- Spare Tire
- Love Handles
- Muffin Top
- Pot Belly
All somewhat comical terms for belly fat. Most people don’t like having that extra flab around their midsections, but we tend to just put up with it. Most of us have tried some diet or bought a video teaching us how to do a perfect crunch. But there is too much conflicting advice out there, and besides, we’ve failed in the past so there’s no guarantee we’ll succeed anyway.
Take heart, there is a truly effective strategy to lose belly fat, but you may have to loosen up some old preconceptions. Please note that in this article I am specifically talking about fat loss as opposed to overall weight loss (fat, muscle & water).
How To Lose Belly Fat – The Guide
The strategy involves both diet and exercise – nothing new there. However, it entails 2 unique ways of going about it.
The Diet – Become a Fat-Burner
Low-carbohydrate nutrition is the most-effective way of shedding pounds of fat from the body.
Why?
Basically, the body burns energy in the following order:
- Carbohydrate (from food and stored glycogen)
- Fat (from food and bodyfat)
- Protein (from food and muscle tissue)
If you eat what most government guidelines recommend you eat, you are a carb-burner. It then becomes obvious that in order to become a fat-burner, you should remove the current primary energy source i.e. carbohydrate.
When you do this, your body takes a few days to flip a ‘metabolic switch’ and become a fat-burning machine. At that point, the fat you eat gets consumed first, and then you start burning away bodyfat as your primary source of energy. Obviously, you don’t therefore consume copious amounts of fat, and you don’t need to go zero carb to benefit. Anything under 100 grams of carbs a day is considered ‘low-carb’, but ideally under 60 grams would produce great results.
On low-fat diets (which by nature are high-carb diets), when your ‘food calories’ are gone, the body will burn a mixture of both fat and muscle tissue (protein). As muscle is ‘metabolically active’ — it burns calories all day long just by being there — losing it is a disaster for the dieter. Their metabolism will continually slow down over time.
This is one of the main reasons why low-fat diets very often produce temporary results: you lose weight for a while, but then it stops working (as your metabolism has crashed) and you pile it back on – and then some!
The Exercise
Loads and loads of cardio, right? Wrong.
Overdoing cardiovascular exercise will also put your body in a state where it breaks down lean muscle tissue (catabolism). So the question is, how do we complement our fat-burning nutritional strategy with fat-burning exercise.
It’s called ‘Interval Training’, or more specifically ‘High Intensity Interval Training’. The idea is to perform some sort of cardio in ‘fits and starts’ i.e. a period of lower intensity followed by a period of higher intensity.
Why?
Research shows that this type of work burns more fat than steady-state cardio, typically by about 50%. In fact, one study showed a 9 fold increase in fat loss for HIIT compared to low-medium intensity cardio.
Also, with respect to belly fat in particular, research has shown (though the reason is not clear at this time) that HIIT can produce more fat loss in this area than other parts of the body. An Australian study found that the HIIT group lost 3 times more fat and significantly more belly fat than the steady-state cardio group who actually exercised for twice as long!
The even better news is that HIIT need only be performed for 10-20 minutes at a time.
Hopefully you can see that these unique approaches to diet and nutrition will work synergistically to produce truly effective fat-loss:
- Get your body to burn fat for energy.
- Then add exercise that will utilize the most fat possible.
There’s obviously more to talk about on this topic, but a single post doesn’t permit me to get into it all. I hope you enjoyed it and if nothing else, you feel inspired to find any weight-loss program that you feel you can work with to bring permanent results.
Looks good.
I was on the “atkins” diet and lost a ton of weight. Problem is when you go off the Low carb (atkins is a ultra low carb at 20g of carbs a day) you will start bouncing back FAST. a lower carb diet means permanent lifestyle change. you can NEVER go back to eating like you used to. you must forever eat under 100-120 grams of carbs a day. That means no more Sugar pop, no more candybar binges, etc….
Lower carb is a good thing, but people really need to look at it as a lifestyle change. you CAN NEVER GO BACK to the sugar binging that the typical American diet is.
Some links for recommended (or example) low-carb diets and HIIT sets would be nice. Right now the advice is just too vague.
He has a blog at http://www.musclehack.com/
For an example low-carb diet on his site:
http://www.musclehack.com/what-to-eat-to-build-muscle-day-1/
Great information here, but like Ralph said, I’d love to see some example low-carb diets and HIT exercises.
Thanks for the comments guys and the support on my first article here.
@timgray, controlling carbohydrate is a lifestyle choice, very true. If you are active though, as I am, you can have carb-up periods without the lipogenic effects (fat-storage). In fact for building muscle, it’s quite beneficial – My own diet plan at my site includes a 36 hour carb-fest :)
@ Ralph and Derek. Thanks guys – There’s post-length restrictions so I tried to fit as much of the fundamental stuff as I could. I stated at the end that I acknowledged that there was more to talk about. Suggestions are certainly welcome, I can cover the outstanding issues here or at my blog (if it’s something very specific).
Thanks again,
Mark McManus
@Mark: Ah, I didn’t realize there was a post-length restriction. Perhaps you could link to some examples in the comments here or at your blog?
This article is very timely, I was just wondering about this very issue today. My workouts are going great, but I still have a small amount of belly fat that is proving difficult to get rid of.
@Mark: In terms of a little more of a specific question:
I’ve been trying to incorporate more HIT, interval training into my aerobic workouts, however I haven’t been very successful mainly b/c I’m not sure what a proper interval workout looks like. I’ll jump on a bike and warm up for a couple of minutes and then for 15 minutes I’ll pedal as fast as I can (with little resistance) for 30 seconds and then drop down to a slow pace for 1 minute. Is this correct?
