Are you attracted to Internet advertisements that promise you to provide “the key to shredding belly fat” or “the one method to reduce belly fat”?
If this is the case, you’re not the only one. Throughout the world, many people spend lots of time and millions and millions of dollars to get a shredded stomach and a flat tummy.
But, as many advertisements and promotions suggest, Is there any magic solution – a quick and easy approach to get rid of this persistent stubborn belly fat?
In one line, No. Yeah, you are shocked to hear it as well. But, if you’re ready to put in the work we will share with you, the method of how to reduce belly fat naturally and fast.
What Is Belly Fat?
It’s the natural tendency of our body to store fat around the stomach, thighs, and many other places.
Belly fat can be an issue for several reasons, not simply for your looks, Even those with perfect abs have some stomach fat that is normal. But excess stomach fat may harm your health.
There are mainly three types of fat.
- Subcutaneous fat is found precisely under the skin.
- Visceral fat is present deeper within your body, surrounding your heart, lungs, liver, and other organs.
- Intramuscular fat is stored within the skeletal muscles.
Among the above types, Visceral fat accumulates around your belly and stomach.
Can skinny people also have problems with excess belly fat?
The Answer is Yes! Because visceral fat is stored deeper inside your body, that’s why it’s a bigger problem even for skinny people.
Even skinny people may have an excess of abdominal fat. That means it depends more on your level of activity than your waist size.
How often you gain belly fat is largely determined by your genetics and by your lifestyle, It depends on particularly how active you are.
Research has shown that skinny people who followed their diets but did not exercise were more likely to have excess visceral fat.
In the other words, we can say that your Inactivity is favored over visceral fat. So the trick is to stay active as much as you can, regardless of your size.
Are All Types Of Fat Harmful For Us?
My answer is no. All types of fat are not harmful to us because some fat is required for our body, such as visceral fat, It works as a cushion around your organs and protects them.
But if you have accumulated too much visceral fat. It will exert pressure on your important organs Instead of cushioning them.
When you put on too much weight, your body begins to store this excess fat in uncommon areas.
With rising obesity rates, there are many more people whose normal fat-storage regions are so heavily packed that fat is stored in the organs as well as around the heart.
So, if you are fat or obese, you are more prone to develop high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, aging, and some cancer, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.
The fat isn’t just sitting around doing nothing. It’s a living component of your body that produces “a lot of bad stuff.”
What Causes Belly Fat?
People gain belly fat for multiple reasons, including poor nutrition, a lack of exercise, and stress.
Improving diet, increasing physical activity, and making other lifestyle modifications can all be beneficial.
As you know, visceral fat surrounds a person’s organs and subcutaneous fat is stored under the skin. Visceral fat causes greater health complications than subcutaneous fat.
Here are some common causes of excessive belly fat:
Poor Diet
Sugary foods and drinks, such as cakes and candies, as well as soda and fruit juice, can induce weight gain, slow down a person’s metabolism, and lower a person’s capacity to burn fat.
Low-protein, high-carbohydrate diets may also have an impact on weight. Protein keeps you feeling fuller for longer, and folks who don’t get enough lean protein may eat more food overall.
Trans fats, in particular, can induce inflammation and leads to obesity. Trans fats may be found in a variety of foods, including fast food and baked products like muffins and crackers.
Reading food labels can assist a person in determining whether their food includes trans fats.
Excess Alcohol
Excessive alcohol use can lead to a number of health issues, including liver disease and inflammation.
A 2015 research on alcohol use and obesity revealed that excessive alcohol intake leads males to accumulate weight around their belly, however, female study results are unclear.
Stress
Cortisol, a steroid hormone, aids the body in controlling and dealing with stress. When a person is in a stressful situation, their body releases cortisol, which might affect their metabolism.
When people are stressed, they usually consume more food for comfort. Cortisol causes extra calories to be stored around the stomach and other parts of the body for later usage.
Lack Of Exercise
A person will gain weight if they consume more calories than they burn off. An inactive lifestyle makes it difficult to lose extra fat, particularly around the belly.
Genetics
There is some evidence that a person’s genes can influence whether or not they become obese.
Researchers believe that genes can impact behavior, metabolism, and the chance of getting obesity-related diseases.
Environment factors, as much as behavior, influence the chance of someone becoming obese.
How Much Belly Fat Do You Have?
It Is very easy to measure your belly fat. Simply get a measuring tape and wrap it around your waist at your belly button to determine your girth. Do it while standing up, and make sure the tape measure is level.
