Targeting belly fat with abdominal strength exercises helps build the muscles underneath but will not reduce the subcutaneous and visceral fat covering them. To lose stubborn belly fat, you must lose weight and adopt some specific lifestyle strategies. Be patient and consider your results in relationship to your body. Reducing any belly fat helps decrease your risk for chronic disease. You will look better, feel better and improve your overall health.
Step 1
Reduce your overall body fat. Approach weight loss safely by aiming to create a 500- to 1,000-calorie deficit daily, resulting in a 1 to 2 lb. loss per week. Focus on produce, lean proteins and low-fat dairy.
Step 2
Banish refined grains and eat whole grains instead. Foods like brown rice, oatmeal and whole-wheat pasta produce a greater reduction in midsection fat.
Step 3
Remove trans-fats from your diet. A study published in the medical journal "Obesity" in 2007 showed that they encourage belly fat even when overall calories are limited. Read ingredient lists and ban products containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Step 4
Do not eat fried foods. Eat monounsaturated fats instead. Cook with olive or canola oil and snack on single servings of nuts.
Step 5
Take concrete measures to reduce stress. Learn to say no to new obligations, meditate or take up yoga. Prevent your body from producing excess cortisol, which leads to storage of fat at the belly, by consciously calming down.
Step 6
Put out the cigarettes for good. A large participant study in Great Britain, published in "Obesity Research" in 2005, showed that even thin smokers tend to store body fat disproportionately in the belly.
Step 7
Perform rigorous cardiovascular exercise to target belly fat. Move intensely for a minimum of 30 minutes five days a week--hard enough for you to sweat and raise your heart rate.
Tips and Warnings
- Do not skip meals or fall for fad diets that might make you lose pounds in the short term but will cause you to lose lean muscle mass and possibly regain all the weight and more in the long run.
- Check with a physician before beginning an exercise routine.
Things You'll Need
- Whole grains
- Fresh produce
- Lean protein
- Low-fat dairy
- Monounsaturated fats
References
- Obesity: Trans Fat Diet Induces Abdominal Obesity and Changes in Insulin Sensitivity in Monkeys
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: The Effects of a Whole Grain--Enriched Hypocaloric Diet on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Men and Women With Metabolic Syndrome
- Obesity Research: Cigarette Smoking and Fat Distribution in 21,828 British Men and Women: A Population-Based Study
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