Belly fat, also called visceral fat, is what accumulates in and out of the abdominal organs. This fat increases the risk of developing cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, dementia, heart disease and diabetes. It is not possible to lose excess weight or body fat in a week, especially when it comes to belly or visceral fat. To enjoy good health and lose abdominal fat, it is necessary to change habits related to nutrition, exercise and lifestyle over a long period of time. However, in a week it is possible to start significantly changing your lifestyle and promoting well-being.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Introduce Healthy Foods to Reduce Belly Fat
Step 1. Indulge in the right kind of fatty foods
It has been shown that consuming healthy fats, such as monounsaturated ones, promotes the reduction of up to 20% of belly or visceral fat within low-fat diets.
- Monounsaturated fats fall into a category of fatty acids that carry a lower risk of developing heart disease, better diabetes management and the proper functioning of blood vessels.
- Although monounsaturated fats are considered healthy, they still have a high concentration of calories. Do not include them in an inadequate diet that already includes some sources of fat that are harmful to health. Monounsaturated fats must replace fat sources that are harmful to health such as trans or saturated fats.
- Monounsaturated fats are present in many foods, including olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds, nut butter, avocado and canola oil.
- Some solutions to experiment include, for example, replacing butter or lard with olive oil, grapeseed oil or avocado oil.
Step 2. Eat lean foods rich in protein
Lean protein foods provide a sense of satiety throughout the day, thus contributing to weight loss.
- Try to include a lean protein food in every meal. A serving of 85-110g will allow you to fall within the allowable calorie limit.
- Replace high-protein fatty foods such as high-fat cheeses, red meat, and sausages with leaner foods such as chicken, turkey, fish, beans or lentils, eggs, low-fat dairy products, and dried fruit.
Step 3. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in every meal
Make sure you fill at least half of your plate with these foods. These low-calorie foods have a high percentage of nutrients and promote weight loss, as well as reducing belly fat.
- The best way to lose belly fat is to cut calories. When fruit or vegetables - naturally low calorie foods - make up half the meal, it will be easier to reduce the overall amount of calories.
- Prepare 1 cup of vegetables, 2 cups of leafy greens, or 1/2 cup of fruit. Include 1-2 servings of these foods in each meal.
Step 4. Go for whole foods
When trying to reduce belly fat and get rid of dangerous visceral fat, it is essential to choose wholemeal flour products when it comes to bread, rice or pasta.
- 100% wholemeal products contain significantly more fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals than those made from more refined flours, and are a much more nutritious solution.
- Refined flours are obtained from a long manufacturing process during which they are deprived of essential nutrients. It is necessary to limit the consumption of products such as white bread, white rice, pasta or common crackers.
- Consume one or two servings of 100% whole grain products daily. Eat about 30 g or 1/2 cup of foods such as quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, or millet.
Step 5. Drink the right amount of water
Give the body a feeling of satiety and hydration by drinking the right amount of water and other genuine drinks every day.
- It is generally recommended to drink at least 8-13 glasses of water per day.
- Water is essential for the hydration of the body, as well as playing a very important role in regulating body temperature and blood pressure.
- In addition, proper hydration promotes appetite control. Drinking a glass of water immediately before a meal can even help you reduce the amount of food and, consequently, lose weight.
Method 2 of 3: Eliminate Harmful Foods to Reduce Belly Fat
Step 1. Eliminate sugar and refined white flour
Sugary drinks, sweets and refined white flour foods have been shown to be among the biggest culprits of visceral fat. Limit or eliminate these foods altogether if you want to reduce belly fat.
- Sweetened drinks such as sodas, fruit juices and energy drinks, along with candy, sweets and pastries, can help increase visceral fat. In addition, refined white flour-based foods or highly processed foods containing carbohydrates, such as french fries, crackers, white bread, white flour pasta or white rice, are also responsible for the accumulation of fat.
- If you're craving a sugar-rich snack, try replacing it with a more nutritious food. Try eating low-fat Greek yogurt or fruit.
Step 2. Eliminate alcoholic beverages
Many studies show that high alcohol consumption is linked to an increase in visceral fat. Limit or eliminate alcoholic beverages to help reduce belly fat.
- Furthermore, many alcoholic drinks are served in combination with sugary drinks. The combination of sugar and alcohol increases the risk of belly fat accumulation.
