Kristen Hairston, an assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism at the Wake Forest School of Medicine says, “Your body fat doesn’t just sit there. It is an active part of your body and makes lots of nasty substances.”
If you’re a woman, your body fat gets stored mainly in your belly or your buttocks. A bit of fat may give you nice belly or good bums- depending on how you define beauty. But a lot of it is definitely not good, both from medical and aesthetic standpoints. Do you want to lose your belly fat? Here are the top 6 ways for you to lose your belly fat for good. Let’s get to it!
Top 6 Ways to Burn Belly Fat
Here are the top 6 scientifically proven ways to reduce belly fat and how they work.
1. Cut Out Sugar
If you want to start losing your belly fat by cutting out one thing from your routine, start with sugar! There is nothing more fattening than the sugar you get into your system. Sweetened beverages and other sugary stuffs are loaded with fructose. Research shows that fructose is 50% likely to get deposited as belly fat, when compared to other forms of sugar and fat.
Also, sugary stuff doesn’t trigger the satiety centers of your brain like protein or fiber. Have you even wondered why you can’t get enough of gummy bears or sweetened beverages? The reason being all the sugar is just empty calories and your brain doesn’t recognize it as actual food. Research shows that the consumption of sweetened beverages results in 60% increased risk of obesity in women.
Here is what you need to do:
- Minimize sugar in your diet and eliminate sugary drinks completely.
- You should quit sugar sweetened beverages, sports drinks, coffee, tea and fruit juices.
- Try natural alternatives like honey and brown sugar.
2. Eat More Protein
Protein is probably the most important nutrient in losing belly fat for women. It reduces food carvings by 60% and boosts your metabolism. Protein is a must have if you’re looking to lose weight. It burn belly fat and makes sure your belly remains fat-free for long!
Studies back this fact too. A study proved that the amount of protein consumed has an inverse relation to belly fat. The study showed that people who ate more proteins lost more belly fat. Another study showed that proteins can reduce the risk of belly fat gain over a time period of 5 years.
Another reason protein works so well is because of its ability to increase satiety. Results of a research showed that protein is the best nutrient when it comes to inducing satiety. The results further showed that if you get 30% of your daily calories from proteins, you can decrease your daily caloric intake by 441 calories. How good is that?
Here is what you need to do:
- Increase the amount of proteins in your daily diet.
- You should add eggs, meat, fish, seafood, poultry and dairy products in their diet.
- You can also take a protein supplement if you aren’t able to get enough protein through diet.
3. Eliminate Carbs from Diet
Restricting carbohydrates from diet is an effective way to lose belly fat. Research has also supported it and shown that eliminating carbs from diet curbs appetite and helps in fat loss. Around 20 controlled trials have shown that when people eat low carb diets, they lose about two times more fat than low fat diet!
Here is what you need to do
- You should avoid refined carbohydrates from your diet like pastas and white breads.
- If you plan on losing some serious weight then you should cut your carbs to about 50 grams per day.
- This will kill your appetite too!
4. Try Aerobic Exercises
Exercise is important for you for a number of reasons. Not only it keeps you fit and on the top of your health game, but helps you cut belly fat too.
What is the first workout that comes to your mind when thinking of a flat belly? Abdominal crunches, right? But, unfortunately, these crunches don’t do much good. You can do all the crunches you want, but you’ll still not have a flat belly because of the layer of fat that covers it. Doing endless amount of crunches has no effect on belly fat. In fact, a study showed that women who did 6 weeks of training of abdominal muscles didn’t lose much belly fat.
On the other hand, aerobic exercises like walking, swimming and running have proven to be quite beneficial in reducing belly fat. A study found that exercise prevented people from regaining abdominal fat after weight loss. Exercise also reduces inflammation and blood sugar levels which are related to central obesity.
Here is what you need to do:
- You should do about 30 minutes of aerobic exercises every day.
- You can choose exercises like yoga, running, swimming, jogging and walking.
5. Get Enough Sleep
A recent survey conducted by the Better Sleep Council found out that about 60% of women don’t get enough sleep. Lack of sleep increases your waist line. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that women who sleep about 5 hours or lesser than that are 32% more likely to experience an increase in belly fat. Another study conducted in the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center found that women who sleep for four hours instead of eight consumed 300 extra calories.
So here is what you should do:
- You should get around seven to nine hours of quality sleep.
- Avoid coffee and tea at night because both of them contain caffeine which makes a person active.
6. Drink Less Alcohol
Many studies have shown that alcohol can increase appetite and certain types of alcohols are linked to belly fat. You should be especially careful about your diet if you drink alcohols like ale aficionado. A 2013 study showed that consumption of beer leads to abdominal obesity. A German study found a positive correlation between alcohol and belly fat.
Try following:
- You can enjoy a drink of alcohol every now and then. But don’t drink more than 7 alcoholic beverages a week.
- Avoid sugary and soda mixers like those used in alcohols like margaritas and daiquiris.
- Drink lots of water instead.
What do you think about these ways to burn belly fat for women? Let us know if you have more suggestions, by leaving your feedback and comments.
