Overview Of Belly Fat
Contents
Accumulation of fat is one of the popular concerns of most of the people across the world. Belly fat is present in two forms, subcutaneous fat that sits around the waist beneath the skin, and visceral fat that is present deeper down around the internal organs of the abdomen. Subcutaneous fat is usually harmless, while visceral fat is associated with numerous diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Therefore, it is very important to lose visceral fat as it can be harmful to health. Subcutaneous fat takes longer time to reduce but visceral fat is the first to reduce. Losing visceral fat makes a person less bloated and it is also associated with greater health benefits.
Today’s sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits, mainly attribute to the changes in body fat. Making some lifestyle and dietary changes can help get a flatter tummy. If you are one among those who are looking for ways to lose this belly fat, here are a few listed below to help you lose unwanted fat in just a week’s time.
Best Ways to Lose Belly Fat
7 ways to lose belly fat in 7 days
- Avoid sugar and other sugar-sweetened beverages: Sugar has harmful effects on metabolic health. Sugar is composed of glucose and fructose. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver. So, when you consume lots of sugar, it will become harder for the liver to metabolize and as a result sugar turns into fat that gets stored in the belly and liver. Sugar, sugar-sweetened products, soft drinks, sports drinks with high sugar, and fruit juices are some of the sugary food products that recommended to be avoided. Please note that this doesn’t apply to whole fruits like banana, apple, pineapple, orange, pears, etc. Which are very healthy.
- Consume more protein: More than 25% of the calories in each gram of protein is burned in the process of digestion, while, only 6% to 8% of the calories in carbs is burned. Consuming excess of protein boosts your metabolism and keeps your hunger levels low. So, try to eat a more protein-rich food. Meat, poultry, fish, whey, whole eggs, legumes, nuts and cottage cheese are good sources of protein.
- Eat soluble fibre food: Eating dietary fibre in high amount aids weight loss. Fibre food improves metabolic health and lowers the risk of several diseases. Eat fruits, vegetables, legumes, and oatmeals which are a good source of soluble fibre.
- Reduce carb intake: Though carbs are required for the body, eating way more than required results in fat accumulation and weight gain. Cutting down cards from the diet is one of the effective ways to lose fat. The low-carb diet reduces water weight. Avoid eating refined carbs such as sugar, candy and white bread. When carbs are cut down to 50 grams per day, appetite goes down and the body remains in ketosis. Cubs, especially, are used to trim the fat in the belly area.
- Exercise: Exercise is the most effective way to lose belly fat and get a flat abdomen. Aerobic exercises such as walking, running, and swimming has shown major effects on belly fat reduction. Aerobic exercises help to get rid of visceral fat stored in internal organs of the abdomen. It is advisable to do aerobic activities for at least 10 minutes in dedicated 30 minutes of regular physical activities. Crunches like pelvic tilt crunch are arms over straight leg crunch are excellent ways of attaining flat tummy fast. Planks and pushups are exercises for abdominal muscles. Planks should be done for a minimum of 30 seconds and keep on increasing the time each day.
- Drink plenty of water: Water is healthy, especially when you are trying to lose weight, water intake serves as the best option. By drinking plenty of water, you can reduce water retention, which is a major cause for bloated bellies. Also, water makes you feel full and therefore reduces over-eating.
- Avoid alcohol and increase the intake of other liquids: If you want to lose belly fat and gain flat stomach, stay away from alcohol. Alcohol not only helps your body to store more fat but also makes it burn nearly 36% less fat than at regular times. Alcohol increases visceral fat deposition. Rather, drinking other liquids such as green tea, an antioxidant, helps you cut down belly fat and burn more fat.
The Things You need to Remember
- Eat in small portions: Do not overstuff yourself with heavy meals. Try to eat in small portions. Instead of full meals three times a day, divide it into small meals 5 times per day. Remember, do not starve yourself. Eating too little also leads to fat storage.
- Eat healthy: Stop eating junk and processed food such as processed meats, chips, canned foods, and fast food. Eat unprocessed food such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Avoid refined white flour products (white bread, plain pasta, and white rice). Pumpkin, chickpeas, peanut butter, etc., are examples of some healthy nutritious food.
- Lower sodium intake: Avoiding salt helps minimize water retention and reduces weight gain.
- Do not stress yourself: Stress and anxiety produce cortisol hormone abundantly. Cortisol induces weight gain.
- Sleep well: Sleep is also a very important factor in controlling weight gain. Getting proper sleep, for at least 7 hours, is crucial for people trying to build muscle strength as good sleep enhances growth hormone production. Furthermore, lack of sleep can induce cravings for sweets and sugary substances.
Natural Weight Loss Supplements
There are many solutions when it comes to losing weight. Natural supplements that reduce appetite and increase fat burning are listed below:
- Garcinia Cambogia: It is a small tropical fruit, the skin of which contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA). HCA is a popular weight-loss supplement.
- Caffeine: Caffeine is very commonly consumed substance. Caffeine is known to boost metabolism and increase fat burning.
- Raspberries: Raspberries are known to cause weight loss. This is because of an active substance present in raspberry; ketone. Ketones increase fat burning and trigger the production of increased levels of a hormone called adiponectin. Adiponectin induces weight loss.
- Konjac: Konjac also called as elephant yam is a fibre food. After consuming konjac, an active substance Glucomannan in konjac promotes the feeling of fullness, reduces appetite and helps eat only fewer calories.
- Green Tea: Green tea is an antioxidant that promotes fat burning.
- Protein powder: High protein intake boosts metabolism and helps in fat burning. Whey, casein, soy, egg and hemp powders are the protein supplements available in the market.
There are different types of natural supplements for weight loss. Many products are safe, but few might be allergic to a few supplements. In some instances, these supplements if consumed in combination with other medications for some health conditions, might result in adverse effects. Therefore, it is extremely important to consult a dietician, nutritionist or any other health care provider. Take a supplement only if recommended. Otherwise, it is advisable that you try to reduce weight or cut belly fat through healthy eating habits and regular exercises.