How to lose fat on belly: Effective Tips
Belly fat – the number one enemy of it seems like every person in the world. Some people may not like the way it looks. Others may be concerned about the health implications of belly fat. You may have tried a thousand and one ways to get rid of it, from fad diets to coolsculpting on belly fat. If you want to lose belly fat healthily, this post is for you. Here, we’ve assembled the top ways to help you lose belly fat.
Why is belly fat dangerous?
What are all the concerns about belly fat? Our body can store fat under the skin called subcutaneous fat. Alongside this type of fat, there is visceral fat, which is found deeper in the abdomen and surrounds our organs. Fat isn’t just an energy deposit; it is a biologically active tissue that sends many different signals to the body. Subcutaneous fat sends more beneficial signals, while visceral fat sends more signals that negatively impact our health.
Having more visceral fat in the abdomen is associated with health concerns, including a higher risk of cardiovascular issues, dementia, types of cancer and even asthma. That’s why many people are concerned about their amounts of belly fat.
Typically, a higher amount of belly fat is a signal that there is a lot of visceral fat. However, even if you don’t have as much belly fat as a skinny person, you can have a substantial visceral fat.
You can always reach out to your medical practitioners to help you understand whether you have a lot of visceral fat. They can help run relevant tests and suggest any lifestyle changes that can help you shed belly fat.
How do you get deep belly fat?
There are many reasons someone may have more belly fat or visceral fat. People who live sedentary lifestyles and consume more calories than they burn daily can gain weight, which can be accompanied by belly fat gain. However, age-related factors and genetic factors also play a role in storing visceral fat.
If you’re wondering, “Why is all my fat on my belly?” The answer may lie in factors outside your control, like genetics or your age. It may also lie in your habits and lifestyle. Whatever the cause, the good news is that you can address it.
So, how do you work on belly fat?
Losing fat on the lower belly or on the belly in general requires a few lifestyle changes. The steps for how to lose belly fat are as follows:
- Rethink your eating plan. Decrease the consumption of foods that don’t serve you and increase your consumption of nutrients to support weight loss in general.
- Get moving. Try to incorporate multiple types of training, getting your blood pumping and building muscle through resistance training.
- Sleep well. Sleep plays an essential role in feeling good, but it also helps you keep healthy habits and supports weight loss.
- De-stress. It can be challenging to handle everything, and stress can make it tempting to go back to unhealthy habits. Therefore, finding ways to de-stress can help you lose weight and tackle the fat on your belly.
These four steps can sound overwhelming, but they’re not too complex when you think about it. In the rest of the post, we’ll break down what each of them means and help you find easier ways to incorporate them into your daily life.
Think eating plan
A consistent calorie deficit is one of the critical aspects of any type of weight loss. This means that you may have to rethink your eating habits and come up with a healthier eating plan. Considering your needs, food preferences and budget is a good idea when planning your diet.
Some good tips for a healthy eating plan to help you lose weight include:
- Make sure you have a calorie deficit you can stick to – don’t try to survive on 1200 calories, especially if you’re super active
- Prioritize whole foods such as vegetables, whole grains, low-fat protein and dairy
- Make meals you’re accustomed to, but in a healthier way
- Increase your intake of fiber, healthy fats and protein to help you keep full and feel full of energy
Your meal plan must be one you can stick to, as consistency gets results in weight loss.
Give up fast food
When thinking about fat loss, many people instinctively focus on foods to cut back on to lose belly fat. Limiting your intake of foods that don’t provide you with adequate nutrition can be a significant first step in helping you shed pounds and lower visceral fat. Frequently eating fast food may be correlated with a higher amount of visceral fat. The same goes for ultra-processed foods.
These types of food often contain excessive calories, lots of added sugars and salt, worse-quality fats, and little fiber. However, they can be convenient and delicious, which is why so many people incorporate them into their diets.
To address this, try limiting your fast-food intake to once a month. Watch out for ultra-processed foods like snacks and ready meals at the stores when you go shopping. Help yourself replace these foods with healthier alternatives and create situations where you don’t need to rely on fast food for nutrition.
Many people enjoy fast and processed food due to its convenience—it’s just there for you to grab and requires no cooking. If you like the convenience of it all, consider meal prepping on weekends or freezing healthy meals that you can heat up when you need them. Replace palatable foods with home-made or healthy snacks that are also easily available, such as fresh or dried fruit, nuts, or even some granola and low-fat yoghurt.
You may find it easier to limit these foods if you think of ways to replace them with healthier alternatives.
