If you're trying to lose that excess weight around your abdominal area (also known as belly fat) there's plenty of information about doing so both online and offline at your local bookstore. Here's a few easy tips to get you started.
Belly fat is not only unsightly, but unhealthy as well. Everyone wants to have an attractive physique and look more attractive and appealing, but today's technological advances have made managing your weight more difficult. It's now easier and faster to get "fast food" or "junk food" then it was when your parents were growing up, thus being overweight is becoming more and more of an issue. Third world countries have less of a problem with weight and health conditions.
You're making a smart decision to try and get rid of your excess weight before health complications arise from being overweight and poor dietary habits. Belly fat or visceral fat isn't as much of a problem when your body is young and strong, but it can cause problems especially as you age. That's because the excess fat releases more fat cells into the bloodstream, not as much of a problem for a young healthy body, but as you age and your body grows weaker health problems often arise. Skinnier people tend to be healthier and live longer
The bad news is that your abdominal area is where the weight begins to show first for 99% of the people, and you will have to lose some weight to get rid of your belly. However the good news is that it's also the first place for the weight to "disappear" once you begin to take off weight. Well maybe it's not the first, but at least it's the most noticeable (you can't "spot" reduce). Here's some easy tips that anyone can do to get rid of that unsightly gut.
Eat breakfast
You know what they say "...it's the most important meal of the day". As you sleep at night your body relaxes and slows down, your metabolism also slows, and your ability to burn off calories as well. Your body goes into what amounts to a mini "fast" while you sleep and the body slows down to conserve energy. Eating breakfast helps to rev up your body's fat burning mechanisms back up to normal once again. If you skip breakfast and don't provide it with "fuel" your body will continue to conserve it's energy and burn less calories throughout the day. The nutrition provided by eating will help to give you the energy to burn more calories during your day.
Eat more consistently
If your schedule allows it eat 6-8 smaller sized meals and snacks during the day and provide your body with a more consistent source of fuel as opposed to eating the traditional 3 large meals. Your blood sugar and insulin levels will be much more consistent and the food will be much less likely to be stored as fat. It will also help to improve your energy levels and you won't have as severe "swings" in your energy. Also try to avoid eating late into the night when you won't have the time to work off the calories, it's much more likely to be converted by your body to fat.
Drink enough water
Letting your body get dehydrated will hinder your body's natural fat burning abilities. Water also helps to control your hunger by suppressing helping to suppress your appetite. Instead of drinking soft drinks (even diet sodas) or beverages with added sugar substitute a glass of water and you'll shave hundreds of calories from your diet.
Another trick is to drink a glass of water before, during and after your meals to help you feel fuller and avoid overeating. Your stomach sends a signal to your brain when it's full and it's had enough to eat, however it takes a few minute to digest the food so that signal is "delayed" and the tendency is to overeat. Water kind of tricks your brain into feeling "fuller". So drink water while eating and push yourself away from the table before getting stuffed, you can always go back for something to eat later.
Eat enough dietary fiber
A lot of people don't get the daily recommended amount (25-35 grams) of fiber in their diet. Fiber not only does wonderful things for your health, but it also helps to control your hunger. It has virtually no calories and the body doesn't digest fiber. Basically it simply passes through your system while taking all the bad stuff with it, excess calories, cholesterol and potential toxins.
Also try to avoid fast foods, pre-processed foods, junk food and empty calories the additives, preservatives and chemicals may negatively affect your weight and health. Eating food that's low in nutrition and/or high in sugars can sometimes trigger the urge to eat. If your body is deficient in a certain vitamin or mineral your brain sometimes can mistake the cravings as hunger.
Increase your physical activity
Losing weight means creating a calorie deficit, burn off more calories than you consume. That means either reducing your calorie consumption (going on a diet). Or burning off the calories with more physical activity (exercising). However, many people find that it's much easier to do a combination of both. Dieting and exercise has proven to be a very effective combination when it comes to losing weight or managing your weight.
Long slow aerobic workouts that elevates the heart rate for a continuous extended period of time (around 20 minutes or longer) is excellent as it burns fats predominantly for fuel. For example, walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling, dance aerobics, etc. Anaerobic exercise such as basketball, football, etc. is also good, but tends to burn more carbohydrates as fuel first before switching to fats.
Exercise on an empty stomach soon after awakening before eating if possible. I know this goes against what I said earlier, but studies have found that by doing this you will burn more fats. But let me warn you that this takes getting used to. The idea is that after a long nights sleep your carbohydrate stores are depleted and your glucose levels are low and the body is forced to burn more fats as fuel. If possible workout early, if you can't then do it later in the day or whenever you can make the time.
One final tip for losing weight
One final tip that's so easy to do that many people in a rush to lose their belly fat overlook is to set their weight loss goals to high to and to fast. If you set your weight loss goals to high you're setting yourself up for failure. A pound or two a week is reasonable, trying to lose 10 pounds a week for a month is not.
If you try to take off the weight to quickly and you could find yourself falling short, and the tendency is to get discouraged, frustrated and wind up giving up in your efforts to lose weight. If you let your body gradually adjust to the changes in your diet and weight the changes are much more likely to become permanent. And when you set easily reachable goals you'll find yourself much more motivated. People who lose the weight to quickly by going on extreme diets often wind up regaining the weight once they return to "normal" eating again.
Author Resource:
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