Harvard Health reports that excess abdominal fat, more commonly known as visceral fat, can cause not only fits that are too snug in clothing but also can be an indicator of some health problems.
Despite having a seemingly normal appearance in other areas of the body, having an excessive amount of fat around the midsection can still put a person’s health in danger, according to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Getting rid of belly fat can be tricky.
It can be a challenge to slim down the belly area, and it often takes a bit longer than other areas of the body. Additionally, it can be irritating to attempt to take off excess fat around the midsection.
Ridding oneself of surplus fat in the abdominal area does not have to be hard.
We have 36 techniques that are backed up by evidence that can help reduce stomach fat and increase overall health.
1. Eat more protein.
Roughly a quarter to a third of the calories in every gram of protein will be used up in digestion, whereas only 6 to 8 percent of the calories in carbohydrates are burned. Figure it out: You can cut out 41 calories when you replace 50g of carbohydrates with the same amount of protein.
2. Read labels.
Steer clear of items that contain “high-fructose corn syrup” in the ingredients. Consumption of this particular sugar substitute has grown dramatically in the United States since 1971, rising by over 350%. This increase is closely associated with the growth of obesity, as this sweetener is used in beverages, processed food products, and sauces.
3. Get off your ass.
Do every exercise standing instead of sitting. Joe Stankowski, who is a Certified Personal Trainer, states that you’ll burn 30% more calories. The solution for the bench press? Dips.
4. Mix up your movements.
When weight lifting, do two sets back-to-back in which you work out the lower body in one set and then move to the upper body for the next. In that manner, your legs and feet are at rest while your arms and torso are being put to use. According to Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., this approach enables you to train your muscles to the maximum capacity with almost no rest between sets for a productive and swift exercise session.
5. Exercise blind.
Attempting the elliptical with no assistance from the handles and shutting your eyes can be beneficial. Take caution! Operating without visual input will necessitate your core muscles to use more energy keeping you balanced, leading to a higher rate of calorie consumption.
6. Embrace yardwork.
Look at any type of exercise, including activities you don’t enjoy, like cutting the grass, as an opportunity to get rid of fat and keep your body healthy. (Just make sure you use a push mower.)
7. Snack on dill pickles.
They have one calorie per slice.
8. Take larger steps.
When utilizing the stair climber, avoid every fifth step. Then move one giant stride towards returning to your regular walking gait. Cameron McGarr, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, states that this action can enlist more muscles, effectively increasing fat burning.
9. Rent motivation.
View a motion picture on a weekly basis that encourages you to be active. Examples could include: Rocky (for a workout in the gym), American Flyers (for biking), Hoosiers (for a team sport), and Chariots of Fire and Without Limits (both for jogging).
10. Break a record.
Attempt to go a long distance in the same interval of time for each exercise session – even if it’s just an extra hundredth of a mile. This guarantees that you are consistently burning more calories between each exercise.
11. Smash your dinner plates.
And buy smaller ones. In this manner, even if you fill your plate full, the amount you consume is less than what you would generally put on your current serving dishes.
12. Cut carbs.
Yes, you’ve heard it a zillion times. The reason: It works. A current report by the Journal of Nutrition found that in just half a year, men who only ate 8% of their daily caloric intake from carbs lost 7 pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of muscle.
13. Lift first, then run.
Doing cardio after lifting weights, when you are already exhausted, will have a more powerful influence than if it had been done before strength training.
14. Change directions.
Give it a go on the elliptical—run for 30 seconds at top speed, then immediately switch to the other direction and go for another 30 seconds at full speed. Rest for 60 seconds, and repeat. The power of interrupting your movement, as well as moving instantly from a standstill to full speed repeatedly in the same timespan, can really jumpstart your body fat-loss objectives, according to Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S.
15. Fill up on high-fiber foods.
Consider them “good carbs.” The amount they take up in your stomach provides the sensation of being full, making you eat less. Beans are the best source of fiber, providing 8 grams of the nutrient in just a half-cup serving. Studies indicate that men who incorporated 12 grams of fiber into their dietary intake dropped approximately one-fourth of an inch from their waistline without altering their food regimen. Here are some of the best sources.
16. Top your salad with vinaigrette dressing.
Research indicates that adding acidic items like vinegar or lemon juice to your diet can help turn your body into a fat-burning machine, increasing the rate of burning carbs by between 20 and 40 percent. Experts suggest that the acids curb the sudden rise in insulin levels and reduce how quickly food is removed from the stomach. Pickles and yogurt that have undergone fermentation are also beneficial sour choices.
17. Don’t skip meals.
Going a long period without food puts your body in a state of catabolism, which means it starts burning muscle instead of fat for energy.
18. Try the VersaClimber.
If you make your cardio exercises more inclined to a vertical angle, you will be able to burn more calories.
19. Don’t be a couch potato.
If you watch a lot of TV, count how many hours you currently spend doing this and eliminate reruns, even if it is an episode of Seinfeld that you have yet to watch. Take advantage of the extra time you have and use it to get up and move: either outside or in a fitness center.
20. Hit the weights.
If you don’t feel like putting in a lot of work, it’s not a problem — just invest 10 minutes a day into strength training, 3 days a week and you’ll start to see results. Studies conducted at Harvard have determined that devoting only half an hour each week to weight lifting is more effective at shrinking waist circumference than almost any other element.
21. Pass on the potatoes.
No matter the preparation, potatoes can be consumed in different forms such as mashed, baked, fried (as French fries) or even in the form of potato chips. The increase of insulin in the bloodstream encourages the body to no longer burn fat and instead start storing it. Sweet potatoes are acceptable. They have more nutrients and fiber.
22. Eat your biggest meal of the day after you lift.
It takes calories to digest food. Investigators at the University of Nevada determined that it requires 73% more calories to process nutrition after a weight-lifting workout in contrast to if no physical activity had been done.
