Deep belly fat surrounding the internal organs is visceral fat, and just under the skin is subcutaneous fat. Together, these two kinds of fat keep your abs hidden. Taking a metabolic approach to weight loss and combining resistance and cardiovascular exercise, you can reduce your deep belly fat in no time.
Step 1
Do three to five resistance training workouts per week. Beginners get impressive results with training only three days per week for 30 to 60 minutes. However, you might decide to workout Monday through Friday to burn more calories. Resistance training works in several ways to help directly target fat deep in the belly area, according to "The Abs Diet" by David Zinczenko.
Step 2
Add cardiovascular training to your plan, doing as many 30 minutes sessions as you can fit into your schedule. Cardio works cumulatively, so you can either do one long session or several shorter ones throughout the day. Two-a-day cardio really helps to melt the belly fat off quickly. "Combat the Fat" author Jeff Anderson recommends doing your cardio low to medium intensity and immediately after resistance training to directly target your belly fat. Always take at least one day off of all cardiovascular training.
Step 3
Eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism elevated. This helps burn more belly fat in many ways. Frequent meals keep your hunger suppressed, decrease body fat storage via stabilizing insulin and blood sugar, and they help you build more metabolically active muscle (which burns calories even at rest), according to "The Fat Burning Bible" by Mackie Shilstone.
Step 4
Control your portions to make sure you keep burning fat rather than storing it. Eating large meals (especially refined carbohydrates and saturated fats), increases our bodies' fatty acid storage. Anderson recommends eating a serving of protein about the size of your flattened fist, enough carbs to fit in your cupped palm and a handful of healthy dry fats such as unsalted sunflower seeds, almonds or other nuts and seeds. If you choose wet or oily fats, have a serving of olive oil or coconut oil about the size of your thumb.
Step 5
Choose "clean" foods that do not readily store as belly fat. Rather than refined carbohydrates, eat oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain pastas or breads, sweet potatoes or fresh fruit or vegetables. For protein, select lean cuts of beef, pork, turkey, chicken or fish (fatty fish is fine). Eat healthy fats such as olive oil, natural peanut butter, omega-3 fish or flax oil and avocado.
Step 6
Have one cheat meal every week. Over-dieting fails every time---in fact, do not even think of it as a diet. Lifestyle changes lead to lasting weight loss, not diets. The cheat meal keeps your metabolic rate from downshifting in response to decreased caloric intake, according to "Combat the Fat." This means that indulging once per week will actually increase your rate of fat burning and help you melt away the deep belly fat.
References
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; 2004
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
- "The Fat-Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone; 2005
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