What Is Stubborn Fat Anyway
While you may have fat all over different parts of your body, it isnt all the same.
As you lose weight, most people find that they tend to lose it from certain areas much more quickly than from others.
For guys, it tends to be hardest to lose lower stomach fat and lower back fat, whereas it is easier to lose fat from the arms, chest, and legs.
For women, the hardest areas tend to be around the hips, butt, and thighs.
Now, many people will try to reduce fat from these areas using targeted exercises.
So, in the case of lower stomach fat, this might involve doing lots of hanging leg raises or leg lifts.
Unfortunately, you arent going to reduce the fat in these areas by doing a whole bunch of targeted exercises
What’s Your Strength Score?
Find out how strong you are, see how well your strength is balanced across major muscle groups. Check it out in the FREE Caliber app!
This is the myth of spot reduction, which is the mistaken idea that you can reduce fat from a specific area.
However, this simply isnt the case, as Ive
Instead, when your body loses fat, it does so in a certain order that you cant easily change.
This is because the fat in different areas of your body is actually physiologically different meaning that it is more difficult for your body to properly mobilize and burn fat from these stubborn areas.
Lose Belly Fat By Macro Counting
If you’re already familiar with counting calories and want to fine-tune your fat loss efforts to focus on how to lose belly fat in particular, you might want to consider learning how to count and calculate your macros.
“Counting macros” is a diet technique to make sure you’re eating the right amounts of each macronutrient protein, fat and carbohydrates. By tweaking the volume of each you can make your fat loss efforts more efficient.
How? Each macronutrient plays a different role in keeping our bodies ticking over. In broad strokes: protein helps to build and maintain muscle tissue, carbohydrates provide fast and slow-release energy and healthy fats support hormone function.
Tweaking the volumes you eat can help build muscle and lose body fat more efficiently, as well as allowing you to re-incorporate some of your favourite foods. Because you’re looking at what makes up what you eat, foods that are less nutrient-dense can be incorporated . All you’ll need to do is work out how that impacts the rest of your day.
Counting macros isn’t for everyone, but it can be a helpful guide if you find counting calories too restrictive.
Youre Doing The Wrong Type Of Workout
Listene up here. “Only doing abdominal-focused workouts, like crunches, wont help you banish the bulge,” 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. Tru 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, wont get you abs. “Focus on the staple movements and progressively getting stronger at them over time. Im 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.
You May Like: How Can You Make Your Stomach Stop Hurting
Effective Tips To Lose Belly Fat
We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Heres our process.
Belly fat is more than a nuisance that makes your clothes feel tight.
Its seriously harmful.
One type of belly fat referred to as visceral fat is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions .
Many health organizations use body mass index to classify weight and predict the risk of metabolic disease.
However, this is misleading, as people with excess belly fat are at an increased risk even if they look thin .
Though losing fat from this area can be difficult, there are several things you can do to reduce excess abdominal fat.
Here are 20 effective tips to lose belly fat, backed by scientific studies.
Snack On Tart Cherries
That sour cherry is pretty sweet when it comes to your health. The results of a study conducted at the University of Michigan found that rats given high-fat foods along with tart cherries ditched nine percent more body fat than those in a control group over just 12 weeks. Cherries are also a good source of antioxidant pigment resveratrol, which has been linked to reductions in belly fat, dementia risk, and lower rates of macular degeneration among the elderly.
Recommended Reading: Does Sleeping On Your Stomach Make You Lose Weight
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.
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.
Don’t Miss: How To Shrink Your Stomach With Surgery
How To Lose Belly Fat: 11 Realistic And Proven Tips
Working to get rid of belly fat comes down to nailing a number of things – all of which will require different approaches, but there is one constant: don’t focus on how to lose belly fat fast, drastically stripping back calories or overdoing it with the gym workouts. Nutrition and daily movement are crucial, but going hell for leather on either will have detrimental effects. Here’s all the expert-backed advice and tips you need to lose belly fat safely.
How Long Do I Have To Wait Between Laser Lipo Treatments
With Emerald Laser, there is no minimum amount of time between lipo laser treatments. For maximum benefits, you should space your treatments out by a week or two, depending on the advice of your consultant.
If youve been unable to lose belly fat due to genetics, lifestyle, stress, or other factors, you may be a good candidate for painless, non-invasive laser lipo. Schedule a free consultation with an Emerald Laser provider in your area. If you represent a doctors office or medspa, contact Emerald by Erchonia to learn about our provider program.
Read Also: Can Stomach Gas Cause Back Pain
How Long Does It Take To Lose Belly Fat
As mentioned, anyone wondering how to lose belly fat fast isn’t alone, but this isn’t always realistic, and almost always not sustainable. It plays out differently for every single person. Our genetics, age, lifestyle, stress and sleep all play a role in how fast we lose belly fat the same goes for all body fat actually.
It’s not about trying to lose belly fat in a week or get rid of belly fat fast it’s about sticking to a pace that keeps you trucking on. For most people, the best way to lose belly fat looks like an 80/20 split of healthy habits and ones that are, perhaps, more fun than functional.
Getting Rid Of Belly Fat
So, if you’re trying to get rid of that fat belly, how can you do it? Whether youve accumulated extra belly fat through being neglectful of proper nutrition and exercise, child-bearing or aging, we have a solution to help you lose fat. First, we advise all our clients to adopt a healthy, well-rounded diet. Controlling what you put into your body does more than just help you look good. The benefits of healthy eating include deeper sleep, clear skin, being less prone to infection and disease and healthy bones, muscles and weight.