23. Chug H2O before a meal.
Mohr, who has a Master’s in Science and is a Registered Dietitian, explains that drinking water can fill up one’s stomach, creating a sense of fullness and thus decreasing their appetite.
24. Request substitutions.
Dr. Jeffrey Volek suggests replacing pasta, potatoes, or rice that usually come as a side with your restaurant meal with vegetables. Your server would be delighted to serve you.
25. Join a league.
Register to join a sport like softball, soccer, or kickball. The program will arrange regular physical activities into your week, and because you are part of a team, you will have the support of others to motivate you to stay on track.
26. Break between scoops.
In other words, if you are not able to function without indulging in high-calorie sweets like ice cream, cake, etc., it is alright to consume a moderate amount, such as one scoop (roughly 1/2 cup) or one modest portion. Then, if you still want more, wait 20 minutes. Generally, when people wait, hormones cause them to feel satiated, and they no longer have the desire to eat more.
27. Limit sugar.
Americans eat way too much sugar.
The typical American consumes roughly 20 teaspoons of sugar in a single day.
To decrease abdominal fat and enhance overall well-being, the consumption of sugar, even from natural sources like honey, should be restricted.
A good beginning for cutting down on it is by looking at your coffee intake.
Try cutting down on or completely removing the sugar from your morning java, and you will be one step closer to a slimmer appearance and better health.
28. Cut out sugary drinks.
As previously stated, sugar should be avoided and is regularly consumed to excess.
It is likely that you are taking in sugar without realizing it, for example, in fruit juice.
Fruit juice, even the variety that is not sweetened, is intensely concentrated and normally includes significant quantities of sugar.
A tiny glass of fruit juice can actually have the same measure of sugar as a can of soda.
Research published in the Journal of The American Dietetic Association indicates that sugary beverages might actually be more detrimental to your health than sugary foods.
Instead of drinking sugary fruit juices, switch to water, unsweetened iced teas, or herbal teas. You can even combine it with sparkling water to make it less strong.
It doesn’t matter which way you go about it; reducing or stopping your consumption of fruit juice will make a significant difference when aiming to shed weight around your middle.
29. Get more probiotics.
Probiotics aid in bolstering the already-vibrant bacteria in your intestinal system.
They are enormously important for proper digestion, and having a good gastrointestinal system is a major component of maintaining a healthy weight.
Probiotics can be found in a variety of foods, such as yogurt, keifer, kombucha, and other items that have been fermented.
If you would prefer not to include fermented foods or yogurt in your diet, you can take a probiotic supplement instead.
Ensure your product includes Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus amylovorus, and Lactobacillus gasseri since research has proven they are the most successful in diminishing abdominal fat.
30. Get your rest.
Getting enough sleep is absolutely necessary for good health.
Investigations done by Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that insufficient sleep has been linked to increased midsection weight gain.
It is essential to ensure not only that you are taking in an adequate amount of rest every night but also obtaining the best possible quality of sleep.
Shut down your mobile phone, television, and other gadgets before you go to sleep so that you can start winding down and coaxing your body into a soothing resting state.
31. Limit refined carbs.
The American Heart Association affirms that carbohydrates are essential in our diets, as they provide us with the energy we need to function. They are a necessary and significant component of a nutritious diet.
However, all carbs are not created equal.
Consuming calories from more processed carbohydrates such as white rice, white pasta, and white bread has been shown to be more of a factor in putting on weight than eating the unrefined versions of these foods.
According to the research presented in Mediators of Inflammation, you don’t need to cut out carbohydrates completely in order to shed some pounds.
Swapping out refined carbs with whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice is a successful way to get results, as proven by a research study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
32. Eat fish.
Sea creatures, especially salmon, sardines, and herring, contain lots of beneficial vitamins and minerals.
California Agriculture and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition both agree that omega-3 fatty acids are one of the essential nutrients.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties and to be beneficiary to cardiac health. Additionally, studies have revealed that they aid in the reduction of abdominal adiposity.
33. Weight train.
Strength training is an important part of losing weight, as it lets you keep your muscle mass when you are losing excess weight.
Research published in the fields of Hepatology and the International Journal of Cardiology has demonstrated that it can potentially be an even more effective method to decrease abdominal fat.
It is essential to put aside at least three days per week to do strength training if you desire to reduce your waistline size.
34. Limit alcoholic beverages.
Too much of anything can be harmful, especially alcohol.
Consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol can have an adverse effect on one’s health.
Studies in the Journal of Nutrition and the European Journal of Nutrition show that it can be a significant source of undesired abdominal fat.
Decreasing the amount of alcohol you consume will aid in decreasing the circumference of your waist by limiting the number of calories and sugar ingested, thereby lessening the amount of fat your body stores.
35. Reduce stress.
Stress kills, in more ways than one.
It has been reported by Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology that not only does tension often result in emotional eating, but it also causes your body to create cortisol, which is normally referred to as the “stress hormone”.
Studies have demonstrated that those with higher amounts of cortisol usually have wider waists and a heightened chance for a variety of health issues.
Taking action to reduce levels of anxiety in your life can enhance both your physical and mental well-being, increasing the possibility of a more content, more extended existence.
36. Say no to trans fats.
Trans fats can lead to an increase in unnecessary abdominal fat, which is one of the many dangers it can pose to your health.
Studies from Obesity, the American Journal of Epidemiology, and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have found that individuals who ingest trans fats have increased chances of suffering from different health issues, such as chronic inflammation.
Be sure to carefully read the labels if you purchase any pre-packaged items.
Stay away from margarine, potato chips, and many kinds of desserts if you wish to maintain your weight and stay healthy because they contain potentially damaging trans fats.