If you’re a female, your waist size should be fewer than 35 inches, and if you’re a male, your waist size should be less than 40 inches.
If you have more abdominal fat, it’s likely that you have more visceral fat.
Tips To Reduce Belly Fat Naturally And Fast
To reduce belly fat, you have to make some lifestyle changes, regulate your diet, and also do some exercise to lose your belly fast.
Here are 10 evidence-based effective tips to lose belly fat naturally and fast.
Focus On Low-Calorie Foods
One of the most effective ways to lose belly fat is to consume fewer calories than the body burns. Due to this, the fat starts reducing in the whole body including the stomach.
A calorie deficit is caused by eating fewer calories than the body consumes. It can help burn both visceral fat and excess subcutaneous fat.
This can help burn visceral fat as well as extra subcutaneous fat. Furthermore, low-calorie foods are usually more healthy than high-calorie ones.
Eating foods high in calories and low in nutrition — for example, processed foods, baked goods, and french fries is a beneficial way to create a calorie deficit and improve health.
Try replacing these foods with nutritious, low-calorie options, such as foods with fruits, vegetables, pulses, and whole grains.
Consume Plenty Of Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel that helps slow food as it passes through your digestive system.
According to studies, this type of fiber aids in weight loss by making you feel full, as a result, you eat less naturally.
It may also reduce the number of calories absorbed by your body from food. Furthermore, soluble fiber can help fight belly fat.
Fiber causes major improvements in metabolic health and reduces the risk of certain diseases.
So you must include high fiber foods in your daily diet. Oats, peas, beans, legumes, flax seeds, Brussels sprouts, apples, avocados, citrus fruits, carrots, barley, and psyllium are all high in soluble fiber.
Metamucil Sugar-Free Fiber Supplement Buy Now
Avoid Foods Containing Trans Fats
Trans fats are created by pumping hydrogen into unsaturated fats, such as olive, peanut, and canola oil. Some studies have correlated a high trans-fat intake to belly fat gain.
They are found in some margarine and spread and are also often added to packaged foods, but many food producers have stopped using them.
In some observational studies, these fats have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, insulin resistance, and increased belly fat.
To help reduce belly fat and protect your health, read ingredients labels carefully and stay away from products with trans fats. They are usually mentioned as partially hydrogenated fats.
Avoid Sugar And Sugary Drinks
Foods with added sugar are harmful to your health. Eating a lot of such food can lead to weight gain.
Several studies have indicated that added sugar, mostly due to a large amount of fructose, can cause fat build-up around your belly and liver.
Studies also show that added sugar has clearly detrimental effects on your metabolic health.
Sugar is half glucose and half fructose. When you eat too much sugar, the liver fills completely up with fructose and is forced to convert to fat.
It increases abdominal fat and liver fat, leading to insulin resistance and various metabolic problems.
Liquid sugar is worse in this regard. The brain doesn’t record liquid calories like solid calories, so when you drink sugar-sweetened beverages, you take more total calories.
One study found that children were 60% more likely to develop obesity with each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages.
More sugar consumption can be the primary driver of excess fat in the abdomen and liver.
This is especially true for sugary beverages such as sugary sodas, fruit juices, and various high sugar sports drinks.
So try reducing the amount of sugar in your diet and consider eliminating sugary drinks as well.
Eat Fewer Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates are high in calories but low in nutritional value. These carbs are found in white bread, refined grains, and sugary foods and beverages.
Research has also linked refined carbs to the development of belly fat. Just avoiding refined carbs should be enough, especially if you keep your protein intake high.
According to several studies, People lose weight due to appetite decreases when they cut their carbohydrate intake.
New studies have shown that low-carb diets sometimes lead to 2-3 times greater weight loss than low-fat diets.
A low carb diet also leads to a rapid reduction in water weight, which gives faster results to the people. People often notice a difference on the scale within 1-2 days.
Studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets indicate that low-carb eating leads to less fat, especially in the abdomen and around the organs and liver.
This means that some of the fat lost on a low-carb diet is harmful belly fat.
Eat More Lean Proteins
Protein is the most effective macronutrient for weight loss. If weight loss is your goal, adding protein may be the most effective change in your diet.
Not only can protein help you to lose weight, but it can also help you to prevent gaining weight again.
Eating plenty of protein can speed up your metabolism and reduce hunger levels, making it a very effective way to lose weight.
