Thin People Have It Too
Even if you’re thin, you can still have too much visceral fat.
How much you have is partly about your genes, and partly about your lifestyle, especially how active you are.
Visceral fat likes inactivity. In one study, thin people who watched their diets but didn’t exercise were more likely to have too much visceral fat.
The key is to be active, no matter what size you are.
Stop Drinking Sugary Drinks
If there’s a hierarchy of sugary goods, then sugary drugs would sit even higher than sugary foods. However, even a small change to your habits here can make a big difference. That was proved in a study by researchers at Virginia Tech, which looked at the benefits of replacing just one sugary drink with water.
“We found that among US adults who consume one serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per day, replacing that drink with water lowered the percent of calories coming from drinks from 17 to 11%,” said study author Kiyah J. Duffey. “Even those who consumed more sugary drinks per day could still benefit from water replacement, dropping the amount of calories coming from beverages to less than 25% of their daily caloric intake.”
You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
From scrolling through social media to having a late-night coffee, there are plenty of ways we unknowingly keep ourselves awake at night. Aside from feeling tired and groggy the next day, not getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night can affect weight loss, explains Dr Luke.
“When we’re lacking in sleep, our bodys hormones get thrown off balance which can impact our hunger levels the next day. We all have two hormones that affect our appetite: ghrelin and leptin. When we dont get enough sleep, our ghrelin levels rise, and our leptin levels drop. This means that when we’re awake, we tend to eat more but feel less satisfied. Try going to bed a little earlier than usual to avoid this imbalance and remember to remove any distractions that might prevent you from nodding off,” he continues.
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You Asked: Can You Lose Weight Just From Your Stomach
Whether you have some extra weight in your upper arms or rear end, it makes sense that targeting those areas with exercisecurls for your arms, lunges for your buttwould slim them down.
Weight-loss experts refer to this as spot reduction. But it turns out that in most cases, this kind of laser-focused weight loss isnt possible. One study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that six weeks of intensive ab workouts did nothing to slim the exercisers midsections. A related study found that 12-weeks of one-armed workouts resulted in less loose skin in the trained arm, but zero fat loss.
Working out just one part of your body probably wont slim it down, but some body parts are more likely to shed fat when you exercise. Your stomach is one of them.
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Some fat deposits are more metabolically active than others, and those may be more responsive to exercise interventions, says Arthur Weltman, a professor of medicine and chair of the department of kinesiology at the University of Virginia. Abdominal fat in particular is one of the most metabolically active fats.
When you exercise, your workouts trigger the release of hormones, Weltman explains. The higher the exercise intensity, the more of these hormones your body pumps out, and the more of that metabolically active fat you lose. , in particular, may slim your midsection.)
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Add Vinegar To Your Diet
If youre trying to lose weight, vinegar is an excellent addition to your diet. Whether white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, vinegar is one of the most versatile condiments regarding health benefits. One study found that a mere 15 to 30 ml of vinegar daily reduced body weight, belly fat and waist circumference over a three-month period.
According to one study, adding vinegar to your diet will reduce your daily caloric intake by 275 calories. Considering there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, you can lose over half a pound of fat per week with this one simple change. To increase your metabolism and satiety, try adding white vinegar to refreshing, hydrating salads and tangy barbecue sauces.
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Eat More Berries Loaded With Antioxidants
Instead of satisfying your sweet tooth with refined sugar, turn to berries and enjoy a slimmer waistline in no time without exercise. Berries are loaded with antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation throughout the body, and research from the University of Michigan reveals that rats given a cherry-rich diet shaved off a significant proportion of their belly fat when compared to a control group. Berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are also loaded with resveratrol, an antioxidant pigment that has been linked to reductions in belly fat and a reduced risk of dementia, to boot.
Which Foods Burn Belly Fat
If you want to reduce your belly fat, you will need to burn more energy and eat the right kinds of food. Make sure you eat a balanced diet. Try and include the following:
- At least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day
- Choose high fibre starchy foods such as oats, brown rice and wholegrain breads.
