Belly fat occurs when your body is consuming more energy than it needs. Combat belly fat by creating a calorie deficit. Losing 1 to 2 lbs. of fat weekly requires burning 3,500 to 7,000 calories each week. This means you might workout to shed 500 calories and decrease calorie consumption by 500 to lose 2 lbs. of fat weekly. Make lifestyle changes will help you accomplish your midsection weight loss goals.
Aerobic Activity
Plan 30 minutes of activity most days of the week to shed belly fat, recommends MayoClinic.com. Your body burns calories during aerobic activity. This calorie burning promotes weight loss all over the body, including your belly. Use an interval training approach to increase calorie burning. Start out with a moderate activity, such as swimming at a slow pace or walking. Then, increase to a vigorous pace for a few minutes, such as jogging or swimming laps quickly. Continue to repeat these intervals for your entire workout session.
Toning the Core
Plan at least two strength training sessions weekly to lose belly fat. Strengthening your core muscles not only burns calories, it provides a leaner appearance to your midsection. Use the squat with twist to target the sides of your belly. Get into a squat position and extend your arms in front of your body. Slowly twist the upper body to the right with your abdominals contracted. Repeat eight to 12 repetitions of this movement on each side of the body.
Another effective core exercise is abdominal hollowing. Get onto your hands and knees and contract the core muscles. Hold this contraction for 10 seconds and release. Continue to repeat this exercise 10 times during your workout.
Healthy Eating
Healthy eating promotes belly fat loss by decreasing your calorie consumption. Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat to at least three servings of fruits and four servings of vegetables daily. Also, eat about four to eight servings of whole grain carbohydrates daily, recommends MayoClinic.com. Select three to seven servings of protein and diary daily, such as skinless chicken and low-fat yogurt. Limit fat consumption to three to five servings daily and opt for healthy fats, such as almonds, avocados and olive oil.
Special Foods
Eat special foods to improve your workout and positively affect your metabolism. For example, almonds contain a high amount of magnesium, which plays an important role in muscle building. Almonds also help keep blood sugar levels stable, preventing overeating. Aim to each about an ounce of almonds daily, recommends "Fitness" magazine. Another special food to eat is salmon. This food is high in omega-3 fatty acids, a substance linked to metabolism improvement, according to "Fitness" magazine.
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