Belly fat is something people, the world over, are always trying to get rid of. It greatly increases the chances of acquiring health problems, such as hypertension and heart disease, not to mention the limitations it brings to style and fashion. General body fat can be reduced by eating the right foods and working out, but a bulging tummy can be very stubborn and may require a more involved approach.
Diet
To be able to lose any stomach fat you have to control what, when and how you eat. The last thing you want to do is starve yourself: That will only activate your system’s starvation mode, which means storing fat. Calories should be dropped to around 1,200 a day, but not any less because the body needs a certain amount of calories to burn calories: if you go lower than 1,200 calories a day, then the body will start storing fat. By cutting out about 500 calories a day, your body should be losing about 1 pound per week.
Meals
Breakfast is very important whether you are trying to lose weight or not. Try to eat a lot of fiber. Some healthy foods would include almonds, avocados, bran cereal, apples, oatmeal and peas. Fish, veggies, fruits and whole grains should be on your table often, and if possible, increase the number of meals you have in a day. If you have three meals, then try to break them up into five or six.
Your body will burn more fats when you eat more than 3 meals a day and that is exactly what you want. Starvation only counteracts the process.
Water
You need to drink lot of water. In fact, you should get rid of all ‘diet’ drinks and beverages, and drink nothing but water at least for a while. Sugary drinks and bad fats are the enemy, and you need to remove them from your diet completely.
Workouts
Start doing aerobic exercises at least an hour a day three times a week. Start out slow by walking briskly, swimming, doing elliptical training or jogging. Find a partner if possible to make the workouts more interesting. Even if you are not able to jog outside, you can still get some exercise at home or the office. Just click here for great treadmill options.
Weights
Resistance training should be done at least three days every week, and it should be supervised so you do not hurt yourself. Weights should not be too heavy: Try working with weights that are moderately heavy for you and make sure you include push-ups, crunches and squats in your routine. Work out for at least a half an hour. The combination of cardio and aerobic training will eliminate 26% of belly fat in the first 12 weeks.
Precautions
Keep a close watch on the amount of calories you eat, and make sure they are in the right range. When starting the exercises, try to keep things simple, work your way up slowly and gradually increase intensity as your body becomes toned. Your doctor should be kept in the know before and during your training.