Most of us would like to be able to enjoy putting on clothes that actually fit around the waist. But it seems like more and more men are tending to keep their shirts untucked and women are sporting “muffin tops”.
Unfortunately, the human body tends to hold on to unused energy (in other words, excess calories), and it usually stores it in the belly.
There was a time when having that extra fat was a good thing, such as when famine was striking or there was some kind of food shortage.
But, for most of us having a spare tire around the middle isn’t something that we really want to have.
And finding some of the ways to lose that belly fat is something that a lot of people are doing these days.
Nutrition Diary
It goes without saying that if you are trying to lose belly fat, you are probably also trying to lose fat elsewhere around your body.
In order to do that, you will need to properly evaluate your diet (as well as your activity level) and determine just what you are taking in each day.
One of the best ways to do this is by creating a “food diary”, which is a full and complete listing of every bite that you eat for at least a few days, preferably on the weekend and a week day or two.
This will show you what you are really eating in terms of calories.
In order to lose belly fat, you will need to make sure that you are burning more calories than you are eating.
That will depend on several different factors including your age, gender, overall health, how much body fat you have, and how active your lifestyle is.
If you sit at the computer all day, then you won’t be burning as many calories as the mail carrier walking down the street.
It can take a little time to do the calculations. But once you establish how many calories you are eating and how many you are burning off, you will start to see just what you need to do.
See Also: Counting Calories For Weight Loss
There are some foods that will really get your metabolism going and help you to burn more fat, and spicy foods are at the top of the list.
If you are able to eat a lot of peppers or foods that are spiced with peppers, you will be getting capsaicin, which is a natural metabolic booster. So, have some salsa with your dinner!
Lose Belly Fat Exercises
You will hear many fitness experts telling you that you can’t “spot reduce”, which means getting rid of fat in a particular area of your body.
While this is true to a certain extent, when it comes to belly fat, there are a few things that you can do to get the ball rolling.
Sit-ups and crunches
They are uncomfortable and not a lot of fun, but they will get results.
Twisting exercises
Any exercise that requires you to twist at the waist will help to increase your muscle strength in your obliques and therefore reduce your waist size.
Leg lifts
Again, this is another exercise that everyone hates but the great thing about it is that you can lie in front of the television and do them while you are being entertained.
You can do these lying on your back, putting your hands beneath your rear and lifting both legs slowly at once, or one leg at a time.
By lying on your side and lifting one leg, you will help to work your oblique muscles, too.
Water Aerobics
You might be surprised at just what kind of a workout you can get in a water aerobics class.
Although all of those senior gals might look like they are just chatting, they are actually doing a lot to increase their abdominal strength, their core muscles, and helping to keep their love handles trimmed down.
Golf
A lot of people don’t even think of golf as a sport, let alone exercise, but hitting the driving range is a fun way to trim your waist.
A golf swing is a very athletic move that requires you to use every muscle in your torso. So if you hit enough golf balls on a hot day, it becomes an aerobic exercise, too. Whether you are playing a round or hitting a bucket of balls, this will help to reduce belly fat.
See Also: Strength Training Exercises For Weight Loss
Lose Belly Fat by Drinking Water
You will always hear experts telling you that you need to drink plenty of water while you are dieting, sometimes as many as eight to ten glasses per day. That may not seem like a very satisfying thing to do.
However, it is important to remember that all of that water will be taking the place of food that you could have eaten in your stomach.
The water may not taste wonderful, but it will help to keep you full, and that means that you will eat fewer calories.
In addition, your body needs sufficient amounts of water in order to process the food that you are eating and to stay healthy while you are dieting and working out.
Even though it may make your stomach stick out a little on a temporary basis, the addition of more water to your diet will actually enhance your efforts to lose belly fat.
Surgery To Lose Belly Fat
Of course if your belly fat problem is very substantial or you are eager to lose that weight quickly, you can always consider the surgical option, but this is rarely the best way to go.
For example, not only is this an expensive operation to have, but it is one that could possibly endanger your life.
You will also be left with scars that you will need to hide and the possibility also exists that you could put that weight back on later and have a roll of fat once again.
Dietary Supplements
Whether you have a lot of weight to lose or just a few pounds of fat around your waist, you might find that some nutritional supplements or diet pills can really benefit you.
However, it must be remembered that if you are going to take any kind of pill or you are embarking on a diet or exercise regimen of any kind, you should first talk to your doctor to ensure that you are healthy enough to do so.
When it comes to supplements and diet pills, most of these fall into one of several categories – fat burners, metabolic boosters, appetite suppressants, and fat or carb blocker.
Fat burners contain several ingredients, and these are preparations intended to support the body to consume fat more efficiently as an energy source.
Therefore, fat burners are intended to speed up metabolism, to stimulate thermogenesis and fat burning, to give us more energy for training …
A metabolic booster is a product that gives you more “energy”, or revs you up. In effect, it does what a few cups of coffee will do and that means you will burn more calories.
An appetite suppressant simply makes you less hungry and a fat or carb blocker is used to help you get fewer calories out of the foods that you are eating.
There are many natural supplements that a lot of people tend to like, such as PhenGold, Primeshred, or Zotrim.
Remember that none of these will work all by themselves – you will still need to help them along!!!
Generally speaking, you should always try to maintain a healthy, natural diet and make sure that you are getting substantial aerobic and weightlifting activity in order to lose belly fat.
Belly is perhaps the hardest area to lose fat in, but once you get it off, you will really notice the difference in how great you look.
