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How do I Lose Waist Fat?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

Waist fat is often a target area for people who are trying to lose weight. The best way to lose any kind of fat on the body, including waist fat, is to make sure that caloric intake is less than caloric expenditure. This basically means that you need to work off more calories than you ingest. This can be done by maintaining a diet that is low in fats, processed sugars, and carbohydrates but high in fiber and protein. Also, maintaining regular exercise such as 30-minute workouts three to five times per week is a wonderful way to help shed the pounds. Don't forget to stay hydrated, which is an important part of staying healthy while losing any kind of fat, including waist fat.

While there are some specific exercises and tools on the market that are intended to target belly fat, most fitness experts will agree that these products may tone muscles in the waist area but will not blast waist fat. Ab belts and machines that are used to do crunches are simply tools that help to strengthen the muscles in the abdominal region. However, if there is still a layer of fat over those muscles, the definition will be invisible. Any kind of workout equipment will help to burn waist fat because exercise will burn fat all over the body.

A low-fat diet may help people achieve a flatter stomach.
A low-fat diet may help people achieve a flatter stomach.

In addition to aesthetic reasons, it is important to lose waist fat because it is this kind of fat that can press against internal organs and make it hard for them to function in a healthy manner. The best kind of exercises that will burn this kind of fat are exercises that get the heart rate up but can be sustained for a long period of time. By getting the heart rate up and maintaining that rate, calories will be burned consistently during the workout.

Abdominal exercises can build muscle, but do not have much affect on fat content.
Abdominal exercises can build muscle, but do not have much affect on fat content.

Many kinds of exercise equipment have built-in heart rate monitors that indicate whether the heart rate is in a fat burning zone or in a cardio training zone. The fat burning zone is usually lower than the cardio training zone. By using a piece of workout equipment, getting into the fat burning zone, and maintaining for 30 minutes or more, fat on the body can be reduced. Remember to consult a doctor before beginning any kind of exercise program or making drastic dietary changes.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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    • A low-fat diet may help people achieve a flatter stomach.
      By: Gelpi
      A low-fat diet may help people achieve a flatter stomach.
    • Abdominal exercises can build muscle, but do not have much affect on fat content.
      By: Halfpoint
      Abdominal exercises can build muscle, but do not have much affect on fat content.
    • For a slim waist, aerobic exercises are usually needed.
      By: inarik
      For a slim waist, aerobic exercises are usually needed.