How to Lose Belly Fat: The Ultimate Guide
Men at any age, and women over 50, tend to carry their fat around their middle. While 30% body fat is unhealthy no matter where we’re carrying it, when it all settles around our middle it really sticks out like a sore thumb. It is kind of like our belly has a personal grudge against us and is trying to make us look bad in public.
Losing it is an important goal for many people. Belly fat, also known as visceral or abdominal fat, is that accumulates around the waistline and can lead to weight gain, poor health, and a host of other problems.
But why is it so important to lose it specifically? Learn about Losing Fat vs Losing Weight
Why You Should Work to lose Belly, Body, & Abdominal Fat
One of the main reasons is that it is not just a cosmetic concern. It’s also a sign of an unhealthy balance, and it’s associated with an increased risk of serious health issues, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers.
Too much of it around the abdominal organs is particularly dangerous because it can lead to inflammation and metabolic problems.
The second reason to reduce it is that it can be challenging to lose. Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is stubborn and difficult to get rid of. This makes it especially important to focus on targeted strategies for losing this type.
Fortunately, there are many best ways to lose it. One of the most effective ways is through strength training and physical activity, which can help increase muscle mass and help reduce much of it in the storage.
Trying to lose fat while gaining muscle? Check out our blog How to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat
Apart from that, getting enough aerobic exercise, eating a healthy diet, and making lifestyle changes can all help you lose it.
The Battle of the Bulge
We all want to lose that fat around our middle, and even once we get very lean, that last little bit of it is going to be over our lower abs. I know this because believe it or not, the fitness fanatic that I am, I am constantly fighting to keep my six-pack.
If I don’t exercise almost perfect dietary discipline my six-pack quickly becomes a four-pack. So no matter what your weight or shape, we want to get rid of that.
A Confession
So now I have a confession. I used the title of this article to get your attention. It can’t be done.
It.
Is.
Impossible.
You can’t spot reduction, no matter what you might have heard. Surgery and other medical procedures are the only way to remove it from specific parts of your body, and I strongly recommend you stay away from these methods. They can be highly dangerous.
There is no form of exercise that will do it either. It doesn’t matter how many sit-ups you do, it won’t make one bit of difference to your amount of belly fat.
The Answer – But You Might Not Like It
So what do we do? The only way to reduce it is to reduce our overall body fat. Note that to get rid of it especially to lose lower belly fat, we have to work to get rid of that last layer over our abs.
Since we know that we can’t spot-reduce it, then obviously what we want to do is to reduce our overall as quickly as possible. Starving ourselves is definitely not the answer.
In a previous article, I discussed weight loss vs. fat loss and how losing muscle mass is very, very bad. If you haven’t read that article, I strongly recommend that you do. The information in it is vital to long-term fat loss success.
Starving ourselves is not the answer. This will result in a drastic reduction in muscle mass which is very bad in the long term
Fastest Possible HEALTHY Fat Loss – How To Reduce it Fast?
So how do we reduce it as fast and easy as possible without losing muscle mass? While I’m not a registered nutritionist, so I have to be careful not to tell you what to eat, I can tell you how I did it.
While I’ve never been a competitive bodybuilder, I have done a lot of fitness modeling and I go through the same regimen when training for a photo shoot that bodybuilders do when trying to lose weight and body mass for competition.
There is no athlete out there who knows more about how to shed body fat quickly than bodybuilders, so I simply copy their methods.
Here’s what I do. Please consult your physician before following this regimen. It is difficult and hard on your body. Nothing about this is easy!
3 Months Pre-Shoot – Best Way to Lose Belly Fat
I remove all added sugars and processed foods from my diet. This includes any food products that contain glucose. It’s a good idea to read the labels.
If it has glucose (usually just listed as ‘sugar’), or high fructose corn syrup (really bad!), or any other form of sugar besides natural fructose, the sugar that occurs naturally in fruit and some vegetables such as beets, I don’t eat it!
I also remove all dairy other than small amounts of cheese. Cheese is good for us, but it is very high in calories. In addition, I don’t consume oils other than in very small quantities. For foods that I might ordinarily cook in oil will use cooking spray. Virtually all oils contain 120 calories per tablespoon!
I also stop drinking my calories. This means no fruit juice or milk and certainly no sugary drinks such as soda or non-diet energy drinks. I do drink diet soda, and no, contrary to what you may have been told, artificial sweeteners do not cause cancer.
I do make sure I’m getting proteins with at least 4 of my six meals per day! Remember, your body needs the seven essential amino acids, and can’t make or store them. They only come from the foods we eat.
In addition to all of this, I of course keep up my regular exercise regimen, lifting weights three times per week and doing cardio twice a week.
8 to 6 Weeks Pre Shoot
I start being extra disciplined in eating 5 to 6 small meals per day, rather than only 3. I don’t eat anything after dinner and I exercise to lose belly fat loss for five or six days per week after my last meal of the day using the method described in the article titled ‘The Truth About Weight Loss Exercise‘.
Note that you should always take at least one day off from exercise per week to let your body recover.
What does it take to Lose Belly Fat Fast?
The above two methods give me rapid progress while trying to lose it for good. I am typically able to drop from above 10% to around 7 or even lower in 4 to 6 weeks, depending upon how disciplined I am.
On my body, this equates to losing about 3 – 4 kilos in less than two months, without any reduction in muscle mass. I could lose weight faster, but I would almost certainly lose some muscle along with the fat. Did I mention that losing muscle is bad?
While I do have other things I do in the last week before the shoot, they’re not really relevant, and they can be dangerous if you don’t do them right, so I’m not going to discuss those methods here.
The author at around 5% body fat. This is very difficult to achieve and requires a ridiculously restrictive diet. Keep your goals realistic.
If you follow the same regimen that I do, you will see rapid loss while keeping the muscle. Do consult your physician or health care provider, though, before doing this. I am not a doctor or a certified nutritionist.
This method is very hard on your body and your self-discipline, but if you really want to reduce as quickly as possible and get rid of that fat belly, I guarantee this method works better than any other.
Will Dove
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