Fastest Way To Lose Unwanted Belly Fat

The decision to lose unwanted belly fat is essential to your overall health and well-being -- individuals with excessive mid-section fat are more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Since you cannot specifically target weight loss to just belly fat, you will need to modify your overall lifestyle -- including exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet. In conjunction with weight loss, you can perform abdominal exercises to help strengthen and tone your belly as you lose weight. To lose weight fast and at a healthy pace, the Mayo Clinic indicates that no more than 1 to 2 lb. of weight loss should occur per week.

Step 1

Begin an exercise routine. For weight loss, the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that adults should engage in 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity each day. Cardiovascular exercise is any form of exercise that causes you to break a sweat and your heart rate to become elevated. Perform exercises such as cycling, running, jogging, swimming, dancing, jumping rope or gardening.

Step 2

Participate in an interval training program. Mix bursts of high intensity exercise with brief recovery periods. Interval training can provide you with a complete workout in 30 minutes. Interval training allows you to achieve maximum weight loss in a short amount of time. Use a treadmill for interval training. Begin with a five minute walking warm-up. After your warm-up, run at your top speed for five minutes. After five minutes, jog for five minutes. Following your jog, run for an additional five minutes. Return to a jog for another five minutes. End your 30 minute session with a walking cool-down.

Step 3

Perform stomach toning exercises. Complete situps, crunches, planks, side crunches and reverse crunches. Complete one set of 20 repetitions of each exercise. These exercises will help tone and define the muscles of your abdomen as you lose weight.

Step 4

Revamp your diet. Eliminate high-calorie beverages, desserts, potato chips and other snack foods from your diet. Eat a diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat dairy. Drink plenty of water, low-fat milk and other zero-calorie beverages. If you are craving something sweet, opt for low-fat yogurt, a piece of fruit or a 100-calorie snack pack. One hundred calorie snack packs are prepacked snacks made by a large number of cookie, cracker and snack manufacturers. They contain small, 100-calorie portions of cookies, potato chips, pretzels and other snack foods.

Step 5

Count your calories. There are 3,500 calories in 1 lb. of fat. To lose a pound or two of fat per week, you will need to lose or burn 500 to 1,000 calorie per day. Keep a food journal to stay organized. Write down all your meals and indicate the amount of calories per meal. This can also help you determine where to cut calories when you first begin your diet.

Tips and Warnings

Make an appointment with your primary care physician. Your doctor should assess your health prior to beginning any diet and exercise program. Your doctor can also provide you with advice on how to safely lose weight as well as indicate an ideal weight for your age, height and body type. Continue to exercise regularly and eat healthy once you lose the desired weight.
When cutting calories, the National Academy of Sports Medicine indicates you should never consume less than 1,200 calories per day. Your body needs calories to fuel your body and aid in exercise.