Even though beer can contribute to excess fat in the stomach -- called "beer belly" -- it is generally caused from overall poor lifestyle habits that include uncontrolled eating and lack of physical activity. This excess stomach fat puts you at a higher risk for heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, notes Reader's Digest. The best way to lose your beer belly is by moving more and taking fewer trips to the kitchen.
Reducing Calories
To lose a beer belly, you need to lose weight throughout your whole body. Your best bet to achieve this goal is by cutting back on your daily intake. A 500- to 1,000-calorie daily reduction will cause you to lose about 1 to 2 lbs. a week, according to MelinePlus. To find your starting intake, track your calories for three days, add your totals together and divide by three to get an average.
Low Energy Density Foods
Foods that have a high energy density are high in calories and small in size. Cheesecake is a good example of a high energy density food. Instead of filling up on cheesecake, cookies, burgers, fries, meatball hoagies and cream-filled doughnuts, choose foods that have a low energy density. These take up a lot of volume, but are low in calories. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and greens are examples. You do not have to have your entire diet consist of these, but make them the base of your diet.
Beverages
Beer is obviously off the menu when you are trying to lose your gut, but you also have to restrict your intake of other caloric beverages like soda, dessert coffees, sweetened teas, fruit punch and slushies. When it comes to weight loss, water is your best option. Not only is it free of calories, but it also helps hydrate your body and flush toxins out of your system. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get about 90 oz. of water daily and men get about 125 oz.
Eating More Frequently
The worst thing you can do is wait long hours between meals. This can cause you to become hungry and eat too much at your next meal. The best way to prevent this is by eating small meals every two to three hours throughout the day. This will not only keep your appetite satisfied, but it will also give your metabolism a lift. Your meals do not need to be fancy or complicated. Apple slices with peanut butter spread across the tops is an easy meal, for example.
Aerobic Activity
Aerobic exercise is performed in a steady motion for an extended period of time. This type of training burns calories and causes you to lose weight. Running, biking, swimming, elliptical training, rowing and step aerobics are all adequate forms. Aim for at least 60 minutes of aerobic training, and work out four or five days a week.
Weight Lifting
When you lift weights, you build muscle, a metabolically active tissue. Your goal is to add as much muscle to your body as possible. By doing this, your body will burn calories around the clock and your beer belly will disintegrate at a faster pace. According to the University of Michigan Health System, 3 lbs. of added muscle can burn over 630 calories a week. Target as much of your body as possible with exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, dips, lunges and deadlifts. Work out two or three days a week.
Ab Toning Exercises
Abdominal exercises are strictly used to tone and define the stomach area as you lose weight. Perform exercises like reverse crunches, twisting crunches, hanging leg raises and stability ball sit-ups to target your whole abdominal area.
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