For running: do I need to do a full on sprint for the high-intensity portion or can I just go from a jog to a run?
Mark is the shit. I have my abs from his workout! Rather had them work and biochemistry in college dont permit good workout schedules = (
This is a great post about something that troubles a lot of people (including me). I’m including it in the Health Links for the Week section of my blog.
@ Derek. I’m not sure if it’s ok to link back to my site here in the comments, so I’ll stay on the safe side. I’m just through publishing an article now, if you go to my home page, the latest article may help you. Also, shoot me an email for further help. In a few days I’ll have my forum up so there’ll be plenty of help at hand.
@Rob. Thanks for the kind comments man, I always appreciate positive feedback. Glad to hear you got your abs ;) That’s what I’m here for.
@ Joseph – Thanks for that. I hope your readers benefit from it.
Mark McManus
If you want HIIT then you need Crossfit in your life:
http://www.crossfit.com
Follow their WOD’s and a clean diet, you will be amazed by the results.
@timgray:
Do not just get 20g of carbs a day! Subtract fiber from the carbs to get the NET carbs. USDA suggests 20-35g of fiber daily, and the average is only 15.
http://www.aboutatkinsdiet.com/atkins_faq_fiber_fruit_net_carb.htm
For best results in anything: research, research, research. Once you find something that you think looks good, search for how it is bad and doesn’t work.
All: I believe Mark’s site is linked in his author’s bio to the right of the post.
Mark: I think we’d all like to see you follow-up this post with one on HIIT, and maybe one on how to pull this kind of diet off.
This won’t work. The idea of including exercise in a ‘lose weight’ diet is totally out dated. A person does exercise to stay fit and NOT to lose weight. If anybody wants to lose weight they need to eat differently. The first bit about Becoming a Fat-Burner is a start but it needs a change in the quantities. People need to learn to eat less and control/train their apetites. That is probably the most effective way of doing it.
A long time ago I lost a lot of weight by switching my eating habits, and doing one mile of intervals every morning. I did some pushups and situps first to get myself warmed up, a few stretches, then I’d dead spring, jog, dead sprint, jog, etc etc.
All in all I lost about 40-50 pounds. Now I’ve regained about 15 of that, so I need to get back into that. It’s easier to do intervals on a treadmill.
@Miguel That’s just silly. I’ve lost a total of 45lbs (230-185) in the last year doing almost exactly this. The 45lbs is misleading though because I’m much stronger and, according to my body fat percentage (from 30% down to 11%), I have lost a lot more fat and put on muscle.
I’ll admit that a clean, somewhat lower calorie diet split up 4-6 meals is more effective than exercise alone, but you can’t just dismiss the exercise portion. I’ve noticed that exercise without paying very close attention to my diet only results in me getting stronger, but no fat loss. Diet without exercise leads to both fat and muscle loss and leaves me tired and cranky.
The following is what I do as a 6ft 29year old male. FYI… my bmr for my size and activity level is 3000 calories.
5 days out of the week my diet around 1569 calories, 192 grams of protein, 21g fat, 173g carbs, and 37g fiber. I eat reasonably 1 day on the weekend and eat anything I want on the other. The calories seem a little low, but that’s because the food is so clean. In fact, I find I’m too stuffed to eat anymore. I do HIIT for 15 minutes 3 days a week and I lift for 30-45 minutes 4 days a week. Of those, I enjoy the lifting/HIIT combo days the most.
I could lose faster by not cheating so much on the weekends, but I feel and look great doing it this way. I’ve reached my goal of getting a 6 pack, but I’m thinking about losing another 5-10lbs and trying for an 8 pack.
@Aaron – Congrats on the success. I prefer an exercise bike for interval training but it’s a personal preference, as long as you get the job done.
@ Dustin. Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll make a note of those for future posts.
Mark
Low carb has been debunked by researchers and doctors. Look around the world- those that eat an extremely high complex carb diet (starches – potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, etc) are routinely thin and healthy. Once we eat a ton of protein and processed carbs, things go batty.
THe problem isn’t carbs, but processed carbs. A coke and a potato are both called carbs, but they are vastly different in how they affect the human body and in nutrient content. (Potatoes even have protein, believe it or not!)
Anyway, I put a website into my comment. I am not affiliated with it at all, just a good link to know of a doctor who has written a lot about this topic.
[...] to an article on Lifehack.org, if you want to get rid of fat (as opposed to general weightloss and fitness), Mark McManus says cutting back on fat in your diet [...]
@ Mark: The entry level Spinervals (Troy Jacobsen) videos are fantastic for newcomers to interval training – have you ever tried them?
Thanks Tim, I’ll check that out. Sounds like something I already do.
@ CJ. Where did the debunking take place? I must have missed it. I could also give examples of cultures around the world who eat a high-fat diet who are thin and have low rates of heart disease. Look at actual scientific studies where low-carb is put up against other low-calorie or low-fat diets. Not only does low-carb produce more fat-loss but improves health markers more too – cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, blood sugar etc.. One of many examples was the year-long Journal of the American Medical Association study – Low-carb out-performed every other diet in every single area. You also might want to look up ‘Good Calories Bad Calories’ by Gary Taubes – possibly the most important nutrition book ever written.
Yes, processed, refined carbs are a big problem but that’s not to say that potatoes (High Glycemic Index) aren’t fattening. It’s down to the individual’s metabolism but both a coke and a potato end up as sugar in your blood. This causes a release in insulin – insulin regulates fat tissue i.e. seeks to store it and prevents it from being used up for energy. This is why even if you are successful on high-carb diets, you had to lose lean muscle tissue in the process. I’m into fat-loss specifically.
