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Getting rid of abdominal fat, or "belly fat," is a common weight loss goal. The fat around your waist is especially bad for your health because it increases your risk of metabolic and lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, etc.
With a tape measure, you can measure the size of your waist to find out how much abdominal fat you have. Men with a waist size of more than 40 inches (102 cm) and women with a waist size of more than 35 inches (88 cm) are generally considered to be obese.
Read on to find out what all you can do to get rid of that extra belly fat.
Increasing Fiber Intake and 5 Other Simple Tips to Follow to Lose Belly Fat
Here's how you can work on shedding those extra pounds and firming up your waist.
1) Reduce your Sugar Intake
Numerous studies have shown that excessive sugar, mostly due to its high fructose content, contributes to fat accumulation around the belly and liver. If you wish to start working on your tummy, remove or reduce sugar from your diet.
Research suggests that sugary drinks are worse than solid sugar, as the brain does not register liquid calories in the same manner as solid calories, so when you consume sugar-sweetened beverages, you consume more calories overall.
Start reducing your sugar intake gradually. You can also try replacing sugar with other healthier alternatives like dates, honey, stevia, etc. Check the labels of processed foods to ensure that no refined sugars are present. Even foods marketed as healthy foods can contain significant amounts of sugar (granola, muesli, etc.).
2) Increase Protein Intake
In your battle to lose belly fat, this may be the single most beneficial modification you make to your diet. Not only can protein help you lose weight, but it may also prevent you from gaining it back.
Protein may be particularly effective in reducing abdominal fat. One study found that those who consumed more and higher-quality protein had much less belly fat. This, however, does not mean you should go around eating fried chicken!
You will have to adhere to a calorie-deficit diet in which you have a good amount of high quality protein that is cooked in a healthy manner (roast/bake/saute instead of deep frying).
Some protein-rich foods that you can include in your diet are whole eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, meat, and dairy products. These are the top dietary sources of protein. A high-quality protein supplement, such as whey protein, is a safe and simple method to increase your protein intake if you fail to get enough protein from your diet.
3) Reduce Your Carb Intake
Low carbohydrate diets can result in rapid water weight loss, which provides rapid effects. Studies have indicated that eating a lower amount of carbohydrates specifically decreases fat in the abdomen and around the liver. This suggests that some of the fat lost on a low-carb diet is unhealthy belly fat.
Avoiding processed carbohydrates, such as sugar, sweets, and white bread, should be sufficient, especially if you maintain a high protein consumption.
4) Increase Fiber Intake
Dietary fiber is basically indigestible plant material that helps to bulk up your food so that it passes through your digestive tract easily. A fiber-rich diet can aid in weight loss.
Soluble fiber may be especially beneficial in reducing dangerous belly fat. These are fibers that bind water and form a gel-like substance that "sits" in the digestive tract. This gel can significantly block the passage of food through the digestive tract, thereby slowing digestion and nutrient absorption. The outcome is a prolonged feeling of fullness and a diminished appetite.
Vegetables and fruits, as well as other plant foods, are the best sources of fiber. Legumes and certain grains, such as oats, are also good sources.
5) Exercise Daily
Exercise is one of the best ways to boost your likelihood of living a long, healthy life and preventing illness. Among the great health benefits of exercise is its ability to reduce belly fat. This does not imply that you should start performing stomach exercises only, as spot reduction of fat is impossible.
Resistance training and cardiovascular exercise will reduce body fat. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, and swimming, can reduce abdominal fat significantly.
Exercise also decreases inflammation, lowers blood sugar levels, and improves other metabolic issues connected to belly fat accumulation.
6) Plan Your Meals
A person may believe they are eating a high protein or low carbohydrate diet, but it is easy to overestimate or underestimate food consumption if you are not keeping proper track of your food intake.
Tracking food consumption does not require weighing and measuring every item consumed. Tracking intake intermittently for a few days will help you identify the most crucial areas for adjustment.
Planning ahead can help you attain certain objectives, such as increasing your protein intake to 25–30% of calories or reducing unhealthy carbohydrate consumption.
Work on incorporating these six healthy habits into your routine, and soon you will begin to shed belly fat.
