Achieving a flat belly is a matter of reducing your body-fat. Doing sit-ups and crunches will not create a flat, toned stomach if there is a layer of fat over your ab muscles. To create a flat belly you need to eat less, avoid certain foods, eat more quality foods and exercise. Once your ab muscles become visible, performing sit-ups and ab exercises will increase the visibility and give your abs a toned appearance.
Calorie Reduction
To achieve a flat belly and burn excess fat, you need to reduce your calories. Calories are energy that fuel the body, but excessive calories are converted into fat. Only by reducing your calories over a period of months will your body use fat as energy. Don't reduce your calories too drastically, though, as the body tends to go into starvation mode and hold onto fat as an energy reserve. Reduce your daily calorie intake gradually. John Stamatopoulos of bodybuilding.com suggests reducing your daily calorie intake by 300 every 10 days.
Foods to Avoid
Some foods are more conducive to weight gain than others, even if you are creating a calorie deficit. Avoid simple carbohydrates. These are foods such as white bread, white rice, refined sugar, baked goods and soft drinks. They all have high levels of sugar and provide your body with an immediate rise in energy. This causes a spike in insulin, and high insulin levels prevent fat loss. Avoid fried foods, as these are high in calories, and you will easily add excess pounds by eating these type of foods.
Foods to Eat
Complex carbohydrates are a good choice for energy-producing food. Complex carbohydrates include foods such as wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholemeal pasta and oatmeal. These are slow energy-releasing carbohydrates that do not raise your blood sugar and insulin levels and thus aid in fat loss. They also provide your muscles with the necessary fuel to exercise. In addition, consume quality protein. Protein is the building block of life, as it rebuilds cell membranes. Protein is responsible for building muscle, as well. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle your body has, the more calories you will burn.
Exercise
Exercise is fundamental to achieving a flat belly. If you are creating a calorie deficit, your body will burn either fat or muscle for fuel. By increasing your protein intake alongside a muscle-building program, you will preserve your muscle mass and force your body to burn fat for energy. Do compound exercises such as the bench press, deadlift, squat and shoulder press. These movements employ more than one muscle group at a time and help build muscle and increase fitness. Do cardio five to six times per week. Run on a treadmill or use a rowing machine for 20 to 60 minutes to burn body fat.
References
- Bodybuilding: Use this diet to lose fat as quick as humanly possible!; John Stamatopoulos
- Bodybuilding: A Guide to Getting Cut; Dr. Warren Willey
- Health Fitness: Building muscle is the key to reducing bodyfat; Stefan Angheli
- Bodybuilding: Fat Burning Cardio: Todd Fitchett
- Bodybuilding: Nine Sure Fire Ways To Gain Fat; Nick Nilsson
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