Belly Fat; How To Get Rid Of It
By Gary Holdon
Abdominal fat, or the belly fat as is commonly called, not only looks unsightly, it also increases health risks associated with many serious illnesses, such as insulin resistance syndrome, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, and even some types of cancers. If you have excess belly fat, you would almost invariably be overweight/obese too. So, healthy weight loss is the best solution to losing belly fat.

But first you must realize that you can't choose in what location order you lose body fat. Your genes and other factors of your make-up choose that for you. All you can do is make sure you lose body fat and eventually your belly fat will have its turn to undergo reduction. Losing weight is actually just a matter of burning more calories than you consume. So as long as you consistently consume less calories than you are using each day, you will continue to lose fat until you lose belly fat.

You should take note that it is always important to consult with your doctor before beginning a weight loss program. Proper belly fat loss will require that you exercise more and eat less. You may wish to consult with a professional trainer as well, to make sure you focus on exercises that will truly help you. For example, many amateurs start off thinking that all they have to do is crunches and sit-ups and their belly fat will soon be gone. Unfortunately, your abdominal muscles are small and no matter how hard you work them out they will not burn fat quickly. If these people had consulted a professional trainer, they would have been put on exercises to work larger muscles with larger amounts of weight, burning more calories with

less side-effects and effort.

One of the best things you can do to improve the rate at which you lose belly fat is to combine all of the aspects of a healthy lifestyle. In other words, do cardiovascular exercises, do weight training exercises, and eat mostly healthy foods.

5 Diet tips for weight loss and belly fat loss

Here are some diet tips to lose your belly fat successfully:

·Distribute your total daily calorie intake over 5–6 small meals instead of 3 large meals. This helps to keep in check your blood glucose and blood insulin levels – two factors that play a key role in hunger activation as well as in fat storage.

·Make sure that your diet comprises 45–50% calories from non-refined, complex carbohydrates, 30% from high-quality proteins, and no more than 20–25% from healthy fats. This translates to saying no to sodas, commercial bakery/fried items, whole-cream dairy products, red meat, alcohol, etc., and welcoming whole wheat, brown rice, oats, beans, legumes, lentils, soy, nuts, seeds, olive oil, etc., in your diet.

·Eat 6–8 servings of fruits and vegetables, which not only provide the much needed fiber but are also loaded with a variety of micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.

·Drink 8–10 glasses of water – water helps metabolize fat.

·Be done with your last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime.

Combine these with 30 minutes of a cardio exercise 5 times a week, weight training twice a week, and abdominal exercises like pilates, pelvic tilts/lifts and crunches twice/thrice a week, and you would be steering yourself on the way to a flat belly.