Losing Belly Fat: 6 Simple and Effective Ways

The key driver of excess fat in the belly and liver can be excess sugar consumption.

This applies especially to sugary beverages such as soft drinks.

However, having abdominal fat is the major risk factor of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Because of this, losing belly fat has tremendous health benefits and can help you live longer.

You can measure the circumference of your waist by a measuring tape.

Anything in males above 40 inches (102 cm) and females above 35 inches (88 cm) is called abdominal obesity.

Here are 6 simple and effective ways of losing belly fat.

1. Eat Protein

Protein is the most vital element of weight loss because it may reduce cravings by 60%, boost metabolism by 80–100 calories per day, and help you eat up to 441 fewer calories per day.

Therefore, adding protein is the most efficient way to lose belly fat. A study shows that protein over 5 years decreased the accumulation of belly fat.

The study also shows that eating refined carbs and oils increased abdominal fat, but fruits and vegetables were less likely to increase in body fat (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

Most of these studies that show the effectiveness of protein have 25–30% of calories coming from protein.

So try to raise your consumption of high-protein foods like whole eggs, fish, seafood, legumes, nuts, meat, and dairy products.

These foods are the highest sources of protein.

If you are struggling to get enough protein in your diet, a high-quality protein supplement such as whey protein is a good and easy way to increase your total protein intake.

2. Don’t Eat Sugar

Added sugar in foods and drinks is very unhealthy. Sugar is half glucose, half fructose, and the liver metabolizes only a small amount of fructose.

When you ingest too much sugar, your liver becomes overloaded with fructose. Therefore, your body converts the excess amount into fat.

Many studies have shown that excess sugar can lead to increased accumulation of fat in the belly and liver because of eating excess amounts of fructose.

Some experts think that this is the fundamental mechanism behind the health damaging effects of sugar.

It increases abdominal fat and liver fat, leading to insulin resistance, which is the primary cause of all metabolic problems (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

Liquid sugar is even worse. Your brain cannot record liquid calories, so you end up ingesting more calories when you drink sugar-sweetened drinks.

Studies show that sugar-sweetened drinks can cause obesity in children. To reduce the consumption of sugar, consider limiting sugary drinks entirely.

This includes beverages such as sodas, fruit juices, and multiple high-sugar drinks. If you compare refined sugar with fruit sugar, the quantity of fructose you get from fruit is minimal.

You need to read labels if you want to cut back on refined sugar. Even foods that are healthy may contain an excessive amount of sugar (13, 14).

3. Cut Carbs

Carbohydrate restriction is a very efficient way of losing belly fat. You can lose weight and appetite by cutting carbs.

Over 20 randomized controlled studies have shown that low-carb diets result in weight loss 2-3 times higher than low-fat diets.

This is true even if low-carb groups may consume as much as they want, while low-fat groups are limited in calories.

Low-carb diets also lead to rapid water weight reduction, resulting in instant outcomes, meaning you can notice a difference within 1–2 days (15, 16, 17).

Studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets also show that low-carb diets aim specifically at the fat in the abdomen.

It should be enough to avoid refined carbs, particularly if you maintain your protein intake.

Consider cutting your carbs to 50 grams per day if you need to lose weight quickly. This will bring your body into ketosis, kill your appetite, and make your body burn fat as fuel.

Low-carb diets have many other health advantages. For example, in type 2 diabetics, it can have life-saving effects (18, 19, 20, 21).

4. Eat Fiber-Rich Food

Dietary fiber is mostly a plant-based substance that is indigestible, meaning it stays intact inside the stomach. These fibers bind with water and form a dense gel in the gut.

The gel can slow food through your digestive system, resulting in fullness and decreased appetite.

One review study shows that an extra 14 grams of fiber per day can help with a 10 percent calorie reduction and a 4.5 lb (2 kg) weight loss over 4 months (22, 23, 24, 25).

Another 5-year study found that eating 10 grams of soluble fiber per day can help with a 3.7% decrease in abdominal fat. This means that soluble fiber can be effective in reducing belly fat.

Eating a lot of plant-based food like vegetables and fruit is the best way to get more fiber. Some cereals, such as whole oats and legumes, are also an excellent source of fiber.

You can also use glucomannan fiber supplement, which is one of the most effective fibers for weight loss (26, 27).

5. Exercise

If you want to live longer, exercise is one of the best things you can do. Exercises that target multiple muscle groups seem to be efficient for fat loss.

Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise causes significant reductions in belly fat.

Another research discovered that exercise prevented individuals from gaining abdominal fat after losing weight, suggesting that exercise during weight maintenance was significant.

Exercise also contributes to lower inflammation, blood sugar, and can fix almost all metabolic abnormalities (28, 29, 30, 31).

6. Track How Much You Eat

To lose belly fat, eating the right foods is important. This is something that almost everyone understands. Most people don’t really have an idea what they’re eating.

People believe they eat high protein low-carb or something else, but they overestimate or underestimate drastically.

We believe it’s crucial for anyone who really wishes to optimize their diet to track record for a while.

It doesn’t imply that you have to weigh and analyze everything for the rest of your life, but it can help you understand where you need to make improvements now and then for a few days in a row.

As suggested above, you want to increase your protein consumption to 25–30% of calories, eating more protein-rich foods will not be enough.

To achieve that aim, you still need to count how many calories you eat and burn (32).

Conclusion

Studies have shown that reducing carbs can help you lose belly fat. There is some proof that soluble dietary fiber may also reduce fat formation in the belly.

This should cause significant improvements in metabolic health and a decreased risk of multiple disorders. If you’re trying to lose belly fat, exercise can be very effective.

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