How to Lose Belly Fat With Low Carbs

Body fat isn't just unsightly, but it's also linked to higher rates of heart disease than fat build-up in other parts of the body. Worse yet, fat deposits in the belly tend to increase as people get older, especially for women. However, using what is known about how the body stores and uses the food you eat, you can lose excess belly fat without feeling too hungry. Switching to a low-carb diet helps the body more readily burn fat since the body tends to burn carbs first, then fat, then protein.

Tips For YouEating Low Carb

1. Eliminate the white stuff. There is such a thing as "good" and "bad" carbs and the white stuff, such as sugar and refined flours, are the "bad" ones. These foods don't add any nutritional value to your food and end up adding weight because the increased insulin your body uses to process these foods can cause the body to store the excess as fat. To cut the bad carbs, stop drinking sodas, sweets, and refined (white rice, white pasta) foods. Check labels because many foods have sugar added--some spaghetti sauces have 13 grams of sugar! Choose foods that have no or very small amounts of sugar. If you have a sweet tooth, consider eating goodies sweetened with other sweeteners, such as stevia. You still want to limit how much of these sweet items you eat, but you can at least have a little something so your diet doesn't seem so restrictive that you end up quitting.
2. Choose lean forms of protein. Some low-carb diets suggest you can eat bacon and other high-fat forms of protein, but this isn't healthy either. To get rid of belly fat, you need to burn fat, not eat more of it. Choose lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, beans and low-fat dairy that won't add a lot of extra fat to your diet.
3. Eat more vegetables. While vegetables do have some carbs, they are the good kind, and much of the nutrients and fiber you need for your body to function properly come from vegetables. Focus on eating the dark green leafy types. Avoid those with higher glycemic values such as corn.
4. Eat fruits in moderation. Like vegetables, fruits have lots of vitamins and fiber, but they also contain carbs. Get the most nutritional bang for your buck by sticking to dark berries such as blueberries. Avoid bananas and other high-sugar fruits.
5. Eat complex carbs in moderation. You can eat bread and pasta, but choose whole grain versions (the word "whole" should be on the label. Multigrain doesn't mean whole grain was used). These have complex carbs that add important fiber to your diet and are digested differently than the "bad" carbs.
6. Choose low carb snacks. Almonds, celery with natural peanut butter (read the label as many peanut butters are loaded with sugar), and cheese are great low carb snacks that are also filling and provide important nutrients.