Getting rid of belly fat is a lot simpler than you might think. With the right plan, it’s actually easier to lose that stubborn lower-body fat or the seemingly impossible to tone back-of-the-arm flab. Try these tips expert to lose that stubborn belly fat
10 Ways to lose belly fat:
1. Don’t stop moving
There’s one thing to like about visceral fat: It yields fairly easily to aerobic exercise. Vaporizing calories via running, biking, swimming—anything that gets your heartrate up—wins over resistance training when it comes to getting rid of the stuff. A recent study from Duke found the sweet spot: Jogging the equivalent of 12 miles a week.
2. Eat more protein
Of course you know that protein’s essential for a slimmer you—you couldn’t have made it through the Paleo and South Beach crazes without hearing all about it.
But here’s why protein really needs to play a prime roll on your plate: “Your body starts to produce more insulin as you age, since your muscle and fat cells aren’t responding to it properly,” explains Louis Aronne, MD, Director of the Obesity Clinic at Cornell.
And insulin promotes fat storage, especially around your belly (yippee!). A diet high in protein may protect you against insulin resistance, Aronne says. In one study, obese women who followed a diet for eight weeks that was roughly 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat lost significantly more fat—including visceral pudge—than women who stuck to a plan that was 16% protein, 55% carbs, and 26% fat.
3. Pound the polyunsaturates
Saturated fat packs on more visceral fat than polyunsaturated ones, according to a Swedish study published this past February. When subjects ate 750 more calories daily for seven weeks, either in the form of palm oil (saturated) or sunflower oil (polyunsaturated), the former gained more visceral fat while the latter gained more muscle mass and less body fat. You know the deal: polyunsaturated fats are the ones in nuts, seeds, and fish.
4. Pucker up
Obese people who consumed a tablespoon or two of vinegar daily for eight weeks showed significant decreases in body fat, particularly visceral fat, according to a 2009 Japanese study. “One theory is that the acetic acid in the vinegar produces proteins that burn up fat,” explains Pamela Peeke, professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and author of Fight Fat After 40.
5. Easy Yoga for Weight Loss
Postmenopausal women who tried yoga for 16 weeks reported significant reductions in visceral fat in one 2012 study. If you’re just not that into downward dog, any sort of relaxation exercise, even simple deep breathing, can help—the key is to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to belly fat.
6. Get some sleep
Routinely squeaking by on five hours or less per night increases visceral fat levels, according to a 2010 Wake Forest University study. As you likely already know, 8 is the number to aim for.
7. Don’t sleep late on weekends
Women who wake up and go to bed at the same time each evening have lower levels of body fat, according to a recent Brigham Young University study. Chaotic sleep habits cause your internal clock to go haywire, which in turn causes your body to secrete fat-storing hormones like cortisol.
8. Drink green tea
Moderate exercisers who stocked up on the antioxidants found in green tea, called catechins, were more likely to lose abdominal fat while exercising than those who didn’t take them. One study put the daily dose at 625 mg, the equivalent of two or three eight-ounce cups of green tea.
9. Eat more fiber
As in, make sure you’re eating a lot of it. In a 2011 trial, subjects who increased their soluble fiber intake by 10 grams a day (the equivalent of two small apples, one cup of green peas, and one half cup of pinto beans) reduced visceral fat by 3.7% after five years.
10. Sugar is your Enemy
Fighting belly fat is 80% healthy diet. Reduce calories by filling yourself up with protein, vegetables, whole grains, and replacing bad habit snacks with good ones. For example, if you have a sugar craving, replace your calorie laden latte with a Muscle Milk lite, one of my favorites, because it has zero sugar and a ton of protein that will satiate while also torching my sugar craving! Another great trick is a sprinkle of cinnamon in your morning coffee or oatmeal- the spice has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar. It also slows the rate at which food exits the stomach, which helps you feel fuller longer.
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