First and foremost, excess belly fat is neither healthy nor is it good for your appearance. In fact, belly fat that’s deep inside you, is associated with an increased risk of health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, high blood pressure, and some cancers. Consequently, it is a worthwhile goal to lose some, if not a lot of that fat. Therefore, some of the most effective ways to do that are described below.
Diet
Now, the most important factor in losing belly fat is what and how much you eat. So, go on a diet that is not only healthy but also helps you lose fat.
Proteins
First, include more proteins in your diet. Indeed, proteins help reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. As a result, you feel full while eating less. Furthermore, studies have found that people who eat a protein-rich diet have less abdominal fat than those who don’t. So, the next time you’re cooking or eating, make sure to include good protein sources, such as the ones listed below.
- Chicken or turkey
- Lean beef or pork
- Fish such as tuna or salmon
- Quinoa, chickpeas
- Beans
- Eggs
- Nuts, especially almonds or walnuts
- Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
Carbs
Next, several studies have found that simply replacing refined carbs with unprocessed starchy carbs can improve your metabolic health and help you get rid of belly fat.
Fiber
Also, eat lots of food with high fiber content. By the way, soluble fiber can help you lose weight by making you feel full. Examples of foods with high fiber content include the ones below.
- Fruits like berries, citrus, or bananas.
- Vegetables like kale, spinach, or carrots.
- Legumes like beans.
- Whole grains like brown rice or bread made from whole grains.
Others
Meanwhile, other eating habits you can make to help reduce fat include the ones below.
- First, replace your vegetable oils with coconut, avocado, or olive oil.
- Next, eat more fatty fish that are high in Omega-3s. Examples of such fish include wild salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, mussels, oysters, rainbow trout, and Pacific halibut.
- Also, include apple cider vinegar in your diet.
- Meanwhile, eat probiotic foods.
- Or, give intermittent fasting a try.
- Next, drink green tea, particularly first thing in the morning.
- In addition, cut back on your salt intake.
- Most of all significantly cut back on portions of sugary foods such as sweets, pastries, and desserts.
Weight-Loss Diets
By the way, according to the U.S. News and World report for 2019, the best overall diet for fast weight loss is the Keto diet followed by the Atkins diet.
On the other hand, the best overall diet is the Mediterranean diet followed by the DASH diet.
So, tailor these diets, as necessary, based on recommendations listed above.
Drinks
Next, avoid sugary drinks. In fact, sugar might just be the main culprit for your belly fat. Furthermore, studies show that sugar can lead to increased accumulation of belly fat. Moreover, sugar-sweetened drinks like juices and sodas contain large amounts of fructose that have devastating effects on your waistline.
Instead, drink enough water. Moreover, staying well hydrated is not only important to keep your metabolism functioning at its peak, but also help lose weight.
Lastly, cut back on your alcohol consumption.
Exercise
Next increase your activity level by aerobic exercises like walking, running, or swimming, to name a few. In fact, studies show that such workouts can help reduce belly fat. Meanwhile, other studies also show that short burst of high-intensity workouts are more effective at reducing belly fat than exercising at a steady pace. So, do short bursts of high-intensity workouts followed by longer but less intense recovery intervals. For example, start a walk at a slow pace for a few minutes. Next, walk as fast as you can for 10 minutes. Now, walk at a slower pace where you are not huffing and puffing for the next 15 minutes. Finally, repeat the sequence for 30 to 45 minutes.
Regrettably, in today’s fast paced lifestyle, everyone doesn’t have that much time to spend on aerobics like walking, jogging, bicycling, and others. Or, the changing weather may prevent you from getting outside. So, for these and potentially other reasons, aerobics may end up taking a back seat in your efforts to lose belly fat.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way. For example, desk pedal exercisers let you get some workout while sitting at a desk in the office or at home. Moreover, you can spend hours at a time doing things that you normally do while sitting and at the same time burn calories with these exercisers. Furthermore, a recent study reported that moving frequently is the best thing for your health.
Finally, if you can, strengthen your muscles to build muscle mass. In fact, building muscles is among the best exercises to lose belly fat. Because, the greater your muscle mass the more fat gets burned even when you are not working out.
Stress
Next, stress increases levels of the hormone cortisol. And, research shows that high cortisol levels boost levels of the hormone ghrelin in blood. Furthermore, increasing levels of ghrelin increases your appetite as well as promoting abdominal fat storage. So, if you find yourself under stress, find ways to minimize it.
Sleep
Finally, studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep tend to gain more weight. In fact, this weight gain is due to hormonal imbalances that sleep deprivation causes. For example, not getting adequate sleep increases your stress, which, in turn, increases levels of the hormone cortisol. So, if getting enough sleep is a problem, take steps to remedy it.
Takeaway
Most of all, if you stay with your efforts, you will start seeing results when you weigh yourself after a few weeks if not sooner. By the way, when you start losing weight, belly fat usually goes away first. Get a Ketogenic Diet in Singapore with Carbs For Keto!