Abdominal fat has been found to be particularly harmful in many studies. There is a strong correlation between belly fat and diseases like Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. For this very reason, it is extremely beneficial to lose any fat around your belly. There are many ways in which you can manage your weight and lose belly fat. We often see magazine columns, online forums and communities full with many promising ways on how to reduce belly fats. While there can be some gem finds in such articles, one should steer clear from any fluff on immediate weight loss tips and focus working on ways that reap long lasting benefits.
Let’s discuss few of the ways here
- Eating a proper diet
No, starving does no good for your body. Let’s start with debunking the first diet fad. Carbohydrates, and fats are as important for your body as vitamins, minerals and proteins. Other than this, you can make significant additions and subtractions from your diet. Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel that helps slow down food as it is passing down your digestive system. This makes you feel full thereby reducing your appetite. It can also limit the amount of calories your body absorbs. What is more is that this can help greatly with belly fat.
Some of the effective foods high in soluble fibers are flaxseeds, brussel sprouts, blackberries etc. Preparations like soybean oil that are created by pumping hydrogen into unsaturated fats, are extremely unhealthy for you. They are also found in spreads, margarines, and other packaged food items. Though many food producers have stopped using it. Trans fats have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, insulin resistance, and abdominal fat gains.
Protein rich food is also extremely nourishing and effective for your weight management. It helps decrease appetite and promote fullness. All while increasing your metabolic rate and help with belly fat reduction. Some protein rich foods include dairy, when protein and beans.
- Making Changes to your lifestyle
Stress can be a surprising factor hindering your belly fat reduction journey. High cortisol levels in your body indicate an increase in appetite and drive lead to the storage of fat in your abdominal region. People who have abdominal fat already tend to produce more cortisol when under stress. You can participate in stress reducing activities that can further your weight management.
Getting good amounts of sleep also motivates fat loss around the belly. Imagine, you can lose a percent of that stubborn belly fat, by doing nothing! Put yourself on a sleep schedule, and witness the difference yourself.
Another thing you can do is monitor what you eat, whether it is through online apps or a personal diary – you can do a lot once you have what you eat on a paper. Not only this, many food apps can break down your food to tell you about the percentages of proteins, carbs, fibers and other nutrients you’re taking in with every bite.
- Eliminate sugar from your diet
Sugar contains fructose which has long been linked to many diseases, weight gain and other such problems. To name a few, Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, Fatty liver diseases can be a cause of belly fat. It is advised to add sugar sparingly to your diet. Drinks high in sugar can be an even graver concern when it comes to belly fat. Since your body processes solids and liquids differently, it is easier to consume liquid calories faster than solid ones. Thereby making it more harmful. In order to lose belly fat, you should abandon liquids like soda, punches, sweet tea or other alcoholic beverages.
- Exercise Regularly
Aerobic exercises, resistance training are two very efficient ways of improving your health and burning calories on a daily basis. Lightweight lifting builds strength and is more beneficial for gaining muscles and keeping yourself healthy in the longer run. There are many workouts that promote fat loss around the belly. Thus, it is advisable to chart out an exercise routine for the betterment of your health.
- Cook with Coconut Oil
Coconut oil or virgin cold pressed coconut oil is probably the safest and healthiest way to consume fat. The medium chain fats found in the oil not only boosts metabolism and decreases the amount of fat you store in your belly. Not only does it help in storing healthy fats, but also cut the already stored fat from your body. It is also important to not overeat coconut oil as it is high in calories.
- Add Apple Cider Vinegar to your diet
It is no secret that Apple Cider Vinegar with mother is a wonderful fat-cutter. Simply taking as little as 30ml a day diluted in water before you start your day can do wonders. It is also responsible for reducing blood sugar levels. It improves the ability of your liver and muscles to take up sugar from your blood. While reducing belly fat storage. It also helps you reduce the ratio between glucagon and insulin. Apple Cider Vinegar is also known to suppress the hunger inducing centers of your brain. This can result in a loss of excessive appetite. You can easily find Apple Cider Vinegar online.
- Increase the intake of probiotics
Probiotics are bacteria that keep your gut healthy. They have many health benefits, which includes enhancing immune function. By improving the number of good bacteria in your gut, it helps boost your metabolism. Consuming probiotics can also help burn calories in the longer run. Lastly, Probiotics are known to regulate the accumulation of fats in the body.
- Try intermittent fasting
The ideal definition of Intermittent Fasting is that it is an effective way to schedule your meals in a way to promote weight loss. There are several ways to approach Intermittent Fasting. Alternating between periods of eating and fasting according to your ratios can help greatly in helping you manage weight. The various approaches have made methods that can be used to tailor the needs of different individuals. By far, the most frequently used method remains the 16:8 method. This involves fasting for periods of 14-16 hours every day, and eating only in the rest of the 8-10 hour window. The 5:2 method on the other hand, restricts eating for 48 hours a week. Lastly, and a bit more on the tougher side, is the Alternate Day Fasting method, which as the name suggests skipping meals every alternate day.
- Be mindful of the liquid you intake
Green tea for instance, has been known to fight belly fat. It contains caffeine and antioxidants that are known to boost metabolism. This sans dairy, and caffeine drink takes the alternate route and nourishes your body. Another wonder fluid? If you grab this over other things, every time you want to quench your thirst, you will notice a slow but wise difference in your weight management journey! Nothing can beat a glass of good ol’ water.
Detox juices like Wheatgrass Juice, Amla Juice, and Noni Juice fight belly fat in their own way. On the other hand, you can also try to replace junk snacks with fresh cut fruits, veggies and focus on natural, untouched food. Reducing belly fat can’t be a one day miracle, it is a long procedure with many nitigrities that have to be taken care of. Only when done right, can it yield good results.
Read how to loose weight.