A good place to start would be http://www.drmcdougall.com/ – look especially for the free articles and the end bibliographies.
Another place to look is the book “The China Study”. It is the largest, most data-intensive nutritional study ever completed, with vastly more data than any other study ever devised, and it’s chock full of problems with going low carb. It’s also a great example of a serious nutritional expert who had to actually change his viewpoint about protein etc once the data was in.
After those two, you can go specific. For example, you can look at the population studies in which different cultural nutritions are studied. Again, complex carbs win out without any real contest.
And look into the negatives. For example, no matter how much calcium you eat, it can’t overcome high protein intake, as your body uses calcium from your bones to handle the acid (protein = amino ACIDS).
Even the supposedly great middle-eastern diet comes out looking bad … but still better than the USA SAD (Standard American Diet).
Anyway, there is a lot you can look into if you are interested. Adkins, remember, was an obese guy trying to sell a book, and other guys are trying to do the same. Get past those, and look to the actual experts doing larger “real” studies, not “well-my-book” studies.
Cheers!
Question the assumption: How much belly “fat” is actually natural? We’re conditioned via our culture to see our bodies through the lens of youth worship. Turns out there’s a natural shape to our bodies, and it ain’t washboard bellies. Find a great Alexander Technique master and ask her.
Spot training is generally BS.
It’s not losing belly fat, it’s losing fat in general.
I’ll go check the Australian study, but the offset they’re claiming toward belly fat is most likely due to the fat distribution of the subjects.
As for HIIT proof, have a look at Olympic Sprinters. They are both the most muscular and the leanest athletes you will see.
Wow.. is nobody going to ask where that stock photography came from? Stunning.
I am 5 feet 1, 50 years old 107 pounds. Starting about 4 years ago the belly fat began developing. I have always been active, showing horses, working out etc. I quit riding last year but I am currently working out, treadmill and weights like 4 days a week. I am trying to build muscle, since I stopped riding my arms and legs got very skinny, but not my belly!! Help! I need to build muscle, burn fat and lose this belly. Oh my diet is very good, I just need to figure out how to get more protein.
[...] How To Lose Belly Fat – Stepcase Lifehack – [...]
I have been on the Fletcherism diet for 4 months and have lost 41 pounds. I chew eat bite 32 times and eat Lunch and supper only and have a mid afternoon snack about 3 pm and another one at 8:30 at night. Be sure to chew eat bite at least 32 times. You will eat about 20-30 minutes and feel totally full and are eating a lot less calories by eating less food and you feel totally satisfied. Read Horace Fletcher’s book in Google books called: Fletcherism, How I Became Young at Sixty.
[...] How To Lose Belly Fat – Stepcase Lifehack [...]
Great advice on losing belly fat. Low carb certain does work, especially when combined with intensive cardio work and compound weight training.
im an Asian with a small frame… im not fat but my belly fat is disturbing me…i want to follow that low carb diet but i fear that i am going to lose weight if i do that…i dont want to be thinner i just want to lose the belly…what do you think i should do?
Good advice. I’ll try the diet for two months ( the goal is to lose 20 lbs before my birthday ), then I’ll post back saying wether or not it worked. Look for my post around Christmas ’08.
Thanks!
Wow! What a plan. I do appreciate so many web resources for good info. I may even try this myself!
[...] How To Lose Belly Fat – Stepcase Lifehack – [...]
Great HIIT resource:
http://www.hiitsource.com
You are correct about interval training for weight loss.
But you should never eat a low carbohydrate diet.
Yes you will lose weight, but this is an unhealthy way to do it.
When you consume to few carbohydrates some of the protein you eat is converted to fuel for energy and taken away from building and repairing your muscles.
The purpose of weight loss should be to get your self in better physical condition by adding lean muscle. This will lead to burning more calories at rest leading to better fat loss.
And if you want to live a longer and healthier live you must do weight bearing exercises.
Hi there! I came across your site and I actually have a couple myself in a related area that I am working on.
It is: losingbellyfatgude.com
I am contacting you to see if you want to do a link exchange/blogroll with me. As you know linking to related sites increases traffic to your site. If you are interested, please let me know what anchor text and url you’d like me to use, and I can put your link up right away.
Thanks, Rich
You can contact me at richardblack@kramnet.se
I am 44 and just got back to weight training but my results are only semi-productive, my love handles, or possibly just the sg=hape of my body is pear shaped and I’m striving to get the V, will this help
I think it’s important to note that you can’t actually target an area to lose fat in except with lipo, so saying “Lose Belly Fat” is misleading in a sense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training
Great article and nice page layout. A lot of good information on here.
I am 53 years old, a smoker, sometimes drinker and don’t get alot of excersize (my fault I know), but my son is getting married in 3 months, the dress I want to wear requires me to lose belly fat so I won’t look like a fool. What do I do?
I am 57 years old and have been doing walking for exercise. I have several issues. I have shoulder problems, neck problems and a L5 disc problem. What can I do with weights to burn fat. I can’t lift above my head. Help!
Good article and thankfully no gimmicks, just plain old hard work.
I lost 100 pounds by limiting calories and increasing my exercise, not by cutting carbs. In fact, I didn’t (and still don’t) pay much attention to carbs – I think there’s too much hysteria attributed to it these days.
hey… i am actually very thin at 70 kg, but even so i have belly fat. so will this method work for me? At the same time im trying to gain some muscle so losing too much weight will not help me with that.
Pls give some advice on this
ty
Losing belly fat isn’t overly difficult, I mean, all you have to do is exercise a couple times a week and pick the correct foods.
However, it’s consistency that people struggle with – myself included.
