No matter how many sit-ups you do or how many times you refuse a slice of chocolate cake, it may seem as if extra belly fat is lingering on your figure. Although the idea of spot toning away belly fat is a myth, there are healthy methods you can use to banish that tummy bulge and keep it off through time.
Diet
Losing weight throughout your body translates to fat loss in the stomach, too. To lose about a pound per week, cut 500 calories from your daily diet. You can avoid feeling as if you're starving by choosing nutrient-dense foods with essential vitamins and minerals as well as satiating fiber, low-fat protein, complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fat. Try reducing sugar, saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol-rich foods and focusing on MyPyramid's recommendations of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, nonfat dairy products and whole grains.
Exercise
According to the Mayo Clinic, regular, moderate-intensity exercise is the best way to drop belly fat. Aerobic activities tend to burn the most calories, and more vigorous exercises will help you lose belly weight more quickly. Try jogging, kickboxing, step aerobics or exercise DVDs. For the best results, add variety to your workouts with strength training and flexibility sessions, as well. The American Council on Exercise recommends five to six 45-minute or longer workouts each week.
Quick Fixes
There are other ways to drop belly fat, too. Diet pills, dietary supplements, fad diets and extreme calorie restriction all have the potential to yield quick results, but they come with potentially dangerous side effects including fatigue, dizziness, nutrient deficiencies and unsteady metabolism. Additionally, since such methods usually aren't sustainable for longer than a few weeks, you may find that any belly weight you use through them comes right back on when you return to your normal habits. Since following a low-calorie, balanced diet and regularly exercising have health benefits for the body in addition to being successful for weight loss, they are the most reliable choices.
Surgery
A few types of weight loss surgery exist that can work to reduce belly fat. The most common, according to the Mayo Clinic, is gastric bypass surgery. However, the clinic also cautions that many doctors will not perform the surgery unless their patients are medically unable to achieve weight loss results through diet and exercise. Before you consider surgery or start any plan to reduce fat in the belly area, talk with your doctor about the best and safest options for you.
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