- Reduced fat dairy or soya drinks fortified in calcium
- Beans, pulses, fish, and eggs
- Eat small amounts of unsaturated fats such as olive oil
- Drink six to eight glasses of water each day
Finally, cut out sports drinks, sugar sweetened drinks and other foods that have a lot of added sugar in them. Avoid adding salt or sugar to your meals. Be aware that low-fat options might have high amounts of added sugar in them.
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Consider The 80/20 Guideline For Nutrition Vs Exercise
It’s not possible to reduce fat from specific spots in your body, but you can reduce lower belly fat by reducing your overall percentage of body fat, explains Nick Hounslow an LA-based ISSA certified personal trainer.
“This is done by following a diet of whole or minimally processed foods that contain protein, healthy fats, and micronutrients, he says. “You’ll want to make sure that you’re eating fewer calories than you are burning in a day.”
Be careful not to overdo it and cut too many calories or do so too quicklya slow and steady weight loss is optimal for long-term success, he says.
“As a nutritionist, I tell my clients that you can work your core all you want but if your nutrition isnt 80% you will not see any results,” says Stephanie Rofkahr, nutritionist and certified personal trainer. Here, Rofkahr is speaking to the concept that is generally accepted by the fitness and nutrition community: weight loss is 80% proper nutrition and 20% exercise.
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.
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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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How To Lose 5 Pounds Of Belly Fat In 30 Days
You want a trimmer waistline. You want to lose a few pounds of belly fat in a relatively short period of time. Shoot, you’d even love a set of six-pack abs.
That’s great, because when you reduce your percentage of body fat , you reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and if you do it the right way, you improve your overall health and fitness. So while losing some belly fat will help you look better, it will also make you healthier.
Can’t beat that.
Reducing your body fat percentage isn’t easy, though. If it was, everyone would look like this. But if you follow the right program, you can. Stick to the following plan and reducing your body fat percentage — and losing some pounds of belly fat — is almost assured.
But, first, let’s get a couple of things out of the way.
One, it’s impossible to “spot reduce.” While you can target certain areas of your body in terms of building up the muscles in that area, you can’t decide to just lose weight in your stomach, or your thighs, or your rear. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t remove subcutaneous body fat from specific areas of the body by doing exercises that target those areas. Doing hundreds of crunches will certainly strengthen your abs, but that won’t reduce the amount of fat stored in your torso.
Want to lose pounds of belly fat? You’ll have to lose pounds of weight. Some will come from your stomach. Some will come from the rest of your body.
Here’s how it works.
You have to go hard.
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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.
Eat Fewer Refined Carbohydrates
Limit foods high in refined carbohydrates and refined sugar , and replace them with high fibre complex carbs think: whole grains, brown rice, sweet potato, oats, beans and pulses. Fill your boots with as many vegetables as possible theyre low calorie, high in micronutrients, and the fibre in them will keep you full.
Snack on portion-controlled fruit, seeds and nuts. One study found that snacking on 42g of almonds per day helped to reduce belly fat and improved cholesterol levels. The high levels of fibre are proven to combat excess calorie consumption later in the day, says registered dietitian Lucy Jones.
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You’re Not Paying Attention To Your Food
Scrolling through your feed over a breakfast bowl? Eating your lunch in front of your desk? Dinner with the TV on? If this sounds familiar, there is a risk you are not paying attention to your food.
“It can take up to 20 minutes for signals to reach our brains to tell us we are full, explains Clarissa. “If we are distracted, we can miss these signals and end up over eating which can lead to weight gain.” It’s the small things.
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Other Considerations That Could Interfere With Weight Loss
A number of other factors could interfere with weight loss, including stress or lack of sleep. Certain medications can also make it hard to lose weight, including diabetes medications, drugs for depression, birth control pills and corticosteroids. Some health problems can have this effect as well, such as menopause, low thyroid and Cushing syndrome. Check with your doctor to see if you have a medical condition that is making it harder for you to lose weight.
