Having too much fat in the abdominal area has become a big problem for many people these days, especially as they reach middle age. In addition to being unsightly, abdominal fat is the most dangerous one we carry, as it indicates a high level of visceral fat that is deposited around the internal organs. Therefore, in order to have a healthy lifestyle and feel good, it is necessary to commit to eliminating body fat. Start with step one to understand how.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Change Your Diet
Step 1. Adjust the calorie intake
If you want to lose weight, you need to limit your daily calorie intake. Easier than that. Luckily, belly fat is the first to go when you start losing weight, so it's easier to get rid of it than fat from your butt, thighs, or arms.
- Half a pound of fat equals 3500 calories. In other words, to lose a pound of fat per week you will need to cut 3,500 calories from your average weekly intake.
- Don't be clever about the calorie intake. Record every bite that passes your lips in a food diary or online calorie calculator.
- Following a healthy diet and reducing calorie intake makes up 80% of weight loss, so don't fool yourself into thinking you can eat what you want as long as you exercise.
- A healthy goal is to lose 0.5 to 1kg per week, beyond this limit the diet can be considered destructive and it is almost impossible to maintain the lost weight.
- Depending on the degree of overweight, women should eat around 1500-2000 calories per day to lose weight safely, while men should stay between 2000 and 1500.
Step 2. Eat more fiber
Eating more soluble fiber is essential for healthy weight loss. Helps eliminate visceral fat, the potentially harmful fat that lines internal organs such as the heart, lungs and liver. People who accumulate fat in the abdominal area have a higher percentage of visceral fat than those who do not.
- Breakfast is the best time to incorporate a large amount of fiber. Start eating high-fiber cereals or oatmeal. Eat wholemeal bread and knead muffins with bran.
- Leave the skin on fruits and vegetables (apples, carrots, and potatoes), because they contain a lot of fiber (and also a lot of vitamins and nutrients).
- Bring more peas, beans (black, pinto, white) and dried fruit (almonds, walnuts) into your diet, as they are high in fiber.
Step 3. Reduce your sugar intake
Sugar is enemy number one when it comes to fighting belly fat, because it is full of empty calories with no nutritional benefits.
- When too much sugar is consumed, the body is unable to process it, so it converts it into fat and stores it in different areas, such as the butt, abdomen, thighs and chest.
- Natural sugars, such as those in fruit, are fine (in moderation), so you just have to be careful of the extra sugars. These sugars are found in most packaged and processed foods, such as cereal bars, desserts, leavened starchy foods, and carbonated soft drinks.
- Also beware of various low-fat products, as they are often full of sugar. Watch out for certain types of yogurt, cheese, and sauces.
- Be sure to read the labels on every product you buy and pay attention to ingredients such as maltose, dextrose, ribose, xylose, lactose and sucrose. All of these are particular types of sugar.
- Be careful to also avoid any products that contain high fructose content of corn syrup. It is a natural sweetener that makes you fat as much (if not more) than traditional sugar.
Step 4. Eat more vegetables
Remember that losing weight doesn't mean going hungry, you can eat all the fruits and vegetables you want. Most of the dish must be occupied by vegetables, during meals.
- The proteins you assimilate must be able to be contained in a deck of cards, while the carbohydrate dose must fit in the palm of your hand. The rest of the dish can be safely filled with vegetables.
- Visually, filling your plate with vegetables will trick your brain into believing that you are eating a lot of food, which may make you feel less deprived and prevent you from filling your plate with food, potatoes or meat.
- Try to eat low-glycemic vegetables, they are higher in fiber and protein, and help the body release energy slowly throughout the day. Low-glycemic vegetables include asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, celery, eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, squash, peppers, etc.
Step 5. Eat healthy fats
While this may surprise you, actually eating more fats can make you lose weight, but only if you eat the right kind.
- Foods that contain monounsaturated fatty acids are good for you and can help you reduce belly fat. To integrate them into your diet, you can use olive oil when cooking, eat more avocados, and munch on dried fruit such as walnuts and pine nuts.
