There is no magic formula, pill or crash diet that will help you lose your belly fat. Doing a hundred crunches a day won't deflate that spare tire, nor will cutting out all carbs. The way to lose belly fat is the old-fashioned way of losing weight: cut your calories, and eat a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean meats, fish, eggs, poultry and low-fat dairy.
Tips For You
- Clear the kitchen cupboards of all junk food. Start eating whole natural foods. Junk food contains too much sodium, fat, sugar and processed carbohydrates. Once you begin to eat these foods, you will crave more. Throw them away so you are not tempted. Your body needs clean food to run efficiently.
- Start your day with one hour of exercise. Exercise burns calories and fat as well as increases your metabolism. Working out in the morning is a good way to ensure that you do exercise, and it also helps burn stored fat in lieu of consumed calories.
- Cut out the bad carbs. Our bodies need the good carbs, like sweet potatoes, brown rice, vegetables, whole grains and fruit, to run efficiently. Bad carbs, like white, bleached flour products and foods high in sugar, are not nutritious. Carbs are a high energy food, and consuming too much without burning a lot of calories can bump up insulin levels and slow down your metabolism. Carb-loading will cause the body to store energy as fat.
- Avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol can lead to extra inches around the waist. Alcohol calories have zero nutritional value. Calories from alcohol will immediately be stored as fat. Drinking calories is also an easy way to lose track of calories. If you're drinking, remember to drink in moderation.
- Don't get hungry. Your body will go into "starvation mode." This leads to slower metabolism, poor food choices and binge eating. Eat small healthy meals and snacks throughout the day to avoid falling into this trap.
