As you age, your metabolism slows down, which can cause fatty foods to settle in your midsection. A sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits are also major culprits in gaining unwanted pounds in your stomach area. People who carry excess fat in their belly as opposed to the hips, thighs or another area are at higher risk for cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Diet and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce fat in the midsection.
Step 1
Educate yourself on the risks associated with excess belly fat. By doing so, you will have more of an incentive to stick to a corrective plan.
Step 2
Eliminate processed foods from your kitchen. Remove everything that is white, such as sugar, flour, pastas and rice. Replace these items with whole grains, brown rice and honey or agave nectar for sweeteners. Eliminate all sodas. Rid your fridge of any processed frozen entrees that are not all natural and without preservatives. By removing these items you will not be tempted to eat them.
Step 3
Purchase an indoor electric grill. Cut out all fried foods and start grilling chicken and fish for your lunch and dinner meals. By using a grill you can immediately cut down half of the calories that are consumed in a high-fat diet without sacrificing flavor. Add whole grains along with fresh green leafy vegetables to your meal and fresh fruits for dessert.
Step 4
Power walk. Walking is the oldest and exercise around. It's free and requires zero equipment. You can began slowly and work your way up to a brisk walk while swinging your arms for the ultimate workout. Aerobic exercise such as walking is necessary if you truly wish to get rid of belly fat. A daily 30 to 60 minute brisk walk can burn anywhere from 200 to 600 calories per hour. You can burn even more unwanted fat if you add small weights to your arms or legs.
Step 5
Incorporate abdominal crunches. Once your waistline starts to shrink; you can began some light stomach crunches or exercises that will build muscle in the stomach area. Building muscle in the stomach area adds an extra bonus, because muscle burns fat and will continue the fat burning process even after you have finished exercising.
Step 6
Visualize a slimmer you. Take some quiet time and picture yourself slimmer without the belly fat. Envision yourself shopping for smaller clothes and then having dinner with friends as they compliment you on your weight loss. By doing so, you will create the determination that will change your perception of your current condition.
Member Comments
mkatz2m March 25
One point I wish to make to everyone is to not follow totally the advice of all people/groups/organizations that tell you to eat eggs, bacon, red meat, etc. (rather than healthier substitutes). I basically agree with you Pamela on the food choices and importance of exercise. For me, if I ate any of the foods that I mentioned above regularly, I would most likely have to take statin drugs. 3 years ago, my doctor wanted to put me on statin drugs, but I convinced him to take my blood every 90 days for a whole year so I could find out what was messing up my blood readings. I increased exercise tremendously but that was not enough to change my blood readings to indicate a healthy status. I found out, during that period that I cannot tolerate real eggs, red meat, real butter, shrimp, etc. Any food that contained saturated fat or a lot of cholesterol (like shrimp) had to be avoided. Once I changed my diet to eat food like Egg Beaters, nuts, beans, fruit, vegetables, healthy fish(like salmon), chicken/turkey breasts(without skin), Promise light margarine, etc. and increased the aerobic exercise, I have lost about 15 pounds and my blood readings have been in the healthy range for the last 2 years. Further, I found supplements that help me increase HDL (SloNiacin 500mg) and lower LDL (policosanol). Without those supplements, I still would not be in the healthy range. Everyone needs to find out what foods/supplements they can tolerate to avoid having to take prescription drugs.