Abdominal fat is one of the most dangerous types of fat. It crowds the organs and is associated with stress hormones that play havoc with your body. It also makes clothing uncomfortable and no matter how expensive the outfit, look far less attractive. Burning stubborn stomach fat is hard and it requires you lose weight all over your body, since there’s no way to shed pounds in just one area. You can do some things to ensure that the weight you lose will also come off of your abdominal area and help you flatten your tummy while you shrink your waist and hips. Exercising is one of those ways, but there are other tips that also aid in the elimination of tummy fat. There are other strategies that also help eliminate the pooch and get you looking and feeling great.
Eat plenty of fiber.
Eating plenty of fiber will help keep your elimination system moving and prevent the bloat that adds to the appearance of abdominal fat. It also helps elimination of abdominal fat, according to a study in 2011. The people in the study simply increase their intake of fiber by 10 grams every day. That small change made a difference, but it took a while. After five years the visceral fat—belly fat—showed a reduction of 3.7 percent. While it might not seem like a lot, the changes they made were small. Adding one cup of black beans increases fiber by over 15 grams. Two tablespoons of flaxseed meal adds 3.8 grams and Omega3 fatty acid. Putting a tablespoon of chia seeds in your smoothie not only thickens it, it adds 5.5 grams of fiber. Just eat a pear to add another 5.5 grams and you’ll be good for a day.
The more insulin you have the more you’re prone to insulin resistance and that causes belly fat.
Lots of things can cause an increase in insulin and insulin is the fat storage hormone. When you have higher levels of it, it sends a message to your body to store it around the waist—on your belly. That type of fat also tends to produce more insulin so it becomes a vicious circle. Sugar is one of the biggest promoters of insulin and the biggest culprit when it comes to belly fat. That’s why cutting back or eliminating sugar is a huge benefit for controlling belly fat. Fructose is the worst offender of the sugars. It doesn’t trigger the hormone that makes you feel full and stimulates the production of insulin. It’s in everything, so look for it on labels in products like ketchup, salad dressing, boxed mac n’ cheese and even protein bars.
Eat healthy and exercise regularly.
Because abdominal fat occurs from excess pounds, shedding those pounds is the only way to lose it. While you can add to the reduction of the belly fat, losing weight overall is the key. Eating healthy also improves shedding that fat by ensuring you have all the nutrients to help your body work properly. That eliminates some of the stress your body undergoes when it’s malnourished, reducing fat producing cortisol. Omega-3 fatty acids help control blood sugar balance and other vitamins and minerals help improve appetite control and other factors that affect abdominal fat. Increasing your protein has been proven to help shed abdominal fat.
- Get rid of stress. Whether you exercise hard to burn off the hormones of stress, take yoga training to learn to relax or do both, stress is a killer and produces hormones that contribute to the accumulation of fat around the midsection.
- Get a good night’s sleep. Studies show that adequate sleep can reduce the potential for abdominal fat.
- Cut back or eliminate alcohol. It’s all about the sugar and the extra calories.
- Drink a cup or two of green tea. The catechins in tea help burn belly fat. Try taking a tablespoon or two of natural apple cider vinegar. One study in Japan showed it help burn visceral fat.