Losing weight is hard, but losing belly fat takes the cake. Burning that stubborn fat along your waistline is so painfully hard that it feels like an insurmountable task. After all, haven’t we all experienced such times when no amount of ab workouts could trim down our midsections to a flat tummy?
If you’re currently typing ‘how to loose belly fat’ in your search window, you’re at the right place. In this article, we’ll share some simple tips on how to loose fat from stomach.
Not All Fat is Born Equal
And yet, reducing belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is of paramount importance. Not just for cosmetic purposes, although fitting perfectly into body-hug clothes could be your goal but also, for health.
What makes it worse is that it’s not just the obese lot who need to look for ways to reduce belly fat. Even people with normal weight for their height may need to explore methods for burning belly fat.
A rudimentary way to find out whether you belong to the side requiring ways to reduce tummy fat is to measure your waist size (no tucking in your tummy!). A waist size of over 31.5 inches for women and 35.5 inches for men spells trouble for your health.
How to Reduce Belly Fat?
Now that you get that belly fat = bad, how to loose belly fat fast and naturally? With a combination of a wholesome diet and some exercise! This is a surefire way and the best (only!) way to lose stomach fat and…to lose it permanently.
Below we highlight some science-backed, super effective ways of losing belly fat quickly.
Curb Sugar Intake
All kinds of added sugars, like the ones found in soft drinks, sports drinks, and even fruit juices, are extremely harmful to your health. This is because such excessive sugar intake can lead to fat build-up in and around your abdomen and liver, which is the mother of all health problems.
This by no means translates to avoiding natural sugars found in fruits, which, unlike sweetened beverages, are super healthy and fibrous to consume. Make a habit of taking a look at food labels and avoid food items that may advertise themselves as being low in fat but may be high in various other chemical forms of sugar.
Move away from Carbs to Proteins
Counting your calories isn’t enough. While consuming 2 pizza slices may well fit within your calorie budget, it will not help you in losing that stubborn fat around your waist. Instead, you must add more proteins to your food choices, including whole eggs, fish, legumes, and nuts, as they are particularly effective in losing stomach fat. Time to snack on nuts and switch out your fruit juice for water, while you continue reading on ‘how to loose belly fat.’
According to some studies, increased protein intake can slash food cravings by 60% and help boost metabolism by almost 100 calories a day. You may even consider using a protein supplement – like whey protein —to boost your protein intake. Avoid refined carbs, especially bread, if your goal is to lose tummy fat.
Consume Soluble-Rich Fibre Foods
By increasing the intake of soluble fibre in your meals, you can prolong the feeling of satiation, thus reducing appetite over the long term. This is because soluble fibre is known to form a gel after absorbing water, which helps slow down digestion, thereby giving you that ‘full’ feeling.
As per a study, you lose belly fat by an extra 3.7% for every 10-gram increased intake of soluble fibre. If this doesn’t give you a big enough reason to consume more flax seeds, sprouts, oats, and avocados, then we aren’t sure what else will. Just kidding, read on to know more ways of how to loose fat from stomach.
Reduce Alcohol Intake
Sigh! Yes, we know. This feels onerous, almost blasphemy. How else will you enjoy your weekends and chill out while watching the next football match? But heavy alcohol consumption is not good for your now-bulging stomach (why else would you be looking for tips on how to reduce belly fat, right?).
Don’t worry; you don’t need to completely abstain from alcohol. Just limit your intake to maybe a glass a day. This should put you in a good spot to significantly reduce the risk of developing central obesity, aka belly fat.
Have Green Tea
Green tea contains nutrients and antioxidants like Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), which boost metabolism. Green tea naturally suppresses your appetite, thus reducing calorie intake. It is also rich in caffeine, a stimulant known for enabling the body to burn fat.
As mentioned above, one must avoid consuming excessive sugars and sweeteners. It will serve you well to drink natural green tea without any additives. You are bound to lose belly fat by supplementing your diet habits with exercise.
Exercise Regularly
One of the best ways to reduce belly fat is to exercise, when you consider its impact on body composition. Physical activity is essential to burn abdominal fat because it reduces circulating levels of insulin, a body signal to hang on to fat. Resultantly, the liver ends up using up fatty acids, thus reducing any belly fat deposits build up.
Even if you are stuck with a 9-6 desk job, take some time out to stretch after a few hours and add 30-60 mins vigorous workout to your routine. You can also consider doing aerobic exercises, such as walking, running, or swimming, as they are a major help in your fight to burn tummy fat.
Best of all, you have a higher chance of keeping that belly fat off your stomach, as long as you continue to exercise!
Lift Weights
Adding lean muscle mass is another effective way to lose belly fat. You should consider adding moderate strength training to your exercise routine, as it causes you to burn more calories throughout the day—yes, even when your body is at rest. Indeed, a study involving overweight teenagers showed how a combination of strength training and aerobic exercises significantly reduced belly fat.
No more Skimping on Sleep
You are doing your body no favours by sleeping only 4-5 hours a night. Your binge-watch can wait, and if you are serious about reducing belly fat, then it should most definitely wait. Getting less sleep can lead to weight gain, sleep apnea, and other health problems. Make it a habit to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep on a routine day.
Let Go of Stress
Stress eating is a thing, and it isn’t good for your midsection. With things going wrong with the world, with your work, or with your mental health, it could feel impossible to get out of this stressful vicious circle. But to maintain good health, you will need to develop habits of keeping your cool most of the time.
High-stress levels trigger adrenal glands to produce more cortisol, which causes fat deposits to relocate to your belly, thereby nullifying the benefits of diet control and workouts. Hence, consider doing yoga and meditation to dial down your stress levels.
Experiment With Intermittent Fasting
Many nutritionists have been encouraging people to indulge in intermittent fasting- a not-so-new fad on the block for losing weight. It is trendy among those looking for ways to reduce belly fat within a week. Some studies have stated that people can lose up to 7% of belly fat within 6-24 weeks with intermittent fasting.
So, how to reduce belly fat through intermittent fasting? For the uninitiated, intermittent fasting involves cycles of voluntary fasting and eating at scheduled timings. There are multiple methods of intermittent fastings, such as alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, and daily time-restricted eating. One popular method consists of fasting every day for 16 hours while limiting your food intake to an 8-hour window.
Bottom Line
While we wish there was an elixir that could magically burn all our belly fat overnight, there isn’t. Only by undertaking key lifestyle changes and staying committed to them can one shed the extra kilos around their waist. Continue to improve the composition of the calories that you consume and supplement it with regular exercise. You can lose your belly fat!
FAQs-
Q: Can I lose belly fat in 7 days?
A: While we understand your strong desire to lose belly fat within a week, this goal is unrealistic and can even be harmful to your health. A steady, gradual approach peppered with lifestyle changes can go a long way in attaining and maintaining reduced belly fat. Continue to do cardio and abdominal workouts and track your calories, with a special emphasis on reducing trans-fat and excessive sugar intake to lose belly fat quickly.
Q: Which exercise burns the most belly fat?
A: The optimal way to burn belly fat is to do strength training combined with aerobic exercises. As for workouts, you can do exercise ball crunch, vertical leg crunch, bicycle exercise, and planks.
Q: Which foods are good for a flat tummy?
A: Food rich in soluble fibre and protein helps burn belly fat. You should increase your intake of fruits like bananas, blueberries, and avocados as they help prevent blood sugar spikes that trigger the body to store fat around the belly. Avoid processed foods and alcohol.
