Have you wanted to feel healthier lately or feel as if you need to lose belly fat fast? Belly fat is seemingly often the easiest to gain and quite often the most difficult to lose. It can be uncomfortable and frustrating confidence-wise, but is also strongly linked to diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. So let’s go on to learn how to lose belly fat fast and improve our overall health.
Ways to lose belly fat fast
In terms of diet changes, here are 4 tips to lose belly fat fast:
1. Reduce your carb intake
Reducing your carb intake is particularly effective at getting rid of belly fat. Especially if you are a ‘snacker’ drawn to foods like chips, this can be difficult but once you do it, you’ll feel so much better. Turn to snacking on delicious vegetables that still give you that crunch factor, but break that cycle of an unhealthy carb-heavy snack.
2. Avoid added sugar
Many people are addicted to sugar and just don’t know it. Added sugar is extremely unhealthy and is unnecessarily snuck into so many foods and drink items. The more you eat or drink meals with sugar in them, the more your body gets used to, craves and builds a tolerance to sugar consumption. Avoiding added sugar is one of the best ways, if not the best way to lose belly fat fast.
Metabolic health is negatively impacted by added sugar and many studies have shown that excess sugar can lead to increased accumulation of fat in the belly and liver.
To start, consider what aliments you consume that have added sugar. Do you have sugar-sweetened beverages, coffee or tea with some sugar, or sugary snacks? The first thing that should go is the liquid sugar, such as sugary sodas and fruit juices and sugary sodas. Then continue to cut out added sugars from there.
Note: many people think artificial sweeteners are fine, but according to researchers at Yale, they can actually spike insulin levels and trigger real sugar cravings. It was found that artificial sweeteners are linked with an increased risk of abdominal obesity and weight gain.
Note: natural sugar from fruit is acceptable!
3. Eat more fiber
For the carbs that you do consume, make them fiber-rich ones. It is found that fiber is indeed good for our health. According to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, over a five-year time period every 10-gram daily increase in soluble fiber was associated with a 3.7 decrease in visceral fat.
4. Snack on vegetables
Remember all those times your parents tried to get you to eat vegetables? They were worthy efforts! Vegetables are full of water and nutrients, yes, and they also are one of the most effective ways to shed belly fat. In a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, non-starchy veggies as snacks helped kids shed 17% of their visceral fat.
These next tips are lifestyle hacks to lose to belly fat fast.
5. Don't eat after dinner
What you eat is important, but so is when you eat. Be sure to eat a well-balanced dinner so you remain full for the evening.
Late-night snacking is a habit of many people, and can make a significant impact if you cut it out. It is all too easy to reach for a snack before going to bed, but most of the time, these snacks are not of the healthy sort. Even if it is a healthy snack, your body has to focus on digesting what you consume rather than winding down for a day of hard work.
6. Get plenty of exercises
There are so many benefits of exercise, such as reduced inflammation and a longer life span, but it can also really help you lose belly fat.
Numerous studies have shown that aerobic exercise, such as walking and swimming, result in reduced belly fat. So ramp up your cardio exercise and get that movement in.
If you are a beginner, start by walking at least a couple or few days a week. Once you make it a habit and are feeling good, ramp up the amount of time that you are getting movement in. Then you can add in inclines, increase your pace of walking, etc.
Walking (and swimming) is a lot easier on joints than jogging so it is a preferred method of aerobic exercise for many people. Invite a friend to join you and enjoy being outside!
7. Get plenty of quality sleep
When you sleep, your body is in recovery mode.
Though it may sound silly and also more of a welcomed tip, getting plenty of quality sleep is a wonderful and effective way to lose belly fat fast.
Sleep affects every part of your life. You make much better decisions during the day when you have had a good night’s rest. After a night of quality sleep, you are more likely to: get movement in since your body is fully rested, make a healthy meal, and feel better and more motivated overall. You’ll surely see the difference in your waistline.
While there isn’t one magic weight loss tip, finding what works for you and what is realistic is so important in order to lose belly fat. It can be difficult to make new habits, but it will be worth it when you start seeing your waistline slimming down and feeling healthier overall.
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