just remember, fruit is not a substitute for vegetables.
3. Go Mediterranean
The popular “flat belly diets”embrace much of the wisdom found in eating a Mediterranean diet, which helps everything from brain health to hearth health. The basic premise for both diets is eat foods rich in monosaturated fatty acids that may help reduce your belly fat storage. MUFA-rich foods include olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocodos, and fish. Eating yogurt regularly has also been found to be helpful in reducing belly fat.
4. Front-load your meal
5. Commit to a physical lifestyle
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Adding Helpful Foods To Reduce Belly Fat
You Haven’t Got The Right Exercise Balance
With all the different tips out there, it can be tricky to understand exactly which exercises work the best. “HIIT is great for fat burning and will get your heart rate up, but I’d also recommend including strength and resistance exercises too,” shares Dr Luke. “Try lifting weights, using resistance bands or using the weight machines at the gym as these will increase your metabolism to help with weight loss, and increase your muscle strength. It’s important to mix-up your whole-body workouts so you don’t get bored.”
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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.
How To Lose An Inch Of Belly Fat In Four Weeks
Belly fat could be a sign that your health is at risk, with Type-2 diabetes and heart disease among the associated dangers. I carried out an experiment with the Trust Me, Im a Doctor team and a group of volunteers. We found that diet, rather than exercise, is the best way to rein in the belly.
Using our calculator below, you can work out how many calories you can consume to try to lose an inch in four weeks*. It tells you how many calories you need each day to maintain your weight, and you should reduce that figure by 500 calories to start reducing your weight and belly fat quite quickly.
* If you are underweight, you should not follow a weight-loss plan.
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Avoid Sugar And Sugar
Foods with added sugars are bad for your health. Eating a lot of these types of food can cause weight gain.
Studies show that added sugar has uniquely harmful effects on metabolic health .
Numerous studies have indicated that excess sugar, mostly due to the large amounts of fructose, can lead to fat building up around your abdomen and liver .
Sugar is half glucose and half fructose. When you eat a lot of added sugar, the liver gets overloaded with fructose and is forced to turn it into fat (
9 ).
A study observed that children were 60% more likely to develop obesity with each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages .
Try minimizing the amount of sugar in your diet and consider completely eliminating sugary drinks. This includes sugar-sweetened beverages, sugary sodas, fruit juices, and various high sugar sports drinks.
Read the labels to make sure products do not contain refined sugars. Even foods marketed as health foods can contain significant amounts of sugar.
Keep in mind that none of this applies to whole fruit, which are extremely healthy and have plenty of fiber that mitigates the negative effects of fructose.
Summary Excess sugar consumption may be the primary driver of excess fat in the abdomen and liver. This is particularly true of sugary beverages like soft drinks.
Use A Dash Of Cinnamon
Cinnamon contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols that are proven to alter body composition and improve insulin sensitivity. But that’s not all: The powerful spice was also shown to ward off weight gain and visceral fat in animals fed a sugar-enhanced diet. That doesn’t give you free rein to eat all the sweets you want without consequence , but it couldn’t hurt to add some cinnamon to your coffee or oatmeal if you’ve been having a tough time staying away from sugary indulgences.
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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 Dr. Kroll. 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.
Exercise And Dieting Helps You Lose Belly Fat
So what can we do about tubby tummies? A lot, it turns out. The starting point for bringing weight under control, in general, and combating abdominal fat, in particular, is regular moderate-intensity physical activity at least 30 minutes per day to control weight and lose belly fat. Strength training may also help fight abdominal fat. Spot exercising, such as doing sit-ups, can tighten abdominal muscles, but it won’t get at visceral fat.
Diet is also important. Pay attention to portion size, and emphasize complex carbohydrates and lean protein over simple carbohydrates such as white bread, refined-grain pasta, and sugary drinks. Replacing saturated fats and trans fats with polyunsaturated fats can also help.
Scientists hope to develop drug treatments that target abdominal fat. For now, experts stress that lifestyle, especially exercise, is the very best way to fight visceral fat.
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Exercise And Strengthtraining: A One
Exercises that increase the heart rate and make you sweat help you lose weight in general both visceral fat and the subcutaneous fat under the skin. Aerobic exercise burns overall calories and helps you reduce total body fat.
Dr. Butsch says the key to losing abdominal visceral fat seems to lie in a combination approach. He suggests trying 20 minutes of whole-body strength training plus a cardio routine to strengthen muscle cells and increase fat burn.