Burning belly fat fast can be downright frustrating. It can be difficult to know what to believe, because there is so much misinformation out there. The human body does not help matters by hoarding belly fat and burning it only as a last resort. You do not need to starve yourself to lose belly fat. In fact, timing is everything when it comes to burning belly fat, and sometimes it will even be necessary to break all the rules of your diet in order to reach your goals. Follow a few dietary and training guidelines to burn your belly fat fast.
Step 1
Do resistance training workouts three to five days per week for 30 to 60 minutes. Focus on the compound movements for each muscle group, such as the bench press for the chest and the squat for the legs. This form of training can increase the production of potent fat-burning hormones that target the abdomen directly, according to "The Abs Diet."
Step 2
Add cardio sessions to your workout regimen. Doing 30 to 60 minutes of cardio immediately following your resistance training workout can directly target belly fat burning, according to "Combat the Fat." You need not even do intense cardio to significantly improve fat burning. In fact, author Jeff Anderson prefers low-intensity cardio because it does not cause the loss of metabolically active muscle tissue.
Step 3
Eat five or six smaller meals throughout the day, spaced two or three hours apart. Eating more frequent meals suppresses appetite, increases metabolic rate, stabilizes blood sugar and stunts production of the stress hormone cortisol. Since the fat cells around the stomach have a lot of receptors for cortisol, this hormone can be especially stifling to your fat-burning efforts.
Step 4
Take in 30 percent lean protein, 40 percent low-glycemic carbohydrates and 30 percent healthy fats at each meal. "The Fat Burning Bible" recommends this macronutrient ratio for optimal fat burning. Choose lean proteins like chicken, fish and turkey. For carbohydrates, eat oatmeal, brown rice, beans and whole grains, as well as fresh fruits, such as berries, apples, pears, grapefruits, grapes and peaches. Eat healthy fats like olive oil, natural peanut butter and avocados, which can improve fat burning, according to "The Abs Diet."
Step 5
Have one cheat meal on one day out of the week. Forget all the rules and just eat whatever you want. Besides being a rewarding way of celebrating a week of healthy eating, this technique actually elevates metabolic rate. The body can decrease metabolism in response to a caloric deficit. So, the cheat meal actually helps you burn more fat.
References
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; CQC LLC, 2008
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; Rodale, 2004
- "The Fat Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone; John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005
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