Losing stomach fat can boost your energy level, improve your heart’s health, improve your appearance, and maintain a healthy weight. The most acceptable way to burn belly fat does not involve extreme diets or pills.
Instead, use a multi-pronged approach of portion control, exercise, and healthy food swaps to shed excess abdominal fat without feeling amiss. If you have health problems, consult a nutritionist or doctor to design a belly fat-burning exercise regimen and diet tailored to your requirements.
Incorporate healthy foods into your meals. Instead of feeling deprived of a low-calorie diet, try some innovative food swaps. Snack on whole berries, leafy greens, unsweetened whole grains, citrus fruits, and carrots to load up on dietary fiber so that you’ll be less inclined to eat fast food, snack food, and junk food.
Slow down while you eat, to avoid overindulging. Keep serving dishes in the pantry. Set your fork down between food bites, and chew every bite thoroughly. Sip warm water while you take food.
Do vigorous aerobic exercises that burn belly fat rapidly. Rather than stretching for gentle yoga or flutter-kicking through aqua aerobics, engage in rigorous activities that make you sweat.
Race-walking, Running, skipping rope, climbing on a stair treadmill, doing martial arts rowing on a stationary machine, or playing active, competitive sports all burn more than 500 calories per hour. In 7 days, you can lose 1 lb. of body fat. Consult your physician before starting this or any other intense exercise regimen.
[Also Read: Natural Ways to Lose Belly Fat]
Speed up your resting metabolism by developing muscle mass. Lift a 10-lb. dumbbell while doing squats, pump 2-lb. hand weights while walking or do exercises that utilize your body weight as resistance.
Beginners can do 15 minutes of lunges, push-ups, triceps dips, pull-ups, or sun salutations of yoga and work their way up to half an hour of strengthening exercises done with minimal rest time and at a fluid pace. Contact your physician before initiating any new weightlifting regimen.
[Also Read: Best Exercises for Belly Fat]
Strengthen your abdominal muscles. You will not shed stomach fat by toning your belly muscles, but they will look better after burning extra fat. A more robust abdomen will also enhance your posture, which can make you look slimmer. Begin with 25 or 35 abdominal crunches, or do pilates exercises for 20 minutes.
Sleep experts stress on 9 hours of quality sleep for a reason. Sleep deprivation may make you munch on excess calories than you actually should or want to be eating.
According to research led by experts at King’s College London, sleep-deprived individuals consumed an average of 385-kilocalories per day excess, which is equivalent to the calories of about 4 & 1/2 slices of bread.
Partial sleep deprivation resulted in a massive net increased energy intake of 385 kcal a day. If prolonged sleep deprivation continues to result in increased calorie intake of this scale, it can contribute to weight gain [1].
[Also Read: Vitamins & Supplements for Belly Fat]
Extra consumption of sugar puts an excess burden on your liver, and it can lead to fat storage, and the first victim is your belly. Don’t eat simple sugars like bread, refined flour, biscuits, and white rice cakes after 5 p.m.
Your primary target should be to avoid food from being converted into unwanted fat that remains in your body. For this, you should cut down on High Glycemic Index foods and complex carbs. High GI foods induce a high quantum of sugar, and the more of it gets converted into fat.
This thumb rule does much more than just keeping you hydrated and quenching your thirst. Beginning your day with a glass of warm water improves your metabolism and cleanses the digestive system [2]. The habit of drinking water as the initial thing in the morning is supported by Ayurveda too.
Drinking water frequently prevents the intake of excessive calories. With frequent intake, we feel fuller, and thus, don’t consume as much. So hold a water bottle, fill it as a custom every morning and carry it wherever you go. Drink lots of water, warm or hot. This melts fat, especially visceral fat.
Food served on big plates, deceive you into believing that you have little food. In reality, the food is just scattered, and you end up indulging more food than you require. Take little sized plates for your portions and consume only to the point of satiation.
Fiber takes longer to digest and gives you the fuller feeling and prevents the mid-meal binging. Eat lots of high-fiber foods like summer vegetables and seasonal fruits. Fiber prevents constipation and keeps your body clean of toxins.
Protein can do miracles to regulate your appetite. Protein tends to take more time to digest and, thus, forces your body to release Peptide YY (the gut hormone), which makes you feel fuller. The other way you can shed your weight is by spiking your metabolic rate.
Protein digests slowly and hence help in maintaining your metabolism. Eat proteins for dinners like sprouts, eggs, dals, and fish. Proteins help keep you satiated and build muscle, so you don’t over-eat.
While you shouldn’t and can’t completely do away with exercise if you want to shed weight, following these steps will make you an inch closer to the slim tummy you aspire for.