In my opinion having belly fat is the worst kind of fat ever. Clothes do not seem to look or fit right and the worst part? It’s probably the hardest part of fat on your body to get rid of.
Many people lose weight but still find it so frustrating to lose that last bit which always seems to sit on the belly.
Its tough to stay motivated and continue to want to lose weight when the fat on the belly doesn’t seem to melt away.
If you really want to understand how to lose belly fat fast, you need first to understand what it is, what causes it and how to lose belly fat to get that flat tummy.
WHAT Causes BELLY FAT?
Overeating:
The first and most obvuos reason; simply eating too much food leads to weight gain and more stomach fat.
Don’t worry about calorie intake just yet, if you focus on eating the right foods, eating less is a natural result.
BLOATING
bloating of the stomach gets left out when discussing how to lose belly fat. It causes the stomach to look and feel larger than it should be.
This is usually caused by high sodium intake, excessive carbohydrate intake, and can be a sign of a food intolerance.
Cortisol
The stress hormone cortisol has been directly linked to higher abdominal fat distribution (1).
It’s important to get your hormones under control and minimize the amount of stress in your life to reduce belly fat.
ALCOHOL INTAKE
The final contributor to stomach fat is alcohol intake.
Again, studies have shown that alcohol and certain types of alcohol are directly associated with high amounts of belly fat.
As a general rule of thumb, you should cut out alcohol when losing weight. Only once you’re at the desired weight, should it be reintroduced to the diet.
Mistakes to avoid when trying to lose belly fat
1. Only doing abdominal-focused workouts won’t help you get rid of your belly fat. Belly fat is simply where your body stores energy, so you need to take a whole-body approach to tackle it.
2. Eating 6 meals a day to lose weight does not work. Studies show that thee is no relation between the number of meals and calories burned or weight loss (2).
3. Overnight fixes, such as body wraps don’t work. While body wraps may provide a temporary reduction is waist circumference,it will come right back within a day or two.
How to Lose Belly Fat Fast: 11 Proven Steps
Eat fiber rich food
Studies have shown that there is a direct link to adding more fiber into your diet and the reduction of abdominal fat.
But not all fiber is the same.
The type of fiber you want to eat is soluble fiber. This type of fiber binds to water and forms a gel that helps slow down food as it passes through your digestive system.
Research has shown this type of fiber promotes weight loss by reducing appetite, this makes you fuller so you will eat less.
A study showed that for an increase of every 10 grams of soluble fiber intake, the belly fat in participants decreased by 3.7% over a 5-year period (3).
Fiber may also help you lose weight by increasing fullness and reducing calorie absorption.
Try to include plenty of high-fiber foods in your weight-loss diet.
If you want to reduce belly fat, eat lots of fiber-rich foods. They are found in beans, vegetables, and fruits.
CUT OUT SUGAR
Plenty of studies show exactly how sugar is directly turned into belly fat. It was first believed that it was fat that?well made you fat.
However it is sugar that is a major cause of weight gain in. studies show a relationship between high sugar intake and increased abdominal fat (4).
How?
Sugar turns into fructose which is then turned into fat.
Doing a sugar detox is one of the quickest ways to shed a few pounds quickly.
Giving up sugar has been proven to be more effective than low-fat diets.
When the body has no, sugar or carbohydrates, you will lose weight and a drop in belly fat will occur simultaneously.
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Go To sleep
The optimal number hours a body requires is 8 for…. less and the chances of visceral fat; the fat that is stored within the abdominal are increases.
If you’re only getting in 6 hours a night, you’ll likely have a 22% increase in the gain of visceral fat (5).
Getting 8 hours of sleep is import and and a lack of sleep is associated with cravings, high cortisol levels, poor skin, and tend to gain more weight, which may include belly fat.
A study that had 68,000 female participants found that those who slept less than five hours per night were more likely to gain weight than those who slept seven hours or more per night (6).
If you plan to lose weight and improve your health then getting enough high-quality sleep should be one of your main priorities
Try intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that alternates between periods of eating and fasting. It doesn’t tell you which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat. It is not known as a diet in the more traditional way but more accurately described as an eating lifestyle.
Therefore Intermittent fasting has increased in popularity for weight loss.
Studies suggest that it may be one of the most effective ways of losing weight and belly fat.
The most popular method is the 16/8 diet, where you fast for 16 hours and have a eating window of 8 hours.
Another method involves 24-hour fasts once or twice a week.
In a review of studies on intermittent fasting and alternate-day fasting, people experienced a 4-7% decrease in abdominal fat within 6-24 weeks (7).
Coffee or Green Tea before Workouts
Studies have shown that people who drink green tea or coffee before exercising lose more belly fat than those that don’t.
It contains caffeine and the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), both of which speed up metabolism. EGCG is a catechin, which research suggest may be effective in losing belly fat.
When green tea or coffee consumption is combined with exercise, the effects are increased.(8). This will give you the most powerful belly fat burning effects.
Drink apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is an effective way to lose weight and eliminating stomach fat.
Its abilities to lower blood sugar and curb appetite are particularly effective for those looking to lose weight.
Studies have also shown that those who consume 1 -2 tablespoons daily have a significant decrease in visceral fat (9).
Read more about it in our article on Lose Weight with Apple Cider Vinegar.
High protein diet
There’s a good amount of evidence to suggestion that protein is key to losing tummy fat. Firstly, it releases the hormone PYY, which helps to send a message to your brain that you’re full. A serving of protein in a meal should help you avoid overeating.
Many studies prove that people with a higher protein intake have lower levels of belly fat. It also raises your metabolic rate, making you more likely to build muscle during and after exercise.
Be sure to include a good protein source at every meal, such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, whey protein or beans.
DRY UP
Studies show that alcohol is one of the main offenders when it comes to storing belly fat.
Alcohol contains a very high amount of ’empty’ calories, which don’t have any nutritional value.
Women are more likely to store the fat created by surplus calories on their hips, thighs and arms, men store it on their tummy, hence the ‘beer belly’.
If you’re keen on reducing your tummy fat quickly, it’s advised that you cut out alcohol from your diet completely.
If that sounds too severe, then aim to drink cut down your intake by capping the volume you drink in one sitting to one or two glasses.
