To be really honest, belly fat is hard to lose, but this kind of fat is also harmful to you, belly fat is also known as visceral fat and has been shown to increase a person’s risk of diabetes, heart disease and even a metabolic disease.
This risk is high even if the person looks thin on the outside but has excess belly fat.
1. Manage Stress
When you are stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol, also called the stress hormone, this hormone increases your appetite and makes your body gain
abdominal fat.
What’s more, women have large waists produce more cortisol as a response to stress. it is a positive feedback cycle that leads to more weight gain around the middle.
Practising yoga or meditation, or finding other ways to relax can help reduce stress and reduce the weight gain around your belly.If you are trying to lose weight, minimize your stress, find ways to relax.
2. Reduce The Amount of Sugary Foods You Eat
Sugar when consumed in excess, has been linked to a lot of diseases, from heart disease to obesity, to fatty liver disease, to type 2 diabetes
There is a link between excess sugar intake and increased belly fat, even honey which is a healthier sugar should be used with some common sense because honey contains
sugar. Keep your sugar intake to a low.
3. Exercise
Exercise, especially cardio exercise is a perfect way to reduce belly fat and help you increase your health, Research has shown that it is one of the ways to reduce belly
fat, anything from moderate to high intensity exercises can help reduce your belly fat.
The more you exercise, the more the.chances of you losing weight and slimming your waistline
4. Control Your Calories
Consider reducing your carbohydrate intake and use healthy carbohydrate sources, such as whole grains, legumes or vegetables.
People who stick to this kind of diet have been shown to also have slimmer waistlines, but also bear in mind that quantity also matters, as well as avoiding refined
carbohydrates.
In the famous Framingham Heart Study, people with the highest consumption of whole grains were 17% less likely to have excess abdominal fat than those who consumed diets high in refined grains, refined grains include cornmeal, flour, white bread etc, that removes the bran and the germ.
5. Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much alcohol is simply harmful to your health and medical practitioners and organizations are still torn on the benefits and risks of alcohol, are the benefits worth the risk, however, research has shown that too much alcohol will make you gain belly fat.
Heavy alcohol consumption has been linked to central obesity, that is obesity around the midsection, and cutting back on your alcohol can greatly reduce your belly size. If
you can, abstain completely
6. Try Fasting
This is another simple but effective way of losing the extra weight..One popular method suggests 24-hour fasts once or twice a
week, one method also suggests eating all your food in 8 hours and fasting for the remaining 16 hours
However, avoid the temptation of overeating within the time period where you are not fasting One study showed that people who practised this lost 4-7% of their abdominal fat within 24 weeks.
7. Lift Weights
MUscle building can increase your metabolic rate, so increasing your muscle mass is an effective way of losing the excess fat.
It can also help people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes,fatty livers lose their belly fat. Make sure you are certified fit to lift weights before you attempt them. Also better to have a personal trainer.
8. Use Coconut Oil
It is no secret that coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils you can eat, they contain medium chain fatty acids which can help boost metabolism and reduce the amount of fat you store because they are also easily burned.
Some studies have shown that is also linked to weight loss around the midsection,
according to Healthline “To boost belly fat loss, it’s best to take about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of coconut oil per day, which is the amount used in most of the studies reporting good results.”
Replace your cooking oil with coconut oil.
9. Take a Lot of Protein
When you take a lot of protein, your body releases a hormone that makes you feel full and also decreases your appetite, this
It also helps increase your metabolic rate
Some studies show that people who eat a lot of protein, have less abdominal fat than people who do not.
But make sure your protein source is healthy, this includes fish, eggs, dairy, whey protein, beans etcetera.
10. Get enough sleep
Studies have shown that people who do not get enough sleep tend to gain more weight than people who do.
A study of women found that those who slept less than 5 hours per night were more likely to gain weight than those who slept seven hours or more per night.
If you are planning to lose weight, make sure you are getting sufficient and quality sleep.
11. Stop drinking Fruit Juice
Commercial fruit juices contain sugar that can be compared to the amount contained in soda drinks and sweetened beverages.
When you drink large amounts, you stand the risk of getting fat around your midsection.
A 240-ml serving of unsweetened apple juice contains 24 grams of sugar, half of which is fructose, fructose is classified under simple sugars.
Replace your fruit juice with water while trying to lose weight You can combine all these methods, and if you are markedly
obese, try to see your doctor and dietician for personalized methods.
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