I find taking a before picture really helps keep me motivated and I can see the progress I’ve made whenever I want.
Good article.
Great article a lot of good information.
Great info! Thanks a lot! Hope to hear some more!
Why I Cant lose weight
not bad at all. i tried something like this that also worked
http://tinyurl.com/m74qok
Interesting take on fitness. I always like when people think for themselves instead of following the trend.
I like the article and I agree with most of it. I do like Carbs and I don’t think the body will start to use protein as fuel until there are no carb or fats to use.
I hate to see that Acai Berry ad at the end of the article. The news just had a special about how bad of a scam some of those Acai things are.
d
i tried really a lot of things before my mate told me for this site… now i am really happy and suprised… i couldnt believe it but i tried it anyway, now my life changed a bit… i feel great.. Link source
Eating right and consistently exercising is the key. People give up too quickly and don’t ever reach the point of building a habit with their exercise. http://www.burnbellyfatbook.com
I agree with interval training as a great way to burn fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. Circuit training is a good example and also adds a great aerobic element to it while also helping increase muscle endurance.
Hey..
Need some help. I have been going to the gym solid every day for 2 weeks. I weight 210 pounds and i am 23. I am 6ft. I got the gym and do 25 mins on cross trainer and 25 mins on treadmill every day. I also do weights and do 100 reps
But after weighing myself i seem to not have went up or down
I need help!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Antonio
I have heard that low carb diets are really bad for you?
Well, low carb diets are bad for the long run, it is not a diet to stick with. But a low carb diet is a great way to kick start the fat loss. A good way to begin a program but not stick with overtime. Hope this helps
Crunches and situps alone won’t burn body fat. For more information on secrets to a lean body, check out lowerabs.shupeenterprises.com
[...] Lose Belly Fat http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-lose-belly-fat.html [...]
This is great post with lot of info. Thank’s from healthy dieting team.
It’s worth pointing out that in the study cited to show that interval training is “9 times better” than traditional cardio for fat loss, neither group actually lost a significant amount of weight. The regular cardio group lost one pound, while the interval training group lost an average of just 100 grams.
And in the Australia study, the interval training group lost, on average, 2.5 kilograms of fat. The steady-state group actually gained weight.
So the actual amount of fat lost in the interval training group wasn’t all that great — 5.5 pounds over 15 weeks, which works out at just 0.37 pounds of fat loss per week.
This figure doesn’t really grab your attention like “three times greater fat loss.”
http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/8seconds.htm
[...] Take heart, there is a truly effective strategy to lose belly fat, but you may have to loosen up some old preconceptions. Please note that in this article I am [...] [...]
HAY
I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP TRYING TO LOSE THE WEIGHT ITS GOING DOWN A LITTLE BIT.. I 20 YEARS OLD AND IS WAY 232 AND IS TRYING TO GET TO 145 PLEASE HELP ME AND TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR THE SUMMER AS WELL
THAKS (DEJA)
Useful information like this one must be kept and maintained therefore i may put this one on my personal search for list! Thanks for this wonderful publish and hoping to post more of this!
Good post and information, interval training is one of my best ways to train for people wanting weight loss.
Thanks,
Max
I really need an exercise prescription that could help me how to get rid of my excessive belly..i am glad i land to your page. Thanks for the guide, i just have to do this a little step-at-a-time because i am just starting this program.
i am so glad that i saw your page. I use to eat chocolate every week cause it was the only thing that made me relaxed. Now i am enjoying exercise and eating healthy
[...] is one of the main reasons why low-fat diets very often produce temporary results: you lose weight for a while, but then it stops working (as your metabolism has crashed) and you pile it back on – [...]
I agree that cardio only will not gonna work. I personally recommend doing weighted interval full body workout that will train the entire body to build lean muscle that will increase body metabolism and burn calories everyday even when sleeping.
I love interval training! I don’t really lose lbs. when doing it but inches for sure. I’m more toned and feel stronger. If you’re going to work out anyway why waste time doing it wrong.
I can’t hide the fact that I’m one of those who really struggle to burn my belly fats. I’m now suffering on how to lose my belly fats cause my appetite really sucks. I admit that I got a lot of information here. I’m gathering information now.
I got information’s on how to lose lower belly fat, the blog is interesting too. Just like yours. Thank you.
@CJ The China Study isn’t as powerful of a study as the two year study Mark was talking about, because the China Study was just a set of observations. They didn’t perform a controlled study with a control group and establish a cause and effect relationship between a certain diet and health. If people in Switzerland are healthier than us, it might be because of their diet, or it might be because the Swiss Alps draws them to ski more often. It most certainly raised some questions, but now more refined studies need to be performed. One thing that can’t be said is that it established as a fact that low carb diets are unhealthy. They’ve been trying to prove that low carb diets are unhealthy for 30 years, and yet study after study after study has shown improvements in health for the dieters. The last criticism was that all of the studies weren’t long enough. They were saying you had to see what happens to people on the diet after a year. Surely it wasn’t until a year later that we’d begin to see people having the expected high cholesterol levels. Well, now they have a study comparing people on a low-fat diet to people on a low carb diet for 2 years, and the low carb dieters did better on all HEALTH scales than the low fat dieters. Note that they weren’t just comparing people on the average American diet to people on low carb diets. They were comparing people on a low carb diet to people on a diet that most doctors currently recommend, and the low carb diet won.
Great info. Thanks for sharing
Superb… Here is what I was looking for. Thanks for this information.
Yeah, there are no absolute shortcuts when it comes to fat loss. fad diets aren’t that promising either. Burning those unwanted fats are the best solution to tone your body. It’s true that burning fat is the main idea of trimming down that tummy, but be catious and its best to have your personal trainer set out a workout schedule for you. Great article, I also read some parts at http://www.losetummyfats.com. They have similarities as well.
