Toning your stomach and losing belly fat requires a diligent approach to your diet, consistent cardiovascular exercise and targeted strength training for your core. Everyone has abdominal muscles, but they lie under a layer of subcutaneous and visceral fat. Toning your stomach is not just a cosmetic issue; too much belly fat puts you at risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.
Step 1
Perform cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 minutes five days per week. Strive to raise your heart rate and break a sweat in each of these sessions. The "Journal of Applied Physiology" published a study on July 7, 2005 showing that subjects who exercised the equivalent of 20 miles of jogging per week lost more belly fat than those who exercised less or not at all. Try a kickboxing class to reap cardio benefits that help burn fat. The kicking, twisting and punching moves also tone the abdomen. A boot-camp class that involves plyometric moves, such as jumping and bounding, is another way to combine cardio and belly toning.
Step 2
Execute abdominal exercises that work all four sets of abdominal muscles. Try stability ball crunches for the rectus abdominus, medicine ball rotations for the obliques, reverse crunches and hanging leg raises for the transverse abdominus. (See Resources.) Do these exercises two to three times a week, making sure you rest your abs at least 48 hours between workouts to give your muscles a chance to recover and build. Change the order of the exercises, add weights or rotate in new exercises every four weeks to continue to see results.
Step 3
Follow a low-calorie diet that emphasizes lean protein, whole grains and monounsaturated fats. A study by lead researcher Heather I. Katcher in the January 2008 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" showed that switching to whole grains influences weight loss in the belly region. Monounsaturated fats also discourage the distribution of fat at the middle. Too much saturated fat, such as those found in animal proteins, also contribute to weight gain and health problems.
Eat brown rice instead of a white sandwich bun, lean chicken breast instead of a porterhouse steak and dress your salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of ranch dressing.
Step 4
Consume five servings of dairy per day. Choose low-fat options, such as 1-percent or skim milk, plain, nonfat yogurt, low-fat cottage and ricotta cheese, and hard cheese made with 2-percent milk. A 2009 study by the Australian Curtin University of Technology revealed that eating five servings of dairy per day, along with a reduced-calorie diet, promoted greater weight loss and belly fat loss than eating three servings per day.
Step 5
Ban trans fats from your diet. Avoid processed baked goods and fast foods that contain this man-made fat. An animal study published in the journal "Obesity" in 2007 demonstrated that even when following a controlled-calorie diet, the addition of trans fats causes weight gain at the abdomen.
Tips and Warnings
- Losing belly fat will take time and consistent attention to diet and exercise. Try reducing stress and getting enough sleep every night to discourage the production of hormones that increase hunger and encourage fat storage.
- Consult a doctor before beginning an exercise routine.
Things You'll Need
- Whole grains
- Monounsaturated fats
- Lean proteins
- Dairy
References
- "Obesity": Trans Fat Diet Induces Abdominal Obesity and Changes in Insulin Sensitivity in Monkeys
- Curtin University of Technology: Higher Dairy Intake Can Help Fight Obesity
- "Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health": Is There a Role for Monounsaturated Fat in the Dietary Management of Obesity?
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Inactivity, Exercise, and Visceral Fat
- "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
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