Your body shape is predetermined genetically, but that doesn't mean you are stuck with the apple belly. If you have an apple-body shape, it means you store your fat around your midsection. Learn how to slim down the belly, get a healthier waist-to-hip ratio and prevent medical complications, such as metabolic syndrome, with lifestyle changes now.
Step 1
Set short-term goals to stay on path. Initially, aim to lose 10 percent of your current body weight. For example, a 160-lb. woman could lose 1.6 lbs. to meet her first goal. Continue setting new, small goals until you reach your desired weight. There is no known way to target just the belly for weight reduction, so you will have to lose fat everywhere to lose the apple shape.
Step 2
Watch your diet and cut 500 calories out daily if you are not active. Cutting 500 calories per day will result in 3,500 fewer calories per week, which can lead to 1 lb. of weight loss per week. Avoid empty calories, such as alcohol or sweets, which can add to the apple belly.
Step 3
Start a cardiovascular exercise or ramp up your current regimen. Exercise three days a week at the least. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes daily and schedule your exercise just like you would an appointment. You can bike, run, take a brisk walk or get on a stair climber — pick any aerobic exercise you enjoy that will get your heart pumping and burn fat off the body.
Step 4
Avoid stress or help yourself cope with it better. Stress, boredom and depression may all play a role in your stored weight. Start yoga or meditation, or take a couple deep breaths throughout the day when things get rough.
Step 5
Tone your abdominal muscles with deep breathing while sitting in your office or at school. Breathe in and suck in your stomach. Exhale and continue to hold your abdominal muscles tight. Relax and repeat as tolerated.
Tips and Warnings
- Check out your waist-to-hip ratio. Take a measurement of the narrowest part of your waist and another on your hips in inches. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to get your ratio. A ratio greater than 0.9-to-1 indicates a higher risk for health problems related to your apple belly.
- Join a smoking-cessation class, if you are a smoker. Smoking can increase your insulin resistance. Insulin resistance and apple body shapes are prone to metabolic syndrome, a grouping of symptoms that signifies an increased potential for cardiovascular disease.
Member Comments