Belly fat elevates your risk for a host of diseases and conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, stroke, heart disease, some cancers, and low levels of "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the Mayo Clinic warns. Men are more likely than women to see expanding waists throughout their lives. Women typically gain belly size after menopause, when hormones change the way the body stores fat. Unfortunately, even for normal-weight men and women, too much visceral fat in the abdomen ups risk for health problems. Visceral fat surrounds abdominal organs. Subcutaneous fat between the abdominal wall and the skin also adds to your waistline. Diet paired with a good workout plan can help you shrink your waistline and improve your health.
Diet
Step 1
Estimate your daily caloric intake by using an online calorie counter. Limit your daily calorie intake, reduce alcohol consumption and choose healthful foods including whole grains and fruits and vegetables. The Mayo Clinic advises cutting 500 to 1,000 calories a day for sustainable weight loss. Belly fat can feel like a tough target, but visceral fat responds well to a healthy diet that eliminates sugar, processed foods, trans fats and too many carbohydrates in general.
Step 2
Utilize conjugated linoleic acid, commonly called CLA. This omega-6 fatty is acid found in organic, grass-fed beef. It decreases body mass index by facilitating the body's ability to access and utilize stored fat, particularly in the belly, and also helps balance blood sugar levels, says nationally known nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., author of "Fat Flush for Life," 2010. CLA also is found in lamb and organic dairy products. Animals that are grain-fed instead of grass-fed have 80 percent less CLA. CLA also is available as a supplement. Take 6,000 mgs. daily until reaching your goal weight, Gittleman advises, then reduce to 3,000 mgs.
Step 3
Trigger fat burn in your body with other healthy fats. It may sound ironic, but the right fats do help melt pounds. Fish oil is a top burner. It contains omega-3 fatty acids that help reverse insulin resistance and aid in keeping glucose regulated, Gittleman says. Get fish oil naturally by eating salmon and mackerel, or take 1 to 3 g in supplement form each day. Monounsaturated Fatty Acids, dubbed "MUFAs," also reduce belly fat accumulation. Eat nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, dark chocolate and oils to get your MUFAs. Oils include olive, safflower, flaxseed, sesame, walnut, peanut and sunflower.
Step 4
Watch your carb intake. Carbohydrates stimulate insulin. Insulin stores fat. Focus on fruits and vegetables to gain essential nutrients and antioxidants. Cranberries are especially good at helping to detoxify the liver and fight "bad" LDL cholesterol. Lemons and limes also detoxify, fight cholesterol and boost metabolism. Other high-powered fruits Gittleman recommends are apples, berries and peaches. Some of the best fat-fighting veggies are asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, watercress and zucchini.
Step 5
Choose good, lean proteins. Protein stimulates glucogon, which mobilizes fat from storage. Pick low-fat, grass-fed varieties of beef. Eat omega-3 enriched eggs. Add lamb to your diet. Increase to two servings of salmon each week. Try whey protein, Gittleman advises. It's the body's most easily absorbed and utilized protein.
Exercise
Step 1
Lower your total body fat with exercise. Spot reducing will not rid you of abdominal fat, advises the Mayo Clinic, but your waist size will shrink along with the rest of you if you keep at your workouts. Ramp up your weight loss with interval training. The practice of alternating high- and low-intensity bouts of exercise burns more calories during exercise than keeping a steady pace. It utilizes both of the body's energy-burning systems, called aerobic and anaerobic systems. The aerobic system uses oxygen to convert carbs from throughout the body into energy. The anaerobic system gains energy from carbs stored in the muscle for short energy bursts. Interval training also increases your calorie "afterburn." This lasts up to 9 or 10 hours as your body works to repair and replenish itself. The longer the interval training session, and the higher the intensity, the more calories you burn, says David K. Spierer, human performance laboratory director for the sports sciences division, Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York.
Step 2
Tone and strengthen your oblique muscles, where the "love handles" rest. The bicycle maneuver is hands down the most effective overall abdominal exercise and includes oblique work, according to a 2001 study by Peter Francis, Ph.D., at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University. Do the bicycle by lying flat on the floor and pressing your lower back to the ground. Place hands beside your head. Take your knees up to a 45- degree angle. Slowly make bicycle pedal motion. Meanwhile, touch your right elbow to your left knee. Then touch your left elbow to your right knee.
Step 3
Work out with the captain's chair and do reverse crunches to further target obliques. These are other highly effective exercises identified in Francis' study. The captain's chair is at the gym. You hang on it, gripping hand holds and pressing your lower back against a pad. Slowly lift knees to the chest, then return the to a dangling position. Do the reverse crunch by lying on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Place hands beside the head. Cross your feet at the ankles and lift your feet so your knees make a 90-degree angle. Exhale and contract the ab muscles to reach your lets toward the ceiling. Inhale and return to the ground.
Step 4
Obtain an exercise ball to do one of the most effective overall abdominal exercises identified by the the Biomechanics Lab study. Sit on the ball with your feet flat on the floor. Lie on it so your thighs and torso are parallel to the floor. Cross your arms over your chest. Exhale and raise your torso to no more than 45 degrees as you contract your abs.
Step 5
Add vertical leg crunches to your routine for overall ab fitness. Lie on the floor with your hands behind your head for support. Extend your legs straight up in the air. Bend knees slightly and cross your legs at the ankles. Exhale and lift your torso toward your knees. Keep your chin off your chest. Inhale and go back down.This move rounds out the top four list for the most effective ab exercises in Francis' study.
References
- Acefitness.org; New Study Puts Crunch on Ineffective Ab Exercises; Mark Anders; June, 2001
- Fat Flush For Life; Ann Louise Gittleman; 2010
- David K. Spierer; assistant professor and human performance laboratory director; sports sciences division, Long Island University; Brooklyn, New York
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