Franky´s Health And Beauty Kick-Ass Blog: 7 Tips On How To Get Rid Of Lower Belly Fat

Excess belly fat is unsightly and can be hard to get rid of. Beyond aesthetics, though, belly fat is one of the most dangerous kinds of fat, and is associated with a variety of diseases. Read this article to learn how to lose that stubborn belly fat for good.

Reduce your caloric intake. When it comes to losing weight, there is no way to spot-reduce, or only lose weight from one part of the body at a time. If you want to lose belly fat, you will need to lose overall weight by reducing your caloric intake. You can do this in two (ideally both) ways: by reducing your portion sizes and by eating lower-calorie foods.

Your diet should consist of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Limit your intake of sugar, fats, and empty carbohydrates, which provide little in the way of nutrition and tend to be stored as fat in the midsection.

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Beware of added sugars. Many doctors believe that sugar is the main culprit in the obesity epidemic, even more so than fats. Excess sugar causes a rise in insulin, a hormone which causes energy to be stored in fat cells.^[1]
- Get in the habit of reading food labels, and beware of hidden sugars in beverages, breads, cooking sauces, and cereals.
- If you have a sweet tooth, choose healthy options like honey, dark chocolate, dried fruit, and Greek yogurt to satisfy your cravings.
- Remember that the more sugar you eat, the more your body will crave it. While cutting out sugar may be hard at first, it won't be long before your body adjusts and you no longer crave sweets.
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Target stress. Stress causes an increase in cortisol, a hormone that causes the body to store extra fat, particularly in the midsection.^[2] Stress can also cause emotional eating, or eating for comfort rather than out of hunger.
- Eliminate stress-provoking people and things from your life, if possible. You can also reduce the amount of stress and anxiety you feel on a daily basis by better managing your time so that you aren't constantly rushing to meet your deadlines.
- If you struggle with stress, take a few minutes every day to sit down, close your eyes, focus on your breath, and clear your head of all of your thoughts and preoccupations.
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Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated is crucial to maintaining your body's normal functions, but studies have shown that drinking plenty of water can also help you shed pounds faster.^[3] This is partially due to the fact that water helps keep you full so that you eat less.
- Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Drink one to two glasses before each meal to help curb your appetite and make you fuller faster.
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Get aerobic exercise. Cardiovascular exercises burn calories and help speed up your metabolism so that you can lose weight faster. You should get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 days a week. These include jogging, walking briskly, biking, swimming, and hiking, among others.
- Try to find an exercise that you enjoy. If your workouts are fun, then you are far more likely to stick with them.
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Don't skip meals. While it may seem counterintuitive, skipping meals can actually make weight loss harder by slowing down your metabolism. The best way to speed up your metabolism is to eat regularly in small portions. In other words, it is better to eat 6 small meals each day than to eat 2 or 3 very large ones.
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Skip abdominal exercises (for now). Crunches may help build muscle and tone up your midsection, but you won't be able to see any of those muscles if they are buried underneath a layer of fat. Focus on losing fat first, and then add toning exercises later.