Most of us desire a flat stomach, and we often ask the question “how can I lose belly fat?” Unfortunately there is no magic procedure and most of the time what is needed is in fact a change in life style. It is vital to remember that losing excess belly fat is not just important because of appearance, but belly fat can in fact be very damaging to our health and can lead to various illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Dieting – The Way to Lose Belly Fat Using Calorie Restriction
Dieting is one of the best ways to lose weight around your stomach, this does not mean starving yourself or eating foods you dislike, it just means making a few changes to the food you usually eat. It is recommended to eat five to six mini meals a day rather than three large and main meals. This is because it will suffice your hunger appetite throughout the day and it will also result in you eating less food as your portions will be smaller. In addition to this, by eating little and often you in fact boost your metabolism because the body burns more energy. Check out this video with some tips about losing weight:
It is vital to drink lots of water throughout the day as it accelerates the fat burning process. Water also aids the functioning of the liver and our liver actually has the ability to burn reserved fat and convert it into energy.
When it comes to food, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so start off your day with a good and healthy breakfast. As mentioned the frequency of eating is vital, just as crucial is what you eat. There are in fact various foods which aid the loss of fat around your stomach, such as; fish, vegetables, dark chocolate, and fruit. However, there are also foods which do the opposite and diminish your ability to lose belly fat, these include foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar, and thus you should try and avoid such foods as much as possible. Moreover, consult these healthy eating tips and choices.
It goes without saying that any diet should be aided with exercise in order to achieve maximum impact. Nevertheless, when targeting your stomach in particular, there are various exercises which will benefits this more.
Resistance training exercises:
Weight lifting exercises help your body fight fat by building muscle. By working on abdominal exercises your stomach muscles will get tighter as well as stronger. I would recommend doing exercises such as squats, chest presses, and dumbbell rows.
More about resistance and stregth training can be studied here:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_training
- http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/resistance_training?open
- http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/articles/2009/04/10/10-forms-of-resistance-training-that-strengthen-your-muscles
Cardio exercises:
These are extremely beneficial whilst attempting to lose weight, as they accelerate our heart rate and cause us to use more energy. If you can feel your heart beating faster and your breathing increasing, then you know it is working. Try to exercise on a regular basis, about three to four times a week is ideal. Find out about the best way to lose belly fat fast here.
More information about Cardio exercise can be found here:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobic_exercise
- http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/a/cardio101.htm
- http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/kick-up-with-cardio-exercise
Final Words with Awesome Belly Fat Myths
Losing belly fat is not easy and a lot of effort is needed, however once you start to see results you will be highly motivated to put in extra effort. There are all sorts of myths about quick diets and slimming machines, however they are exactly that – myths, there is no secret answer to losing weight, but by exercising and dieting you can get rid of excess stomach fat.
In fact many types of slimming equipment on the market today actually reduce your metabolism levels which will actually cause you more harm than good. It is hard to lose weight, especially in this day and age where most of our time is spent sitting down in our cars or at a computer desk, however if you follow this basic guide you are guaranteed the results you want. In the end feel free to check out these exercises to lose belly fat.
Many of us want to lose weight around our stomach and are often searching for new and innovative ways to do so. However, with so many myths present on the internet and alike it is often hard to decipher which methods are effective for losing belly fat and which are not. Thus this article is compiled in order to help you depict the best ways to lose excess stomach fat, as well as to disregard the ineffective methods.
- First and foremost, many people use AB machines in the aim of losing weight because they target our abs alone. However, by solely using AB machines and nothing else you will not be eliminating belly fat as they do not work all of the muscles required. In order to get rid of fat around the stomach you need to do cardio exercises because they work every muscle that needs to be worked. In addition to this you also must make sure you are eating proper foods.
- AB rollers are another type of popular ab related exercise machine. How many of you have seen advertisements on TV or on the internet stating that ab rollers can give you the perfect stomach? Unfortunately it is not true. In fact they can result in severe injuries and damage as your neck is not protected. Thus I would highly advise against using ab rollers, as they are ineffective and potentially dangerous.
- Another widely used exercise that can in fact be damaging is sit-ups. By doing sit-ups you can actually strain your hip flexor muscles. This is because your feet are anchored to the floor and you are flexing at a high pace. In addition to being potentially harming, sit-ups are not actually effective in losing belly fat either.
- Floor crunches are another well used exercise utilised in the aim of burning stomach fat. However, do not expect miracle results. Floor crunches are effective in small doses and will provide you with mediocre results overall.
As stated earlier, the correct and proper nutrition is absolutely vital in regards to losing any weight, but in particular belly fat. Starvation diets and crash diets do not work; they merely create false hopes and false results. The proper nutrition is the only way to go. In addition to this, don’t be lured in to the misguided hope of fat burning pills, they lose weight from your stomach initially but then you begin to gain all this weight back, and more.
When you get older it becomes harder to lose weight and thus if you have insecurities about your stomach it is best to tackle belly fat sooner rather than later. This is because when you reach the age of about forty to forty five some of your muscles will start to be replaced by fat. Even if your diet or exercise routine has not changed you will probably start to notice the development of ‘spare tires’. However, whilst we are young or bodies produce hormones that regulate the flow of fat and stop it from spreading around our bodies. It is these hormones that actually make us put on weight in the future because they stop working.
However, do not think you need to get rid of every single bit of body fat you have. Body fat is extremely important as it is required in order to regulate the temperature of our bodies. There are many types of fat which are in fact good and it is just about determining which these are that is important.
For example, subcutaneous fat, which is the layer of fat closest to our skin, possesses no health threats at all. However, visceral fat, which resides deep in our bodies, can be very harmful. This is because it collects around the stomach and can consequently interfere with the functioning or vital organs, such as liver. It can also increase the risk of certain illness such as heart disease and diabetes. In order to eliminate this excess fat we may have around our stomach area the best place to start is to eliminate the “five C’s”. The “five C’s” contains candy, cookies, cake, cola, and chips.
Losing belly fat is a hard thing to do and there is no denying that fact. As you exercise you may find it more and more difficult, however once you begin to see results you will get the motivation to continue as you are. Be sure to work on all muscle groups; do not just target ones that you think are specific to your stomach area. If you target all areas you are more likely to reduce belly fat by ten to fifteen percent. The best exercises to lose weight around the stomach include swimming, walking, aerobics, and cycling.
As stated earlier, some fat is good for us and it is vital we include this in our diet. MUFA, also known as Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid, is one of these good fats that we should include in all meals. MUFA is available in an array of different foods, such as:
- Oils; canola, olive, safflower, flaxseed, sesame, peanut, walnut, sunflower, soybean, and pesto oils.
- Seeds and nuts; almond butter, cashew butter, natural peanut butter, dry-roasted cashews, dry-roasted peanuts, dry-roasted sunflower seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds
- Certain chocolate; semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, chunks of dark chocolate, chunks of semisweet chocolate
- Olives; green or black
- Avocados
Losing belly fat can be important to many individuals as it can be helpful in making them feel good about themselves both physically and mentally. Be sure to maintain a balanced diet and participate in frequent exercise that works all of your body’s muscles.
Consider reading these awesome resources regarding weight loss and methods to lose belly fat:
- http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/howtoloseweight.htm
- http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/
- http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely
- http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-belly-fat
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_obesity
- http://scoobysworkshop.com/losing-weight-and-building-6-pack-abs/