Losing weight requires two variables: lower-calorie diet and daily exercise. Your diet needs to be free of sugary foods and drinks containing empty calories, or those with little or no nutritional value. Instead, eat nutritionally dense meals that are low in fat. A combination of aerobic and resistance training can help to speed up the fat loss from around your waist.
Diet
Determine your daily caloric intake and how to organize a healthful diet. You can do this for free by using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid tool, which is an online calculator that will tell you exactly how much of each food group you need depending on your weight. The primary food groups to focus on include whole grains, vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy and lean meat/beans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adult women go no lower than 1,000 calories a day to lose weight, while men should consume at least 1,200 calories.
Weight Loss Equation
Think of weight loss as a numbers game. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, losing 1 lb. of body fat requires that you create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories. The quickest way to start cutting calories from your diet is to eliminate empty calories, such as from sugary foods and drinks. You can achieve 2 lbs. of weight loss per week by cutting 1,000 calories a day, the maximum recommended amount by the CDC. Split the 1,000-calorie daily reduction through diet and exercise, reducing your caloric intake by 500 and burning 500 calories each day in exercise.
Exercise
Daily exercise can help to speed up the fat burning process from around your waistline. While it is impossible to spot-treat fat loss from your waist by using crunches or other core strengthening exercises, a full-body approach can do the trick. Exercise at least five days a week -- three days of cardio and two days of resistance training. Building muscle through resistance training is important because muscle naturally burns more calories than fatty tissue, so essentially your body is burning more calories throughout the day, even when you're at rest. Thirty to 60 minutes per workout can begin to shrink your waistline.
Dangers of Waist Fat
Excess fat around the waist, especially in the belly area, is a serious health concern that increases your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, crowds your internal organs and causes serious health concerns. The solution is to live a more active lifestyle and to eat right. The cause of excess fat around the waist can vary, although it is usually caused by sedentary lifestyle, change in hormones, not eating right, heredity or a combination of these factors. Consult your doctor to learn about what could be causing your weight gain.
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