Moderate your alcohol intake
Alcohol consumption can be an occasional indulgence. However, limiting your alcohol intake can be a great choice if you want to focus on losing belly fat. Many types of alcohol can be high in calories, and increased intake of it can be associated with modest weight gain.
Alcohol consumption may also change the way the body stores fat. Alcohol consumption may be correlated with increased visceral fat in women.
It’s a good idea to moderate your alcohol intake if you’re trying to get rid of belly fat. Instead, try replacing some alcohol intake with healthy, alcohol-free drinks and mocktails.
Eat a high-protein diet
Protein has been on everyone’s mind recently. It’s for good reason, as getting enough protein can be very beneficial to health. Protein is a macronutrient that helps build our muscles and bones but also keeps our immune systems working well. There are also many benefits of protein that help make it easier to lose weight.
One of the most useful tips for belly fat loss, or for any type of fat loss in general is increasing your protein intake. Eating protein helps keep you fuller for longer. It also helps you preserve muscle mass, and more muscle mass means more calories you burn on a daily basis. Plus, preserving muscle mass can help you achieve a toned look which many people strive towards.
It’s a good idea to incorporate some protein into every meal. One of the most important meals to do so is breakfast. Eating a higher-protein breakfast can help you support weight loss and even make you more likely to make healthier choices later in the day.
There are many sources of protein that you can benefit from. These can include animal products like meat, poultry, fish and shellfish. It’s best to choose lower-fat cuts of meat and poultry to ensure you’re not overdoing it on the saturated fats. There are also plenty of vegetarian and vegan sources of protein in foods like low-fat dairy, eggs, legumes, tofu and even certain cereals that have plenty of amino acids.
If you’re relying on plant proteins, mixing different plant protein types together to get all the essential amino acids you need is a good idea. Some plant proteins like soy and tofu are complete proteins, having all the essential amino acids the body requires but cannot make. Other sources may not have all of the essential amino acids, so combining legumes and cereals can be a great way to ensure you get all of them.
Sometimes, you may be in a rush or need a quick protein boost without cooking a chunk of meat or some beans. Protein powders can be a great way to support your protein intake in those moments.
Whey protein powders like 100% Golden Whey contain all essential amino acids and are a convenient way to get around 24 grams of protein in a quick shake. They’re also a great way to boost the protein content of your breakfasts, such as porridge, yoghurt or even pancakes. 100% Golden Whey has a range of delicious flavors you won’t get tired of.
For those who are looking for fully natural products, 100% Golden Whey Natural is a great way to get your protein. These proteins are sweetened with stevia and contain only natural flavorings and colors like cocoa powder.
Try whey isolates if you’re looking for even larger amounts of protein per serving. These protein powders contain fewer fats and carbohydrates and offer around 27 grams of protein per serving
Help yourself stay full during the day by including protein at every meal or including protein-rich snacks in between meals. This will also help you lower your calorie intake during the day, supporting your weight loss.
Eat more fiber
Fiber is another excellent nutrient to help you lose belly fat. Fiber helps keep us full, which is great if you’re in a calorie deficit. It also has a range of health benefits, including supporting heart and even immune health. Eating foods that contain soluble fiber, such as apples or beans, can help lose visceral fat. People who consume more fiber tend to have less visceral fat as well.
Prunes are an easy way to get some fiber—check out why they’re such a great addition to your diet here.
If you want to lose belly fat, increase your intake of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes.
Get plenty of restful sleep
One way to lose belly fat or any fat in general that most people may not consider is getting enough sleep.
Sleep is vital for our well-being and proper cognitive function. However, sleep also affects how we lose weight. Not getting enough sleep can affect our fullness and hunger hormones, reducing our fullness hormones by 26% and increasing our hunger hormones by up to 15%.
In addition, insufficient sleep can make it harder for us to make healthy food choices. It can increase our calorie consumption by 300-550 calories daily! We may be tempted to snack more and consume more fats and sugars. While that may feel good, it may be counterproductive if you’re aiming to lose belly fat.
Therefore, getting sufficient sleep is important if you’re trying to lose belly fat. Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep daily, and make sure that you go to bed and wake up at a consistent time every day. This can help your weight loss efforts and tackle belly fat.
If you need some tips on how to fix your sleep schedule, check out this post.
Pick proper carbs
Carbohydrates are a great source of energy for the body. However, not every type of carbohydrate is equally good for you. Increased intake of refined carbohydrates can be associated with decreased key nutrient consumption and the promotion of unhealthy microbiomes. That’s why it’s a good idea to choose whole-grain carbohydrates when trying to lose belly fat.
