Midsection pounds are difficult to lose. Women often struggle more than men with this type of weight gain. The quickest weight loss recommended is 1 to 2 lb. a week. Lifestyle adjustments will assist in accomplishing this goal.
Tone Love Handles
Side crunches are effective for toning love handles. Lie down with your legs bent. Slowly roll your legs to the right side and crutch to the ceiling. Repeat eight to 12 times then switch to the left side. Another exercise is side bends. Stand up straight, keeping the abdominal muscles tight. Slowly bend over the right side, contracting the abdominal muscles. Repeat eight to 12 repetitions on each side.
Increase Aerobic Activity
Toning exercises strengthen the abdominal muscles, but aerobic activity burns fat so you can see the muscles. Schedule at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. Lose belly fat quicker by choosing activities that are high intensity. For example, walking at 2 mph burns 183 calories an hour, while running at 8 mph burns 986 calories an hour for a 160 lb. person. Low-impact aerobics burn 365 calories an hour and high-impact aerobics shed 511 calories an hour, according to MayoClinic.com.
Change Eating Habits
A Mediterranean diet is linked to reducing stomach fat. With this diet, you eat plenty of fruits, pasta, rice and vegetables. Red meat is limited to a few times or less monthly. Monounsaturated fats are consumed, such as nuts and olive oil. Also, use spices to season food, rather than salt. This minimizes belly water retention. Eat freshwater fish and low-fat dairy products.
With your doctor's approval, it's also helpful to have a glass of wine with dinner each evening. If you don't drink alcohol, purple grape juice is a healthful alternative.
Watch Calories
Trimming belly fat and love handles requires reducing calorie intake. Approximately 3,500 calories are in 1 lb. of fat. If you want to reduce fat by 1 lb. a week, reduce daily calorie intake by 500 calories, recommends MedlinePlus. Increase weight loss to 2 lb. a week by cutting out 7,000 calories a week, which is 1,000 calories a day. If cutting 500 to 1,000 calories a day seems like a lot, you can use exercise and diet to accomplish your belly-loss goal. For example, cut back calories by 250 a day and burn 250 calories through exercise daily.
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