Losing gut fat is difficult for many because the body resists your efforts to burn this annoying layer around your midsection. The body stores this fat as a defense mechanism against starvation, particularly in aging men. Burning this fat requires taking a metabolic approach to diet and exercise. Cutting calories too much or too quickly can cause your metabolic rate to slow down.
Frequent Meals
Eat six meals per day, spaced two to three hours apart. "The Abs Diet" recommends three main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), with two or three snacks in between them. More frequent meals allows the body to burn gut fat by elevating metabolic rate and stabilizing the levels of two hormones that wreak havoc on the midsection: insulin and cortisol. Insulin is a fat storage hormone that becomes less efficient due to age, obesity or overeating carbohydrates. Cortisol aligns with the receptors of stomach fat cells and can slow fat burning and encourage body fat storage.
Eat the Right Foods
Choose foods that are more likely to be burned for energy, than to be stored as body fat around your middle. Lean proteins, for example, have a thermic effect on the body and elevate metabolic rate. Examples are fish, turkey, chicken and whey protein. Low-glycemic carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes and whole grains are slow-digesting and not as likely to be stored as fat as their more refined counterparts. Healthy fats such as olive, flaxseed and fish oil, nuts and seeds and avocados may help the body to burn fat and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Portion Control
Best-selling fitness author of "Combat the Fat," Jeff Anderson, recommends using your hands to visualize the proper portions of each of the macronutrients. Protein, carbohydrates and fats make up the staples of the daily diet. He recommends eating a serving of lean protein about the size of your flattened fist and a serving of low-glycemic carbs that would fit into your cupped palm. For dry fats like nuts and seeds, have one handful. Liquid fats, such as oils, can be consumed in a serving about the size of your thumb.
Cheat Meals
"The Fat Burning Bible," by Mackie Shilstone, recommends having a cheat meal once a week. The reason this helps to burn gut fat is that they body can lower metabolic rate in response to decreased caloric intake. Many "starvation" diets program the body to store even more fat when you resume eating normally. The cheat meals serve to briefly increase caloric intake to prevent this starvation-survival tactic and keep metabolism going strong.
Resistance Training
David Zinczenko, in his book "The Abs Diet," prescribes three full-body resistance training workouts per week. Resistance training directly targets gut fat by stimulating the release of potent fat burning hormones, such as human growth hormone (HGH). In addition, this training elevates metabolic rate for up to 48 hours or more. So, if you workout on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you would be burning more fat all week long.
Super Cardio
Anderson recommends "super cardio," immediately following resistance training, to directly target body fat. Anderson suggests doing low-intensity cardio for 30 to 60 minutes. For example, walk on the treadmill at an incline or ride an exercise bike.
References
- "The Abs Diet"; David Zinczenko; 2004
- "The Fat Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone; John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005
- "Combat the Fat"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
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