- You should also supplement fish oil, an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids. You can supplement them by eating salmon, mackerel, trout, herring and tuna.
- Stay away from trans fats, such as those found in margarine and many processed foods, because they are unhealthy fats that prevent you from losing weight.
Step 6. Drink lots of water
Drinking water is essential when trying to shed abdominal fat. First of all because it cleanses the body, eliminating toxins and leaving you less swollen.
- Second, because it helps regulate your metabolic rate, helping you burn fat more efficiently. Third, drinking water helps suppress appetite, preventing you from overeating during meals. If you are tempted to eat something unhealthy, try drinking a glass of water!
- It is usually recommended that you drink at least two liters of water a day, although you may need it further, especially if you get a lot of exercise. Try starting the day with a glass of lemon water instead of a cup of coffee.
- You can increase your hydration levels by drinking more green tea, which contains antioxidants known as catechins, which help burn fat cells.
Part 2 of 4: Exercise
Step 1. Focus on cardio exercises
Instead of doing thousands of sit-ups and push-ups, you can use cardio exercises to burn all the calories and eliminate belly fat.
- However, instead of working hard on the treadmill at a fixed speed, you should try doing different exercises at regular intervals. These types of exercises integrate short, intense workouts into your daily routine.
- Try to alternate normal exercise with 30-second sprints, or set the elliptical, the treadmill or other machines in alternate mode in the gym.
- To reduce abdominal fat, try to do at least 30 minutes of high-intensity cardiovascular exercise at least four times a week.
Step 2. Do more activities throughout the day
In addition to the time you spend in the gym to exercise, you can do other activities throughout the day. This way you will burn more calories without too much effort.
- You just need to make small changes, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and cycling to work a couple of times a week. If you work at a desk, you might consider upgrading to a higher desk to work standing up. Standing instead of sitting for a couple of hours a day can help you burn more calories.
- Take the opportunity to do some spring cleaning, to paint the house or arrange the garden. If you have something to work on you will increase your activity levels without even realizing it.
- Also try being more active just for fun. Play soccer with your kids after school, go to a dance school, or have a fun day on the beach.
Step 3. Practice strength exercises
It is a great idea to integrate some strength exercises into your workout routine. Strength exercises include push-ups, pushups, pushups, and abs.
- While these exercises don't burn as many calories as cardiovascular ones, they will still benefit you in the long run. They will help you build muscle mass and strengthen it, this will increase the speed of your metabolism and help you burn fat more easily, even in resting conditions.
- Exercises like pushups and weight lifting help build core muscles and keep your waist flat. In any case, you must maintain a correct position while performing these exercises. So if you've never done them before, consider joining a gym or asking for help from a personal trainer.
Step 4. Don't waste too much time doing situps or pushups
Many believe that doing hundreds of situps can eliminate abdominal fat and achieve perfect abs.
- It is not actually possible to reduce fat this way, so any muscle you strengthen will be hidden by pre-existing fat and will make you look even bigger.
- For this reason it is best to wait to perform these exercises until all the abdominal fat has been disposed of. At that point you can start working on firming the mid-body.
- Instead of doing sit-ups and push-ups, consider the idea of performing exercises that involve multiple muscle groups (not just those of the core) and which simultaneously help the cardiovascular system. You can do exercises on the bench, or with the ball. You can also try to drag a weight with your feet while walking with your hands, the so-called Alligator Drag.
Part 3 of 4: Making Lifestyle Changes
Step 1. Get enough sleep
While it may seem incredible, getting enough sleep helps you shed abdominal fat tremendously.
- When you are tired, your body produces more ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger and the desire for high-calorie foods.
- Furthermore, lack of sleep unbalances the production of other hormones, leading to a potential increase in cortisol levels and insulin sensitivity, both of which are linked to abdominal fat.