Shannon seems to have researched. I think I’ll try considering interval training to lose these fat belly. I know it doesn’t do as much as other exercises, but I think doing it in a pace you prefer, it’s better right?
Rodney: Well, low carb diets are bad for the long run, it is not a diet to stick with. But a low carb diet is a great way to kick start the fat loss. A good way to begin a program but not stick with overtime. Hope this helps
Is this true? But if you’ll suddenly shift to a hi-carb diet,wouldn’t that be the same way before? If low carbs in our diet would be dangerous to stick around with, what do you think would be the alternatives to help lose these tummy fats?.
I agree with losing belly fat. Losing tummy fats would be hard if peple won’t be consistent with their drive to do so. I hope people would strive to do it, because it’s going to be rough for people not to lose weight and become overloaded with disease that may accompany it.
@ David
im an Asian with a small frame… im not fat but my belly fat is disturbing me…i want to follow that low carb diet but i fear that i am going to lose weight if i do that…i dont want to be thinner i just want to lose the belly…what do you think i should do?
I think you should lessen the carbs, have a good concentration on exercising your midsection, then chunk up on protein to avoid losing the weight. You may want to consult a dietitian for your worries about losing tummy fats.
HAY
I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP TRYING TO LOSE THE WEIGHT ITS GOING DOWN A LITTLE BIT.. I 20 YEARS OLD AND IS WAY 232 AND IS TRYING TO GET TO 145 PLEASE HELP ME AND TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT FOR THE SUMMER AS WELL
THAKS (DEJA)
Well hello there. You’re just in your twenties, get that ass off the couch and start losing tummy fats! Encourage yourself to do an exercise regimen, and discipline yourself along the way. Begin with small steps, before you take on the hurdle. Get my drift? Read around here and you’ll see.
How are you sure 145 is your ideal body weight? First, discover the ideal weight for your height and age, there are lots of Body Mass Index calculators online. This would prevent you from becoming anorexic.
Try to love yourself for who you are!!!! If you love yourself, your efforts would yield greater fruit because you’ll have a positive outlook towards your quest for weight loss and all round fitness. A bonus here is that you will attract other positive people who would encourage and motivate you. Never, Ever, roll with losers!!!! Its contagious.
Try going to the local gym. it helps
For the effective fat loss try this – http://www.theflexbelt.com/ But you should maintain a diet as well)
I saw that site Lilly Lake! Losing fats ain’t easy as learning how to walk or ride a bike. It takes passion for what you do and dedication to your routinary exercise and diet. Nonetheless, people should really practice self-discipline and self-awareness. It’s their choice if they’ll lose it, or keep it.
Yes, In order to lose belly fat you must focus on lowering your overall body fat. Sit ups and crunches have nothing to do with getting rid of your belly fat. If you want to see how I got six pack abs with out doing a single sit up or crunch please feel free to check out my blog at http://www.HowiGotAbs.com
There Really is No Catch. You can download all 4 of these free fat loss gifts below…
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I was able to lose 30lbs using the HCG Diet. Not the injections but the drops. I try to help others via my site. I have over 100 recipes perfect for the HCG diet and you can view other success stories. This diet will take some work on your part. You will need to stick to a strict calorie intake but it is possible. I’m living proof. http://www.hcgplan.net
Thanks. I really could use some of these to lose my belly fat! James, Koowie.com
Great article! Here is another article that gives more info. on losing fat.http://writingbeauties.blogspot.com/2011/04/fitness-fight-ab-flab.html
Good reading I like what you said, it is very true but one of the main things is what we eat too much and have not another activity over the day that is why many get stored belly fat.Many used to work out and can not lose weight as much as if they use right diet. The main problem is what we are eating and how often.So if you eating more calories then you burning you mast simply reduce calory intake. Eat fruits and vegetables during the day and stop fast food eating. Many juces have a lot of sugar you mast stop drinking them too. Start making your self juse drinks by mixing them with water to reduce sugar level. Drink during the day 1,5 l of water. I hope it helps.Thank you author for good article very informative.Ted.
If you are aiming to get six-pack abs within a week, you should maintain a well-balanced diet that is rich in grains, lean meant, protein, oatmeal, vegetables, and nuts. These foods work best in burning your belly fat, thus making it easier for your abdominal muscles to become more prominent. Believe it or not, starving yourself will bear very little use in helping you achieve a toned midsection, so don’t be wary of eating well. Just simply remember to eat the right kinds of food in the right amount. Here is good article to read http://www.getasixpacks.org/how-to-lose-belly-fat/
Thanks great information. I realized from your post and this other website I viewed http://www.lose-lower-belly-fat.com that it takes motivation, and more than just strength training to lose lower belly fat. A combination of a diet, and cardio workout together seems to do a lot to lose the weight in the trouble area most of everyone of us have trouble with. Thanks I look forward to your next post.
Thanks great information. I realized from your post and this other website I viewed http://www.lose-lower-belly-fat.com that it takes motivation, and more than just strength training to lose lower belly fat. A combination of a diet, and cardio workout together seems to do a lot to lose the weight in the trouble area most of everyone of us have trouble with. Thanks I look forward to your next post.
I’m taking meizitang botanical slimming soft gels, lost 5 ponds in the past two weeks.
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Good post on losing belly fat.
Getting the right motivation with mindset along with good nutrition and exercise will for sure get you the results you want.
Cheers
Rich
Lose That Belly Fat Now!
Nice article. The best way to lose belly fat is through proper diet and exercise.