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Eat Whole Foods Rich In Protein And Fiber
Consume more fiber-rich nuts, fruits, and vegetables like:
Americans often consume excess amounts of refined grains, such as white bread or white rice. To reduce and control body weight, it’s much better to have a diet rich in whole grains.
Diets with high levels of refined sugar are associated with weight gain, so they should be avoided as well. Try to limit fast food, too. According to a 2018 study analyzing 300 university students, the consumption of fast food, such as pizza and fried chicken, is related to obesity particularly excess belly fat.
“It is important to reduce the consumption of foods high in trans fat, refined carbs, and highly processed foods with added sugars,” says Lapaix.
However, avoiding food groups to burn belly fat is only a temporary solution caused by a caloric deficit, and the real key to keeping belly fat off, in the long run, is to create an individualized balanced diet that you can maintain long-term, she says.
Ways To Tone Your Lower Abdomen According To Experts
Briana Bain, DPT, PT, is a physical therapist based in Virginia Beach. She works as a Physical Therapist at Adler Therapy Group and a BodyPump Instructor at OneLife Fitness
Westend61 / Getty Images
Important disclaimer: there’s no reason you need to reduce belly fat unless you’ve been instructed to do so by a doctor. For many people, belly fat is perfectly healthy and it’s extremely common to have belly fat in the lower abdomen, just below the belly button.
That said, we understand some people are looking to tone their midsection. If that’s you, follow along for some of our favorite tips from fitness and nutrition experts, including a super core-strengthening video how-to from fitness trainer Traci Copeland for healthy ways to target your lower abdomen.
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Research Shows Losing Weight Leads To Heart Health
A diet thats low in fat and carbohydrates can improve artery function,according to a 2012 study by Johns Hopkins researchers. After six months,those on the low-carb diet had lost more weight, and at a faster pace. Butin both groups, when weight was lostand especially when belly fatshrankthe arteries were able to expand better, allowing blood to travel more freely. The studyshows that you dont have to cut out all dietary fat to shrink belly fat.For heart health, simply losing weight and exercising seems to be key.
Tips To Lose Belly Fat Without Dieting
A slimmer waist, flat stomach, healthier body, and reduced risk of chronic disease start today with these healthy tips to lose belly fat that are supported by science.
Let’s face it: that marshmallowy middle didn’t get there overnight. Stressful days at the office, indulging in one-too-many cheat meals, or finding excuses to skip a day, week, or even a month’s worth of workouts are all making it easy to pack on the poundsand making it difficult to get them off.
Watching that extra junk add up around your belly can put you at an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and early death. Luckily, losing weight and shedding belly fat doesn’t have to take forever.
Read on for 22 effective, diet-free tips for losing belly fat fast and naturally.
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You’re Not Tracking Your Progress
Another important point from Dr Luke. While every person is different and what weight loss plan works for them will be different, tracking your progress can serve as an encouraging reminder that what you are doing is working.
“There are some great apps and wearable tech devices available that make it easier to stick to your plan. They can help you monitor your goals, your food intake and the calories burned during exercise. If these arent an option, write down a meal and exercise plan. This will help you stick to your goals and remain focussed,” he explains.
Signs And Symptoms Of Stomach Ulcers
Stomach ulcer symptoms tend to be more distinct than heartburn, but symptoms can still be vague.
An ulcer tends to produce a burning or dull pain in the stomach. This pain is sometimes described as a biting or gnawing pain. Some people may define a hungry sensation.
Most ulcers are asymptomatic, meaning that they cause no symptoms. When ulcers cause symptoms, they tend to do so about one to two weeks after the initial injury to the stomach lining or duodenum. The most common symptom of an ulcer is a burning or gnawing pain in the center of your abdomen between your breastbone and your navel. The pain is often worse when your stomach is empty, such as first thing in the morning or late at night. Other common symptoms of ulcers include:
- Not eating because of pain
- Pain may be relieved by eating, drinking, or taking antacids
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