- Therefore it is recommended that you sleep 7 to 8 hours a night. If you have difficulty falling asleep, try to reduce your caffeine intake or avoid watching TV or staying at your PC before going to sleep. Read a book or take a relaxing bath.
Step 2. Reduce Stress
Studies show that the increase in cortisol levels (the hormone caused by stress) is linked to an increase in abdominal fat.
- It is also easier to make poor nutrition choices under stressful conditions, especially if you are very busy or tend to find solace in food.
- For this reason it is important to reduce stress levels in order to defeat abdominal fat. Exercise can be of enormous help when it comes to reducing stress (and fat) levels, just like getting a good dose of sleep.
- You should also set aside time to do something you enjoy. Read a book, go see a movie or spend more time with friends and family. It has recently been found that activities such as yoga and meditation are very effective in reducing stress.
Step 3. Limit your alcohol consumption
Drinking a lot or on a regular basis does not help reduce the belly. This is for several reasons:
- First of all, spirits (beer and cocktails in particular) have a high calorie content. Consequently, drinking a couple of glasses after work can significantly increase the total intake of calories.
- Second, drinking alcohol puts pressure on your liver, which has to work all the time to cleanse the body of toxins that have been ingested into your system. This process drains energy from other bodily processes, such as burning fat and strengthening muscles.
- There is no need to give up alcohol, just try to limit its consumption to Friday or Saturday nights, and don't get drunk.
Part 4 of 4: Motivate and Stay Motivated
Step 1. Remember why it is important to lose belly fat
If you find it difficult to stay motivated, remember that you do it to feel good.
- People with high levels of abdominal fat tend to have heavy accumulations of visceral fat, which is the fat that forms around internal organs, such as the heart, liver, and lungs.
- Although visceral fat itself is not harmful (it protects internal organs), if it is present in a large amount it can be potentially dangerous, as it can produce toxic substances inside the body. These substances cause heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, enlarged liver, and certain types of cancer.
- For this reason, you don't have to lose belly fat just to look slimmer, you have to do it because it's important for your health. To reduce visceral fat levels, you need to aim for a waist size of 90cm if you are a woman, and 100cm if you are a man.
Step 2. Weigh yourself at the same time each day
If you have the habit of constantly weighing yourself you will not see any benefit and it will demoralize you.
- However, the weight can also vary substantially from day to day and from hour to hour, depending on what you ate and when you last went to the bathroom. This is why it is important to standardize your weighing to have accurate indications of your progress.
- Weigh yourself at the same time each day. Many people prefer to do this in the morning before breakfast because this is the time when they weigh less during the day. However, it is a good idea to wait several days or even a week between one weighing and the next, because it can sometimes take a while to register substantial weight losses.
Step 3. Measure your waist size
In addition to weighing yourself, you could also measure your waist progress. Sometimes, even if you haven't lost a pound, you may have lost a few inches.
- Calculate the waist-hip rate by measuring the waist (the thinnest part around the pelvis) and the hip (around the hip bone).
- Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement to get the waist-hip rate.
- A healthy waist-to-hip rate is 2cm for women and 2.5cm for men.
Step 4. Take some pictures
Another way to keep track of your progress is to take pictures of yourself. This can help you see your progress visually, and it also helps you stay motivated.
- Take several photos at the beginning of the weight loss journey, and then throughout the process. Take pictures of the front and back of the body, as well as one from the side. Get someone to help you take the photo.
- Take pictures in your underwear or with tight clothes, so you can observe the shapes of your body. Stand up straight, and don't pull your belly back so you don't fool anyone. Let it hang out.
- Compare the photos you take with the first one, you will be amazed by the progress you have made.
Step 5. Lose weight with a friend
Staying motivated and losing weight can be very difficult, especially when everyone around you eats whatever they like and sits in front of the TV instead of going to the gym.
- If you can, invite a friend or family member to lose weight with you. A slightly competitive spirit may be what it takes to get you back into shape.
- You can choose to go to the gym or go for walks together. Do the weekly weights together as well, you will be required to answer someone for your failure to lose weight.