Good reading I like what you said, it is very true but one of the main
things is what we eat too much and have not another activity over the
day that is why many get stored belly fat.Many used to work out and can
not lose weight as much as if they use right diet.
The main problem is
what we are eating and how often.So if you eating more calories then
you burning you mast simply reduce calory intake. Eat fruits and
vegetables during the day and stop fast food eating. Many juces have
a lot of sugar you mast stop drinking them too.
Start making your self
juse drinks by mixing them with water to reduce sugar level. Drink
during the day 1,5 l of water. I hope it helps.Thank you author for good
article very informative.
its hard to take someone serious when their spelling is a tad off! regardless you make some great points susan……kudos to you..
I really need an exercise prescription that could help me how to get rid
of my excessive belly..i am glad i land to your page. Thanks for the
guide, i just have to do this a little step-at-a-time because i am just
starting this program.
how to lose belly fat in 1 week
Great article ever!Love this post
Amazing information!love to read it.It really great and amazing.God bless you
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Among the multitude of belly workouts, this one really makes sense. I do hope I can acquire my desired figure by following this methods. Thanks!
Jane Williams
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I need help loosing the last part of body fat that is right bellow my belly button! I’m 24, am very petite already at 4’11 and weigh 105. I’ve worked out vigurously for the past 2 years which includes 6 days a week (crossfit,hot yoga, spinning, kickboxing, running, and just lifting weights). I my diet includes “paleo” which is what most crossfitters go by. I am desperate I feel like this one spot just wont ever get tight. I don’t understand how many cruches/situps I need to do! Anyone have any new ideas for me????
crossfit=lol
HIIT and eat 500 under maintaince
use a fat burner like clen or EC or DNP
Apart from looking at your diet (this should be strict) i would say that the cardio looks on par. Not sure if you know that your body gets used to the exercise routine you give it? So if you do majority cardio then change it up and make a week or two more resistance/weights workouts. it will ‘shock’ your body. Pilates would be better than crunches/situps. I used to do situps and stuff then changed over to Pilates and it shocked the crap out of me! They use stabilizing moves to reach the deep core muscles. If you keep crunching then you risk bulking your ab muscles that sit on top of the core muscles. Paleo appears good cause it doesn’t cut any good stuff out. Just what all nutritionists say, lean meat and lots of vegetables. Are you drinking 2L of water everyday?
Maybe you can swap some of your veges for ‘negative calorie’ veges? These are veges where it takes more energy to eat and digest them than how many calories they have in them – celery, tomatos, lettuce, cabbage etc.
Apart from looking at your diet (this should be strict) i would say that the cardio looks on par. Not sure if you know that your body gets used to the exercise routine you give it? So if you do majority cardio then change it up and make a week or two more resistance/weights workouts. it will ‘shock’ your body. Pilates would be better than crunches/situps. I used to do situps and stuff then changed over to Pilates and it shocked the crap out of me! They use stabilizing moves to reach the deep core muscles. If you keep crunching then you risk bulking your ab muscles that sit on top of the core muscles. Paleo appears good cause it doesn’t cut any good stuff out. Just what all nutritionists say, lean meat and lots of vegetables. Are you drinking 2L of water everyday?
Maybe you can swap some of your veges for ‘negative calorie’ veges? These are veges where it takes more energy to eat and digest them than how many calories they have in them – celery, tomatos, lettuce, cabbage etc.
Great article, I suggest doing a combination of cardio and strength training.
How
to get rid of a muffin top
Check out this program to help you lose belly fat: http://bit.ly/qQGLC9
Wait a minute! Wait, wait, wait, wait, waaaaaait a goddamn minute! Has everyone gone insane? Everyone keeps saying ‘great article’ like some kind of programmed clockwork. Why? Because it just repeats what you want to believe?
Is there any evidence for any claim she makes? For example when she claims the body burns calories from carbs first and then those from fat, where’s she getting this from?
Same with this High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Is the research really all that conclusive on the claims made? Sorry guys but one study is not enough for me to start believing. If you were to conduct a second study on the same research question, it’s a 50-50 whether it’s going to confirm or disconfirm the first study’s findings so before you all get high on something that just ‘appears’ to make sense, ask if the evidence for it is solid (if there is, in fact, any evidence at all). It’s human nature to state opinions as fact because people have an ego to satisfy and so want to be listened to. But just because someone says something doesn’t make it true. We’ve all had times in our lives when we’ve felt like we’ve been bullshitted.
And bullshit is about 99% of Internet posts….
Go do ur mom fatass!! fuck u bullfuck!!
Hey buddy… FUCK YOU! fuckin shit douchebaggz
bro srs? do you even lift? gtfo of here, you are fat
lrn 2 diet
There are plenty of studies done over what the body burns, in what order and what exercises/intensity do what.
Go look it up. It’s called Google and leads you to a world of information.
HIIT has A LOT of studies done already to see the benefits and downsides to it. The short term goals are real but as you continue HIIT, again your body will get used to its training regimen and the results will weaken. This is the same with anything you do for exercise. HIIT is harder to plateau though because you are working at your best. So as you get fitter your best becomes better, if that makes sense to you. As in you can do more reps in the time frame.
I’m not going to regurgitate the info i have read. I think it’s best for people to find out for themselves. And you will if you are really interested in it.
So Marcus, please go do some research (like i have done) before you come whinge over something you know nothing about.
There was actually a TV program on recently (BBC), where the benefits of “High Intensity Training” (as they called it), were explained, along with what looked like good scientific research. I think they were University Research labs. The research concluded that you could get more out of 3 mins a week of HIT exercise, than a load slow jogging etc. Check out “Horizon: The truth about exercise”, on the BBC website.
