Getting rid of belly fat can be a really hard work. Even people who are perfectly fit, still find it hard to lose belly fat.
Flat belly has always been a symbol for fitness and sexiness, but even the most physically active people struggle a lot to achieve that.
Belly fat is actually called visceral fat. This is the kind of fat that can be found surrounding your abdominal organs. Your organs are supposed to be protected with a layer of fat, but the excess of that fat, especially belly fat, can be very bad for you.
Losing belly fat is not only about looking good, it is also closely connected to your overall health. The fat that is stored in the mid-section of your body is highly connected to serious diseases, such as: heart diseases, diabetes, cancer and high blood-pressure.
The main factors to blame for your belly fat are your genes, your gender and your age. Genes are responsible for the shape of your body, which is most probably similar to your parents’. The gender is responsible for the reason that women are more likely to store fat than men.
Sorry girls! And the age is a key factor simply because when you’re older, your body stores fat more quickly. The older you get, the slower your metabolism will be and the bigger the chances are for fat storage. These are the factors you can’t choose and affect.
Apart from these obvious reasons, many people agree on the fact that hormones are next to blame when it comes to fat storage. The level of stress, the food you eat and the amount of exercising all together affect your hormones.
Your level of insulin is the number one key factor. The higher your insulin level is, the more likely is the possibility that you store fat instead of burning it. This means that by keeping your insulin level low, you can help in the process of burning fat faster.
If you want to keep your insulin level low, you should avoid carbohydrates. You will have to avoid sugar, pasta, bread and similar products.
Cortisol is the second to blame for your belly fat. High levels of cortisol increase the storage of fat in your belly. However, this can also be avoided if you lower the consumption of carbohydrates.
Like we said, fat storage occurs mostly when you have inappropriate hormonal levels. Apart from insulin and cortisol, you can also contribute to fat storage if you have decreased level of testosterone and decreased HGH (a hormone that helps with fat burning).
Other reasons for your belly fat, may be your sleeping and the stress you deal with every day. Not enough sleep and stressful situations affect your hormones in a bad way. Try to sleep at least 8 hours a day and avoid stress as much as you can. Find less stressful ways to deal with your problems.
When it comes to exercising, unfortunately it is not enough by itself. Exercising can only help combined with maintaining your stress levels, and proper eating habits.
The food you eat is crucial if you wish to lose your belly fat once and for all. There are certain types of food that can harm your flat stomach, and others that can help with the process of losing fat.
– Avoid sugar as much as possible. Drinks with lot of sugar are your enemies. Stop drinking sodas and juices. Cakes, pies and cookies are also your enemies in this battle. Replace white sugar with natural sweeteners like stevia or honey.
– Watch out for hidden sugars. As you can see, the biggest food group you have to avoid are sugary foods. Keep an eye for foods that contain hidden sugar. They don’t have to be sweet. Pasta and many other processed foods contain hidden sugar. Avoid processed foods as much as you can.
– MUFAs – meaning monounsaturated fatty acid (or healthy fats). It is widely known that MUFAs are the key to losing belly fats. This food group includes:
- Almonds:these snacks are healthy. They will satisfy your hunger for a long time and help you build muscles.
- Avocados: the best thing you can eat for a flat stomach. They will regulate your sugar level and by that prevent fat from storing in your belly.
- Olive oil: it is good for your immunity and also lowers cholesterol.
- Nuts: all nuts, especially walnuts can help you lose your belly fat.
- Dark chocolate – chocolate with 70% cocoa will do wonders for your mood. Besides, it is full of antioxidants and MUFAs.
Foods rich in fiber
Foods that are rich in fiber are good for reducing your belly fat. They will keep the hunger away for a long time and they will regulate your sugar levels which is the best prevention for creating belly fat. Oatmeal, for example, is an amazing food you can consume every day without worrying. You can add some nuts and berries in it and enjoy a delicious breakfast!
Lean protein
Protein is good for you because it can help you a lot in the process of burning calories. You also need proteins to build muscles. Proteins need more time and energy to digest. Great sources of protein include turkey meat, tofu or fish. If you choose to eat fish, it is better if you eat salmon or tuna. Both of them are high in Omega-3. Egg whites can also be a good source of protein. Avoid unhealthy sources of protein such as burgers or red meat.
Green vegetables
This is something you can eat in large quantities. Green vegetables are low in calories, but high in fiber. That’s why they will help with belly bloating and keep you full. They also contain lots of vitamins and minerals.
Trans-fats are a big NO! Trans-fats are something you do not combine with losing belly fat. They can be found in margarine, cookies and most of the other crisps. Erase these foods from your grocery list.
Whole-Grains
Try to choose whole-grains food. Search only for 100% whole grains products.
Olives
These can be your choice of healthy snack. They are high in fiber, iron and Vitamin E. They also contain monounsaturated fatty acids and that’s the first thing you want for a flat belly.
Vitamin C
If you are stressed, vitamin C will help you by balancing the cortisol level. You also need this vitamin for producing carnitine. Carnitine is what your body uses in turning fat into energy. Oranges and kiwis are an excellent source of vitamin C.
Berries
All berries are good for you. They are high in vitamins C and B and loaded with antioxidants. Cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries – you choose.
Water
As for everything, water is also good for burning belly fat. The reason why is pretty simple, it helps with every process in our bodies, including burning calories.
Soy milk
Soy milk maintains the sugar levels in your blood. It is also shown that soymilk helps with the balance of hormones in your body.
Eat the whole fruit
When you make a fresh juice, you throw all the skin away, and that’s where the fiber is. Fresh juices are fine, but you want the fibers, not the sugar from a fruit.
Green tea
Especially while exercising, green tea will help you burn many more calories and give you extra energy.
Peanut butter
Natural peanut butter contains unsaturated fats and will keep you full for a longer time. However, be careful not to eat much of it.
Celery!
Celery is always good. No matter what diet are you on, celery is a calorie-negative food. That means that it requires more calories to digest than it contains.
To summarize, we now know that there are different kinds of foods that can help us fulfill our wish for a flat stomach. We have also learned that exercising without eating properly won’t help us. So what we need to do, is combine exercising with all the right foods and make sure that we avoid stressful situations.
The key points to remember are:
AVOID STRESS – stress causes fat storage in your belly! Do positive things and calm down. Go take a walk or go out and relax. It will do good for you and your belly!
EXERCISE – interval exercising can trick your metabolism into burning more calories! Do cardio for 20 minutes and then sprint run for a couple of minutes!
EAT HIGH FIBER and MUFAs– eat foods rich in fiber, protein and monounsaturated fatty acid, and avoid sugary foods, trans-fats, carbohydrates and processed foods.
Flat belly is everyone’s dream. Not only it looks good, but it is important for your health. By getting rid of your stomach fat, you lower your chances of some serious diseases and improve your overall health.Decide to take a step now, and improve your looks and your health!
