Excess body fat is undesirable, and excessive abdominal fat increases health risks. According to Weight-control Information Network, abdominal fat increases health risks more than fat elsewhere on your body. Excess lower abdominal fat can be tricky to get rid of, but with the right diet and exercise program, will disappear quickly.
Weight-loss Basics
Body weight--including lower abdominal weight--can be reduced by restricting calories or burning additional calories. This can be accomplished by eating fewer calories, by exercising more or through a combination of the two. One pound of body fat equals about 3,500 calories, according to the Academy of Family Physicians. Reducing calories by 500 per day can contribute to a weight loss of approximately 1 Ib. per week.
Weight Maintenance Basics
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends engaging in about 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-physical activity most days per week to help prevent unhealthy weight gain and to manage body weight.
Dietary Considerations
In addition to reducing daily calories, the composition of your weight loss diet is important to help burn excess abdominal weight. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages consuming 2 cups of fruits and 2-½ cups of vegetables per day for a 2,000 calorie diet, 3 oz. of whole grains and 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk products per day in addition to limiting fat intake 20 to 35 percent of daily calories.
Exercise Considerations
Losing weight can help reduce body size, but exercising can help re-shape and tone your midsection. Performing toning and cardiovascular exercises on a regular basis can help reduce excess body fat around your midsection, tone your abdominal muscles, burn extra calories and help keep lost weight off.
Effects of Exercise
Cardiovascular exercises such as walking, jogging and biking can help burn a significant number of extra calories to help reduce body weight. Abdominal toning exercises such as crunches, the bicycle, leg raises, straight-leg pelvic lifts, pelvic thrusts, plank exercises and abdominal Pilates moves can help reduce lower abdominal weight and tighten your entire abdominal area.
Exercising for at least one hour on most days of the week can help burn enough calories to accomplish a 1 Ib. per week weight-loss goal, as long as calorie intake is not increased. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources says that a 154 lb. person can burn 460 calories by walking for one hour at a pace of 4.5 mph and can burn 440 calories by weight-lifting at a vigorous effort for one hour.
References
- Weight-control Information Network: Do You Know the Health Risks of Being Overweight?
- American Academy of Family Physicians: What it Takes to Lose Weight
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Aim for a Healthy Weight
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