Do you want to lose belly fat fast?
If you want to get rid of belly fat, you can. Losing belly fat and keeping it off is doable for everyone, if you know how.
Here’s what you need to understand. If you eat more calories than you body burns, then your body will store those extra calories in our body fat. Your body fat is your body’s rainy day source of energy. If you stop eating, your body will start burning off your fat.
If you’re like most people your body stores fat on around your belly as one of first places to store the body fat. It stores belly fat first because it’s the easiest place for the body to put it.
The other thing you should know is that exercises that target belly fat, like crunches and other abdominal exercises don’t burn belly fat any better than other better exercises.
Think of belly fat like the deep end of the swimming pool. No matter how much you protest, there is no way you can drain the deep end before the shallow end. However, don’t let this discourage you. Lower belly fat will come off, it will simply be the last place to come off. First place on – last place off.
This helps to explain why abdominal exercises have little impact on body fat loss. It’s a huge mistake to think that hundreds or thousands of reps of ab exercises will help you get rid of belly fat, except to the degree that it burns calories and contributes to the calorie deficit. What removes the fat – all over your body – is a calorie deficit and that comes from decreasing food intake, increasing activity, or a combination of both.
If you want to lose belly fat, start in the kitchen, not the gym. Here are Tom Venuto’s (Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat”, the best selling weight lose book) suggestions for a lose belly fat diet.
- Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit of 25-30%, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-15% 1-2 days per week.
- Spread your calories into 5-6 smaller meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Be very conscious of portion size. If you eat too much of anything (even “healthy” food), you can say goodbye to your abs. Period.
- Eat a source of complete, high quality lean protein with each meal (egg whites, lean meat, fish, protein powder, etc.)
- Choose natural, complex carbs such as vegetables, oatmeal, yams, potatoes, beans, brown rice and whole grains. Start with aprox. 50% of your calories from natural carbs and reduce carbs slightly (esp. late in the day) if you are not losing fat. Avoid refined, simple carbs that contain white flour or white sugar.
- Keep total fats low and saturated fats low. Aim for 20% of your total calories from fat (and no more than 30%). A little bit of “good fat” like flax oil, fish fat, nuts & seeds, etc. is better than a no fat diet. Essential fatty acids actually assist the fat burning process.
- Drink plenty of water – a gallon is a good ballpark to shoot for if you are physically active.
If you’re really interested in losing belly fat, then you have probably looked for some magic food or pill that will make the pounds come off. That doesn’t work.
If you really want to lose belly fat then it requires work.
I recommend Burn the Fat for two reasons: It’s simple and it works.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I was really struggling with this. I got my weight down, but could not get those last 5-10 lbs until I read Tom’s book.
Now I have a way to do it that will work.
You’re a life saver.
Mary
Glad to do it. I know how hard it is.