According to Several studies, protein is particularly effective against belly fat. As per a study, people who ate more and better protein had significantly less belly fat.
You should include high protein foods such as whole eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, meat, and dairy products in your regular diet.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Buy Now
Eat Good Fats
Some dietary fat is essential to a healthy diet, but not all fat sources are equally beneficial.
Saturated fat and trans fat can damage the heart, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
They can also lead to weight gain and are closely associated with the development of visceral fat.
Instead consuming healthy fats can help reduce overall body fat and have many benefits.
Healthy high-fat foods include avocados, chia seeds, eggs, fatty fish, Nuts and Nut Butter, Olives, etc.
Read this for more details about fatty acids and omega-3s.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise is one of the best things you can do to enhance your chances of living a long, healthy life and preventing disease.
One of the several health advantages of exercise is the reduction of abdominal fat.
Helping in the reduction of belly fat is one of the amazing health benefits of exercise.
If you do regular exercises it will reduce your overall body fat also, and it will prevent further fat gain.
Following types of exercise, you can perform to lose belly fat.
Try Cardio Or Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise or cardio is an effective way to improve your overall health and burn calories.
Aerobic exercise is a good way to lose weight and is very effective in slimming your waistline. Studies also show that it is the most effective form of exercise for reducing belly fat.
The frequency and duration of your workout routine are more crucial than the intensity. You can add aerobic activities such as walking, jogging, and swimming to your workout routine.
Perform Resistance Or Strength Training
Resistance training, often known as weight lifting or strength training, can help you lose weight because it focuses on muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat.
Based on studies involving people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease, resistance training may also be beneficial for reducing belly fat.
In fact, a study involving overweight teens showed that a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise resulted in the greatest reduction in visceral fat.
Strength training has also been shown to improve bone and joint health. This is due to the fact that stronger muscles are better equipped to support the body, thereby reducing the pressure on bones and joints.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strength exercise should be done twice a week.
Try High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) pairs intense exercise with periods of low-intensity activity to burn calories.
HIIT might include a cycle of walking for 3 minutes, then running for 30 seconds. Research suggests that HIIT may reduce body fat more effectively than other types of exercise.
By engaging in shorter periods, HIIT can also be a good way to ease into an exercise routine and is a less time-consuming workout routine. So you can choose this if you are on a tight daily schedule.
Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has now become a very famous and popular means of weight loss. This is a type of eating pattern in which eating and fasting periods alternate.
Studies show that it can be one of the most effective ways to lose weight and belly fat.
One popular method is, fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week. The second involves fasting for 16 hours every day and eating all your food within an 8-hour period.
According to several studies on intermittent fasting and alternate-day fasting, people experienced a 4-7% reduction in belly fat within 6-24 weeks.
Keep Your Stress Level Down
Stress plays a major role in weight loss and weight gain. In the initial stages, it may make you feel less hungry but in the long run, stress actually increases your appetite.
If your stress level is high, You tend to eat frequently and eat more. When you are stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol aka the stress hormone.
Because increased hormone level also helps cause higher insulin aka fat-storing hormone levels in your body, due to this your blood sugar level downs and you feel hungry.
So you should keep your stress level down, you can do various activities like yoga, meditation, dance, or anything which reduce your stress level to keep your stress level under control.
You may also like to read:- 7 Best Yoga For A Flat Stomach And Weight Loss
Track Your Calorie Intake And Exercise
Most people understand the importance of what they eat, yet many are unaware of what they are eating.
A person may think they are eating a high-protein or low-carb diet, but without being on track, it is easy to overestimate or reduce food intake.
Tracking calorie intake does not mean that it is necessary to weigh and measure everything you eat.
Tracking your calorie intake for a few days in a row can help you realize the most important areas for change.
Planning ahead can help you achieve specific goals, such as increasing your protein intake by 25-30% of calories or cutting down on unhealthy carbs.
Similarly, you must track your exercise to keep your calorie burn at a good pace.
According to your goals, you should change the frequency and intensity of your workout as well as the type of exercise.
Takeaway
Belly fat is not that bad if it is not in an excessive amount. Many people can reduce their belly fat by doing certain lifestyle and dietary changes only.
You should maintain an active and healthy lifestyle to keep your belly fat low and if you have excess abdominal fat you must do aerobic and strength workouts along with a well-balanced diet.
As we all know there is no shortcut to perfection.