Thanks Toby, when I have some time i’ll check it out – i’m always up for new info, even if it proves the opposite of what i’ve learnt!
You’re welcome :)
Exactly ” Appears to make sense”, you see that in any Study no matter in side the USA or outside run the other way.there are specific guidelines that have to be followed to the letter, the danger here with Medical looking Web Pages that conveniently linked to slanted articles backing some snake oil in a bottle. Right Here on USA doorsteps We shouldn’t be afraid to rattle a few cages at acronyms invented overnight
i am dieting and exercising, for about 4 months now. I am not seeing results in my stomach, and im doing ALOT of crunches. its not flabby, but its not toning up either. Im very frustrated. Is it my diet? i do have to say my one vice is eating late at night, but its always a light snack like an apple, or an oatmeal cookie. Is that whats keeping my fat intact???? grrrrrrrrr!!!
E = mc2
What do I
mean by that? Our energy intake is much large than our consumption, so we store
the excess energy intake in our body. As an example the intake of sugars being
refined sugar or natural sugars are excessive. Think about what you eat of
sweats, ice cream or consume of soft drinks, not to forget the amount of sugar which
is added to our foods.
Here is a
quote from waltonfeed.com
“There are
differences between the different sugars. When we eat
sucrose,
our bodies quickly break it down into roughly equal parts of
glucose and
fructose. Glucose is the sugar our bodies use for both
physical
and mental energy. When our bodies sense an increase of
glucose in
the blood, it immediately directs the pancreas to push
insulin
into the blood stream. With the insulin, the body is able to
burn the
glucose as energy. If there’s too much glucose in the blood
stream to
be used as energy, the glucose can be changed to glycogen,
the body’s
short-term storage energy supply. And if the glycogen pool
is already
full, the body will turn it into long term storage in the
form of fat.”
I lost 6.6
pounds in one week refraining from sugars, I had to, because I was diagnosed
with Skin Cancer (read the book Anti Cancer by David Servant-Schreiber) and it
stays of. The problem with the long term
storage mentioned above is that the storage for men is the lower belly and hips
for women.
The morale
is that by considering your food and drink intake, you can lose fat quickly, if
you combine it with exercise, you can have a body of your liking. Remember the
body was build for physical activity not floating in front of a TV J
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting
different results. (Einstein)
The sugar guy http://www.myfatburner.net
carbs are your main energy source so that’s why carbs are burned first. the more lean muscle you have the calories you burn because your body has to work twice as hard to break down protein. what this person said is exactly right.
This is the second article i’ve read mentioned nutrition, nobodys ever noticed how nutrition is important until you mention it and i hope people noticed this.
burn the fat build the muscle
Hi Guys.
Reading this post, I have to say that most of this is true. If you have a look around the internet, there are many articles stating HIIT (High Intensity with breaks) training to be better than LISS (Continuous low intensity) training. Although, it should be stated that a mixture of both these exercises is probably warranted. High Intensity training with short breaks is far more capable of improving fast-twitch muscle fibres in the body, with eventuate into better explosiveness over a short distance. Continuous low intensity training has benefits such as lowering blood pressure, widening the blood vessels, and releasing more endorphins. It all just comes down to how much time you have to train. To put it simply, High intensity is harder but shorter, low intensity is easier but longer, with a slow increase in cardiovascular tension noticed towards the end, as opposed to high intensity’s big demands from the body’s ATP energy system.
Moving on to nutrition, just to state some personal facts. I am a male who is 19 years of age. I am around 6’1, and weight 82 kilograms (180 pounds). My body fat percentage would probably be around the 16-17%, so I am not extremely cut, but i am in good shape, and have good definition. What I find a little confusing on this site is, that people are discussing low-carb vs. high carb diets. I have to agree with CJ who posted a comment earlier. Basically, CJ was explaining the importance of “complex” carbs in the human diet as opposed to “refined” carbs. Complex Carbs including Wholegrains and wholemeals including Brown bread, brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, etc. The bad refined carbs with little nutritional value including white bread, normal pasta, and anything that has been modified really.
Visually speaking, it is not that hard to tell a complex carb from a refined carb, with a complex looking more dark generally, and more natural, as opposed to refined carbs having that lighter, more manufactured look. My point being, Complex Carbs are essential for training and essential for good nutrition. This is also to mention good fats (monounsaturated fats) from avacados and nuts as opposed to saturated fats from such foods as pizza and milk chocolate being the foods we should avoid mostly. Not to forget Vegetables as fruits, but protein should be consumed, as it it very important, but complex carbs and their associated fibre are just as important to a person wanting to follow a healthy lifestyle.
So basically:
HIIT vs. LISS: HIIT is probably more effective when it comes to losing belly fat, but LISS we give you psychological and
anatomical benefits.
The right diet: A mixture of Complex Carbs (Wholemeal bread, oats), monounsaturated fats (Avacado/nuts), Vegetables/fruits (Apples, oranges) and proteins (lean meats, and nuts again).
No need to avoid “Complex” carbs at all, but everything in moderation.
Cheers, Harley.
Hi Guys.
Reading this post, I have to say that most of this is true. If you have a look around the internet, there are many articles stating HIIT (High Intensity with breaks) training to be better than LISS (Continuous low intensity) training. Although, it should be stated that a mixture of both these exercises is probably warranted. High Intensity training with short breaks is far more capable of improving fast-twitch muscle fibres in the body, with eventuate into better explosiveness over a short distance. Continuous low intensity training has benefits such as lowering blood pressure, widening the blood vessels, and releasing more endorphins. It all just comes down to how much time you have to train. To put it simply, High intensity is harder but shorter, low intensity is easier but longer, with a slow increase in cardiovascular tension noticed towards the end, as opposed to high intensity’s big demands from the body’s ATP energy system.
