Losing belly fat can be a tough task for those who aren't familiar with fitness and nutrition. Even for those who are, it takes a good amount of dedication and patience to accomplish. Unfortunately, it's not possible to lose belly fat alone. There is no spot reduction--fat will come off in certain places before others, and it can't be controlled. With the use of a proper exercise program and a few important nutrition tips, however, it will all come off.
Step 1
Establish a resistance training program. Resistance training isn't the most important factor in losing belly fat, but it's a great supplement to good nutrition. Your program should consist of primarily compound exercises, or exercises that require movement at more than one joint. These include bench press, squat, deadlift and row variations. Use higher repetitions in the 8 to 12 range. Begin by training only a couple of times each week to avoid overtraining, and increase workout frequency as you progress. Don't forget to include abdominal exercises. If you don't have a solid set of abs sitting under the fat, it's not going to matter how much of it you lose. Use Russian twists, crunch variations and leg raise variations.
Step 2
Add cardiovascular work to your routine. Cardio is another important supplement to proper nutrition. Walk, jog or bike a few times each week. Many people find walking 30 minutes each morning to be enjoyable and easy. Begin with steady state, low intensity cardio and progress to higher intensity interval training as you see fit.
Step 3
Adjust your calories and macronutrients. Use an online calorie calculator to find your maintenance caloric intake. This number will be different for each of us. From here, it is generally acceptable to subtract 500 calories to find the caloric intake necessary to lose weight. Macronutrient percentages are also an important factor. There's no ideal percentage that everyone should follow, however many people will take in a majority of calories from carbohydrates with the rest split between fat and protein. Low carbohydrate dieting, the method used in the Atkins Diet, is also effective for some individuals.
Step 4
Modify and perfect your meal timing and food selection. Try to consume a meal every 3 hours. This helps to keep your metabolism up. If you can't fit a meal in, prepare a protein shake or meal replacement ahead of time. Skipping meals is the last thing you want to do in the process of losing belly fat. As far as food selection, avoid fast and processed food when possible. Stick to whole wheat bread and pasta, lean meat, fruits and vegetables.
Tips and Warnings
- Be consistent with these changes. Temporary doesn't cut it--this is a lifestyle change.
- Be careful not to cut your calories too low. Starving yourself isn't healthy and should be avoided at all costs.
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