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What are the Best Tips for Belly Fat Loss?

Ellen Henry
Ellen Henry

The best tips to achieve belly fat loss can include eating smaller meals more often, and including complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein-rich foods at mealtime. Some experts also recommend waiting 20 minutes between courses and remembering not to go for too long without eating. Along with these behaviors, one may also drink plenty of water and avoid drinks that are high in sugar to help reduce belly fat as well. Adding aerobic exercise to ones daily routine may also help in getting rid of unwanted fat at the waistline.

Behaviors such as overeating and making less than optimal food choices may be changed to help achieve potential belly fat loss. Eating smaller meals more frequently may boost metabolism, which may help to eliminate fat at the waist. Instead of the standard three large meals each day, eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day may aid in getting rid of excess belly fat. Moreover, not going too long between meals and not rushing at mealtimes, may allow one to actually feel full, which can help curb the urge to overeat and ultimately reduce belly fat as well.

Small amount of belly fat.
Small amount of belly fat.

Allowing the sensation of fullness to develop by waiting 20 minutes between courses may help control overeating and aid in belly fat loss. When eating at home or in a restaurant, making healthy food choices and avoiding the urge to supersize may be smart as well. Meals emphasizing complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and including plenty of fiber and foods that are rich in protein are generally smart choices. Rounding out this regimen by drinking plenty of water and avoiding sugary drinks may aid in belly fat loss as well.

A woman with a toned belly.
A woman with a toned belly.

Adding exercise to ones daily routine may also help promote belly fat loss. Joining a gym with a friend and scheduling regular classes can help one become more active and burn more calories. Incorporating 30 to 60 minutes of strength training at least two times a week and 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day are recommended. Adding as much physical activity in daily routines may be helpful as well — for example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and not opting for the closest parking space may help burn more calories.

Discussion Comments

browncoat

@Ana1234 - Well, there is one way to target a particular place and that's with liposuction. But that takes out the cells themselves, rather than the lipid, which is why you can end up looking a bit strange if you gain weight again, since the cells don't come back, so the remaining ones have to work overtime.

I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea, particularly for people who have worked hard to lose weight and just need a little help to look the way they want to look. But it's definitely not a decision to make lightly.

Ana1234

@irontoenail - It's also important to note that there's no guaranteed way to the loss of belly fat specifically. Your body just takes fat from all over, all at once.

It might also help for people to realize the way that fat loss works. You have a certain number of fat cells all over your body and these fat cells get filled up with lipids. The number of cells doesn't usually increase or decrease, they just swell up when you have more calories than your body needs at a time.

Your body doesn't really see the difference between the cells on your belly and the ones on your hips. It's just that some people happen to have more on their belly or more on their hips and that's just luck of the genetic draw. All the cells are going to be tapped equally as you exercise, so you can't really concentrate on a single location. You can only try to empty all of them as much as you need to.

irontoenail

Remember that exercises that increase your muscle tone are only going to take you so far. You have to do cardio as the best way to lose belly fat, which means exercise that raises your heart beat and makes you sweat, like running or aerobics or whatever.

If you just concentrate on doing crunches then you'll end up with very toned belly muscles underneath the fat.

Your body needs energy to perform strenuous exercise and it takes it from your fat reserves. While crunches are strenuous, most people wouldn't be able to sustain them for long enough and quickly enough to make them count as a cardio exercise.

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    • Small amount of belly fat.
      By: Sandor Kacso
      Small amount of belly fat.
    • A woman with a toned belly.
      By: Paylessimages
      A woman with a toned belly.
    • Joining a gym with a friend can help someone become more active and burn more calories.
      By: jamstockfoto
      Joining a gym with a friend can help someone become more active and burn more calories.
    • Signing up for an aerobics class can help a person reduce body fat.
      By: WavebreakMediaMicro
      Signing up for an aerobics class can help a person reduce body fat.