- In general, women should not consume more than one glass of alcohol a day while men should not go beyond two glasses.
Step 3. Limit your consumption of fatty foods
In addition to preferring foods that contain healthy fats, it is also necessary to try to limit or avoid certain types of fats that can increase adipose tissue in the abdomen, as well as the risk of associated chronic diseases.
- Avoid all trans fats. These fats are man-made and can cause stiffening of the arteries, increase in LDL (bad cholesterol) and decrease in HDL (good cholesterol). Avoid all products containing partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. These are found in fried foods, packaged foods and processed meats.
- Consume a moderate amount of saturated fat. Studies on the danger or otherwise of saturated fats are still underway. Since fats generally contain more calories and your goal is to lose weight and reduce body fat, limit your consumption of this type of fat. These fats are present in products of animal origin such as butter, high-fat cheeses, red meat and lard.
- Try to limit the consumption of fatty cuts of meat, fried foods and processed meats, because this type of food is the major source of fat that is harmful to health.
Method 3 of 3: Increase Exercise and Physical Activity
Step 1. Practice interval training for 2-3 days this week
High intensity interval workouts are now very popular not only because they help the body burn calories, but mostly because they allow you to burn more body fat than traditional cardio.
- A study conducted by the University of Virginia found increased abdominal fat burning in subjects who practiced interval training during 3 out of 5 cardio sessions per week, although technically the amount of calories burned remained the same throughout all of them. workouts.
- Most gym machines come with interval programs. You can select programs with intervals on the treadmill, the exercise bike and the cardiovascular equipment.
- You can create custom intensity interval programs by alternating between short sessions of very high intensity exercise and longer periods of moderate intensity exercise. For example, you can try alternating between 1-minute and 5-minute jog shots.
Step 2. Practice cardio for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week
In addition to interval training, it has been shown that it is equally important to carry out at least 30 minutes a week of cardio fitness exercises to help reduce belly fat.
- To focus on reducing belly or visceral fat and significantly affect this area, some health professionals recommend dedicating up to 60 minutes a day to aerobic activity.
- Dedicated to walking, cycling, hiking, running and training on cardiovascular equipment or on the rowing machine.
- Try to do these exercises at a moderate pace. The moderate pace is what allows, albeit with some difficulty, to have a conversation during the exercise.
Step 3. Increase your daily activity level
Lifestyle activities are a great way to get exercise into the day. More activity throughout the day has been shown to have the same beneficial effects as 150 minutes of regular cardio every week.
- Identify moments of greater sedentary lifestyle such as those spent in front of the television, on a break at work or on the way to the office and insert some physical exercises to do. Find out what are the situations in which you have more freedom of movement or you can take a walk.
- For example, do a few sets of abdominal exercises, push-ups, and planks during commercials. You can practice stretching when you are stuck in traffic or while walking around the office during a break.
- You can also think about buying a pedometer or downloading a special application on your smartphone. In this way you will be able to keep track of the activity carried out during the day and check how much you have managed to increase the level of physical exercise.
Step 4. Practice strength exercises 1 to 3 times this week
Weight lifting increases lean muscle mass, which accelerates the body's metabolism and the ability to burn calories at rest.
- In addition, endurance training promotes an increase in bone density and reduces the risk of pathologies such as osteoporosis.
- Include bodyweight exercises like pushups, planks, squats, or lunges. These are exercises to be performed to tone the muscles, but also to increase the pulse.
- Learn to use free weights or weight machines. Start with the most common exercises like bicep curls, incline bench presses, calf raises, triceps raises, and ab machine exercises.
- It is advisable to have a personal trainer assist you during the session in which weights are used for the first time; will show you how to lift weights and provide you with a proper weight lifting program.
Advice
- Always consult your doctor before embarking on a weight loss program. A doctor will be able to tell you if it is appropriate and healthy to lose weight in your specific case.
- Remember that, even if the goal is to lose excess belly fat, it is not possible to focus on a single part of the body. You will need to lose weight in general and reduce the amount of total body fat.
- Instead of weighing yourself at the beginning and at the end of the week, measure your waistline: it is the best way to determine if you have lost belly fat. People with a waist size of over 80 cm must not abandon the path taken to reduce excess fat because they are at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
