Burning stomach fat fast takes a serious commitment to exercise and diet. By using powerful training techniques, you can boost fat-burning hormones to directly target your stomach fat, say "Xtreme Lean" authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman. In addition, some potent metabolic dietary strategies will keep you burning fat all day long. Eat the right foods at the right time and your body will virtually stop storing fat, without any unbearable hunger or food cravings.
Step 1
Do resistance training workouts at least three days per week, focusing on the multijoint compound exercises like squats, bench presses and lat pull-downs. Lawson and Holman claim these exercises best target your muscles for fat burning and muscle building. Use the NA, or negative-accentuated, technique to make these exercises even more effective. Lower the weight on any exercise to a controlled six-second count to keep your body burning extra fat for up to 72 hours after your workout.
Step 2
Add 30 minutes of cardio after an abs workout, to help directly target stomach fat, says "Combat the Fat" author Jeff Anderson. Keep your abs workout simple. For example, do hanging leg raises for three sets of 12 to 20 reps, followed by two or three sets of full-range crunches or abs-machine crunches for the same repetition range. For cardio, choose the treadmill, stair-stepper or elliptical and vary the intensity to increase your fat burning, says "The Abs Diet" by David Zinczenko.
Step 3
Eat only low-glycemic carbohydrates, which digest slowly and keep insulin levels low. Insulin acts as a body fat storage hormone, prompting fat cells to take in glucose or sugar. When you keep your insulin levels low, you get sustained energy without body fat accrual, says Zinczenko. Examples of low-glycemic carbs include brown rice, whole-wheat bread or pasta, most fresh fruits and vegetables and sweet potatoes.
Step 4
Take in some healthy fats at each meal. Poly- and monounsaturated fats are heart healthy, tend to have little to no cholesterol, and balance blood sugar. Moreover, they help your body burn more fat, according to The Usual Suspects by Jordana Brown in the January "Muscle & Fitness Presents 2010 Edition: The Ultimate Supplement Handbook." Examples are olive oil, peanut butter, walnuts, almonds, avocados and omega-3 fish oil.
Step 5
Increase your intake of lean proteins like turkey, fish, eggs, chicken and whey protein. Protein has a thermic effect, causing the body to expend more energy in digestion, says "The Fat Burning Bible" author Mackie Shilstone. Whey protein in particular has a potent fat-burning and muscle-building effect. Add it to smoothies as snacks, or take it before and/or after your workouts.
Step 6
Eat one free or cheat meal one day per week. This meal actually speeds up your metabolism, according to Jeff Anderson. The reason for this is that the body slows down metabolic rate when you diet. This explains why some people eat less and less, yet lose no additional weight. Enjoy a brownie sundae or whatever you have been craving all week long, but do not binge--and remember to get back to your diet the next day.
Tips and Warnings
- See Resources for exercise suggestions and guidance.
- Never take in fewer than 1,200 calories per day unless under the supervision of a doctor or health care practitioner.
Things You'll Need
- Whey protein
References
- "Xtreme Lean"; Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman; 2005
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; 2005
- "Muscle & Fitness Presents 2010 Edition: The Ultimate Supplement Handbook"; The Usual Suspects; Jordana Brown; January 2010
- "The Fat Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone; 2005
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