Lowering your carbohydrate intake can help you lose fat, including abdominal fat. This can work especially well for people with certain health conditions. However, before going on a very low-carbohydrate or even a keto diet, it’s wise to consult with a medical professional.
Choose healthful fats
While many people may think that the best way to get rid of belly fat is by reducing all fat intake, it may not necessarily be true. You should aim to get moderate amounts of healthy fats, such as omega-3s from fish or mono and polyunsaturated fats from oils.
Omega-3s may help reduce abdominal visceral fat, especially in overweight people. However, we need more research on the topic, especially longer-term studies and the effect of combining calorie restriction with omega-3s.
Healthy fats in moderation can help with staying healthy and supporting weight loss.
Start exercising
One of the most important aspects of weight loss is moving more. There are multiple benefits to exercise. It can help you burn more calories. It may help you sleep better at night. It can also help you prevent muscle wastage while on a calorie deficit. Keeping healthy muscle allows you to feel and look good and help keep your metabolism going.
You may have seen people online promoting workouts that focus on belly fat. A big disclaimer about these types of workouts needs to be made. They’re not likely to help you get rid of belly fat on their own. These exercises are commonly targeted to help you build abdominal muscle, which can promote a toned look. However, you may not see the results of toned abs until you lose weight overall. So how do you lose fat on the belly with exercise?
Are you curious about spot-reducing exercises? Read more about whether they work here.
To lose fat on your belly, you should aim to increase your overall movement. Including cardio and strength workouts on different days of the week is a good idea. Why should you combine these two types of training?
A study looked at aerobic, resistance and combined (both aerobic and resistance) exercise for 12 weeks. Participants trained at moderate intensity for 30 minutes five days a week. Combined exercise had higher weight loss, fat loss, especially abdominal fat loss and improved cardiovascular fitness than just aerobic or strength exercise.
Cardio workouts, such as running, swimming, cycling, dance, or even fast walking, can be beneficial in losing weight. Aerobic exercise that burns around 400-600 calories per session five days a week appears to help people lose weight even without a calorie deficit. Therefore, including cardio can be a great way to help your body spend more energy and assist in weight loss.
If you’re low on time, a great way to support weight loss is through high-intensity interval training and HIIT. It may help decrease total, abdominal and visceral fat mass. It’s time efficient and can help you get moving at higher intensities than you usually do.
Strength training, on the other hand, helps preserve and increase muscle mass. Lean muscle mass supports metabolic health and our ability to do things. When combined with a calorie deficit, strength training can be a good way to reduce body fat. It can also help lower visceral fat, which is the belly fat most people would like to get rid of.
What about days when you just don’t feel like going to the gym or hitting the park for a run?
Don’t fret – everyone has days when we don’t quite feel ourselves or up to the daily tasks. It’s a good idea to have a low-effort way to get active on those days. It may mean walking to work rather than driving, taking the stairs every time you’re going somewhere, or having a dance party with the kids. Try something that doesn’t feel like exercise but still gets your heart pumping and your muscles moving. It’s essential to be active every day.
Reduce your stress levels
Stress can impact our lives in many ways. Some people may find that stress leads to weight gain. This may be due to a variety of things, such as eating more, relying on more palatable foods to soothe, or even feeling hungrier due to stress. Chronic stress may even affect our self-control in a sense, leading us to choose unhealthy behaviors like overeating or smoking.
Therefore, reducing your stress levels can be beneficial for losing belly fat. Find ways to relax and wind down, as well as quick hobbies you can engage in even when you’re busy. Exercise is another good way to reduce stress levels.
Making time for yourself and fighting stress can benefit your weight loss.
Looking for inspiration? Here’s a post on how to cope with stress effectively.
How long does it take to lose belly fat?
As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Losing belly fat is a lifestyle change that will take some time. Therefore, being patient and aiming for a slow and gradual overall weight loss is a good idea. It may take a few weeks or a few months to see results.
To help yourself stay motivated, it’s a good idea to find ways to measure your progress. Weighing yourself may not always be the best way to hold yourself accountable, especially if you’re losing weight and building muscle at the same time. It may be a good idea to take progress photos or measure your waistline occasionally to ensure you’re staying on track.
Losing belly fat is a good idea since excess visceral fat is associated with health issues. You can benefit from looking at it as a lifestyle change. Increase your intake of healthy foods full of fiber and protein, and decrease your alcohol and fast food intake. In addition, you should make sure to get plenty of sleep, de-stress and keep active. These changes can help you lose belly fat.
