Your pants are too tight, and when you catch a glimpse of your profile in a mirror, it looks as though you've just eaten a large meal, even though you haven't. Pot bellies can suck your confidence dry, along with your wallet when you have to buy new clothes in a larger size. Get rid of your pot belly by making a few changes in your life. Chances are, the things you do to eliminate the fat on your stomach will help you feel better overall.
Aerobic Exercise
Pot bellies are almost always due to excess fat. As spot reducing does not work, you'll have to reduce the overall fat composition of your body to get rid of it. One of the best ways to get rid of fat on your body -- and hence, your pot belly -- is to engage in regular aerobic exercise. Try to burn 500 calories each day doing exercises that get your heart pumping. An effective fat-burning exercise is jogging, which, for a 150-pound person, burns approximately 480 calories an hour. Swimming is another way to burn off the calories that can lead to a pot belly, as it burns more than 600 calories per hour. You may also want to try bicycling, which burns about 540 calories per hour.
Watch Your Diet
You'll have to be conscious of your diet as well if you want to get rid of your pot belly. "You can run eight miles a day, and if you are still having a few beers with your friends every night, you'll still keep your belly," warns Austin runner Anthony Delgado. Reduce your caloric intake by 750 calories a day to see weight loss that will impact your pot belly -- you'll lose approximately 1.5 lbs. each week. Be careful not to go below 1,200 calories a day, however. Drink water instead of high-calorie drinks and fill up on whole grains, lean meats and vegetables.
Abdominal Exercises
If your pot belly lies on top of strong, tight muscles, doing crunches or other abdominal exercises won't do a thing to get rid of it. However, pot bellies may result from poor abdominal muscle tone. Pot bellies due to weak abdominal muscles are common after pregnancy and can result from inactivity as well. Tighten up your abdominal muscles to reduce the appearance of a pot belly. Crunches can help, provided you use proper form.
Posture
You can have the appearance of a pot belly while carrying very little extra weight. If this is the case, weak abdominal muscles may be the culprit, or you may simply not be standing up straight. Poor posture causes your spine to bend inward, which pushes your abdominal area outward. And if you are carrying extra pounds, you will find that standing up straight provides the illusion of being 10 lbs. slimmer than you actually are. Imagine that you have a string attached to the top of your head and that it is pulling you upright. Suck in your stomach, straighten your back and carry yourself with this image in mind to reduce your pot belly.
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