Moving on to nutrition, just to state some personal facts. I am a male who is 19 years of age. I am around 6’1, and weight 82 kilograms (180 pounds). My body fat percentage would probably be around the 16-17%, so I am not extremely cut, but i am in good shape, and have good definition. What I find a little confusing on this site is, that people are discussing low-carb vs. high carb diets. I have to agree with CJ who posted a comment earlier. Basically, CJ was explaining the importance of “complex” carbs in the human diet as opposed to “refined” carbs. Complex Carbs including Wholegrains and wholemeals including Brown bread, brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, etc. The bad refined carbs with little nutritional value including white bread, normal pasta, and anything that has been modified really.
Visually speaking, it is not that hard to tell a complex carb from a refined carb, with a complex looking more dark generally, and more natural, as opposed to refined carbs having that lighter, more manufactured look. My point being, Complex Carbs are essential for training and essential for good nutrition. This is also to mention good fats (monounsaturated fats) from avacados and nuts as opposed to saturated fats from such foods as pizza and milk chocolate being the foods we should avoid mostly. Not to forget Vegetables as fruits, but protein should be consumed, as it it very important, but complex carbs and their associated fibre are just as important to a person wanting to follow a healthy lifestyle.
So basically:
HIIT vs. LISS: HIIT is probably more effective when it comes to losing belly fat, but LISS we give you psychological and
anatomical benefits.
The right diet: A mixture of Complex Carbs (Wholemeal bread, oats), monounsaturated fats (Avacado/nuts), Vegetables/fruits (Apples, oranges) and proteins (lean meats, and nuts again).
No need to avoid “Complex” carbs at all, but everything in moderation.
Cheers, Harley.
Ur mom
Try the spiritual approach. to losing weight. Think as weight loss as ‘releasing weight’ and Love yourself. There are heaps of sites out there with info in the techniques to doing this.
You have to re-train your brain before you can ‘release’ your weight. This way, the weight will just come off in a naturally slow-ish way, a similar way it went on in the first place. Plus you will feel much better about yourself.
Give it some thought…….
Silver Angel
Spread the Love
Smile!!
I’ve noticed that what also helps is drinking a lot of water
Get ur butt of the computer folks and work ur ass off not ur mouths geez!!! Thats yalls first reason for ur love handles haha
ha ha ha get fucked ha ha ha
Marcus66502 talks a lot of sense. The most recent research that I read supported the idea that the type of exercise you do does not matter, it really is just about burning more energy. For unfit people (most overweight people) lower intensity exercise is better. The research that talks about HIIT as the most effective method for fitness and weight loss is a study of athletes, not obese people! Read my review here: http://www.motleyhealth.com/lose-weight/what-is-the-best-exercise-to-help-lose-weight-quickly
Oh, regarding “Overdoing cardiovascular exercise will also put your body in a state where it breaks down lean muscle tissue” – this is only true is you fail to eat properly. Pro athletes do a lot of cardio and maintain a lot of muscle. The key is to consume more sugar after exercise to prevent the body breaking down fat/muscle to obtain a new glycogen source.
Again, the average unfit / overweight person does not have the fitness level require to do “too much” cardio. Thousands of people lose weight and get much fitter and healthier every year from running, swimming, walking, cycling and play sports, all of which are mostly cardio activities.
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im 15 and ive been trying to get more muscle and cut off this weight, im afraid it will take too long before my junior year of high school.. any tips?
This article for me is an example of what you can do and if you are willing to do it. These tips are only here to help us. It’s not wrong to give motivation. Just choose what will really work for you.
This article for me is an example of what you can do and if you are willing to do it. These tips are only here to help us. It’s not wrong to give motivation. Just choose what will really work for you.
dd
You have to do cardio exercise is alot of work!!! but if you try hard enough you will see results!! For more information about Health visit stayfitnutrition website.
Thanks Good Article. and it is work! Thanks author…
Excersices will build muscle. That’s the point. Cardio etc will help
burn calories but unless you’re eating less then you burn in a day the
cardio will just make you fitter not leaner.For more information about Health visit stayfitnutrition website.
80% of it is what you’re putting in your mouth. You have to eat clean! That means no empty calories like soft drinks, sweet tea, etc. Also, stay away from simple carbohydrates (starches). These turn into sugar once it’s digested unless you burn it off! Eat complex carbohydrates like vegetables, grains, nuts.
Eat lean meat (protein)!
Good Luck!
What was written in this blog post was right although exercise is good but sometimes we must consider that we have only one human body and we get tired so take it easy and do it one at a time!
Another potential mechanism for the fat loss that occurs on a low fat diet, such as Weight Watchers, is that total caloric restriction actually does restrict carbs enough to lower insulin levels and allow the body to burn fat. I believe it was Taubes who mentioned that….
The problem, of course, is that you end up hungry all the time, which most who have tried that approach know from experience.
HIIT, or HIT as some people call it, is effective from a growth hormone secretion, insulin sensitivity, and aerobic training perspective. One of the most cited studies is that done by Burgomaster, et al., at McMaster University. But the body of work isn’t limited to just that one study, as Tabata’s oft-cited protocol also led to large increases in aerobic and anaerobic capacity with a relatively small total energy expenditure. Furthermore, you can positively correlate metabolic fitness with one’s risk of developing metabolic dysfunction, the most outwardly visible symptom of which is abdominal adiposity.
Hello Mark Good Point diet is very important factor in weight loss.
http://www.lose-inches-off-waist.blogspot.com/