Second, we encourage our valued clients to exercise in whatever way works best for their situation. Let’s face it, not everyone has the time, energy or desire to get into strength training or committing to doing 50 crunches per day. Daily walks, weekend bike rides, relaxing yoga before bed or fitness classes are all ways weve seen success in our practices. Well be sharing some of our favorite ways to fit in fitness to reduce belly fat soon!
Read Also: How To Lose The Pouch Of Fat On Your Stomach
How To Get Rid Of Stubborn Belly Fat
Its widely known in the workout world that summer bodies are made in the winter. While you may not be a fitness fanatic, it does make sense. After all, we spend the colder months under bulky layers that are able to hide unsightly belly fat. What nutritionists, doctors and fitness trainers know about what causes belly fat gives them a leg up on us regular folk! Dont fear- were here to help you understand why you may have belly fat and what it takes to get rid of it in these last few months of cold weather. Best results occur over a period of time, approximately 2-3 months, making winter/spring an ideal time to make the body you want for summer.
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.”
Recommended Reading: How Can I Rebuild My Stomach Lining
How To Lose Lower Belly Fat Fast
There are numerous lower belly fat exercises can do. However, the majority of those exercises do not really target the belly fat as they should.
We have taken time out to research on the best exercises to reduce lower belly fat. These exercises are simple to perform and will help you burn belly fat.
Exercises For Separated Abdominal Muscles
A lot of moms struggle with lower belly fat. Sometimes after they have a baby, their abdominal muscles separate, this is called diastasis recti.
Ideally, your abdominal muscles should be next to each other, lined up vertically on either side of your belly button. However, after carrying a baby, these muscles often shift apart from each other. At the same time, your weakened core can lead to back pain.
Research shows that women can lose 2 inches off their waists within three weeks using the right exercises. You shouldnt do crossover crunches or bicycle crunches. Both of those exercises can splay the abs further apart. Instead, you should try an exercise program designed to help diastasis recti.
Basically, these exercises involve sitting on the floor cross-legged. Then, you place your hands on your belly, take a deep breath, and allow everything to expand. As you exhale, pull in your abdominal muscles toward your spine and hold them.
Continue to take tiny breaths and as you exhale, pull your stomach back further and further. Do these exercises for 10 minutes a day for 12 weeks, and your separated abdominal muscles should come back together.
Recommended Reading: Can You Take Xarelto On An Empty Stomach
Dont Forget About Strength Training
Now, we dont want you to forego strength training completely. After all, increasing muscle mass does burn more calories.
Plus, you want to maintain what muscle you do have and not lose it during the weight loss process.
Just like you cant spot reduce fat, you cant tell your body when to burn fat and when to burn muscle. Wouldnt it be great if we could? We would all have the perfect body in no time.
One of the great things about strength training is that it helps you burn fat even after youre done exercising.
Lifting weights is considered anaerobic exercise and increases the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption . This afterburn effect can help in both HIIT and strength training by burning more calories with less work.
Aim to get two to three days of strength training in. Alternate with your HIIT days and make sure you get at least one full rest day to recover and recharge.
Best Foods To Lose Belly Fat
It’s not all about eating less. Music to our ears, we’re sure you’ll agree. Rather than simply cutting down on kcals, you need to consider the kind of food you’re consuming, too.
Belalij suggests building meals around lots of nutrient-rich vegetables, a source of protein and some healthy, unprocessed carbs. ‘Start with leafy greens such as spinach, kale and collard greens, then add carrots, broccoli and peas.’
‘Lean meats, including turkey and chicken, are ideal as they are lower in fat and therefore calories, or, if you are vegetarian/vegan, add in tofu or a handful of nuts such as pine, cashew or almonds and a sprinkling of seeds . When it comes to carbohydrates, rice, quinoa and potatoes are perfect.’
Your best course of action is to make small, manageable changes, and figure out what’s most sustainable for you. Remember: we’re after long term change, not short-lived tweaks. Cutting down on processed foods will also likely help with water retention which, while it’s not an approach we’d recommend, can be helpful for anyone searching ‘how to lose belly fat in a week’.
Don’t Miss: How To Lose Just Stomach Fat
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.
Eat Plenty Of Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel that helps slow down food as it passes through your digestive system.
Studies show that this type of fiber promotes weight loss by helping you feel full, so you naturally eat less. It may also decrease the number of calories your body absorbs from food .
Whats more, soluble fiber may help fight belly fat.
An observational study in over 1,100 adults found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber intake, belly fat gain decreased by 3.7% over a 5-year period (
Make an effort to consume high fiber foods every day. Excellent include:
- flax seeds
- blackberries
SUMMARY
Soluble fiber may help you to lose weight by increasing fullness and reducing calorie absorption. Try to include plenty of high fiber foods in your weight loss diet.
Don’t Miss: Is Alka Seltzer Good For Upset Stomach
Best Exercises To Lose Belly Fat In Men
There are many exercises to choose from for men, but it is best to start with the best six exercises below that will yield huge payoffs: fewer injuries and more muscle.
=> Also have a look on our exercices list to lose weight and top 2020 weight loss apps.
Here are six exercises for men to consider that dont require any equipment :
Think About Your Gut If You Want To Lose Belly Fat
Followed everything above to the letter, but not losing belly fat as quickly as you might like? It could be that the levels of good to bad bacteria in your gut arent at their optimum.
Researchers from Washington University found that people with excess weight, including abdominal fat, tend to have greater numbers of Firmicutes bacteria, suggesting this one could encourage the body to absorb more calories from food. Dont believe us? Heres what your poop can tell you about your belly fat.
*Women’s Health Naked Survey 2018
You May Like: How To Make Your Stomach Thinner
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.