Tag health

Let’s be honest, losing belly fat (also known as visceral fat) is hard to do, but not impossible. But if it’s so difficult, why would anyone even try to get rid of it?

Because having an excess amount of visceral fat – the type of fat found deep in the abdominal cavity – is unhealthy and can lead to a whole host of diseases – many of which can be life-threatening. If you are a women with a waist measurement in excess of 35 inches, or 40 inches for men, you have an increased risk of getting heart disease, a stroke, sleep apnea, bone density loss, insulin resistance (leading to Type 2 diabetes) and some types of cancer.

How to Lose Belly Fat

So what are the secrets to losing belly fat?

Exercise and eating healthy foods.

Lose Belly Fat Through Exercise

There are many products and methods that tout themselves as being the Holy Grail when it comes to losing belly fat, but the fact of the matter is none of them work. Instead put that money into a gym membership. The only way to lose belly fat is to burn more calories than you eat.

Fortunately when you start to lose fat, belly fat is one of the first to go. But to set the record straight, but there isn’t a program that specifically targets belly fat – the body just doesn’t work that way.

Do high intensity cardio-style workouts four times per week. Add in a couple days of strength training per week (with one day off) and you have half of a recipe for losing belly fat and body fat in general. The other half is healthy food choices.

Lose Belly Fat Through Healthy Food Choices

You can only burn off so many calories per week working out. If you make bad food choices, both in the type and amount you eat, you will not create a calorie deficit and lose belly fat.

One tactic in portion control is eating on a smaller plate. This works by tricking the brain into thinking you ate more than you really did. So when it sees your plate empty, it thinks you are full.

The food you eat should be healthy. Focus on eating foods low in saturated fat and calories, but high in protein and fiber, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. These foods keep you fuller longer without adding in a ton of calories.

Avoid sugar. At first it gives you a lot of energy, but your body quickly metabolizes it by dumping insulin (usually too much) in your bloodstream. Once the sugar is gone, you “crash” from low blood sugar. So what do you do? Eat more sugar. This yo-yo effect eventually causes insulin resistance leading to Type 2 diabetes.

So as unglamorous as it is, it comes down to a combination of exercise and healthy food choices as the way to belly fat loss. Eating healthy food prevents you from consuming empty calories that have no nutritional value and exercising burns off calories. If you burn off more calories than you take in, you’ll lose belly fat. It really is that simple, but not easy.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

How to Keep Motivated with Your Belly Fat Loss Plan

With a new year comes new resolutions and if you’re like many people, one of your New Year resolutions could be to start a belly fat loss plan. But statistically, like most people having the same resolution, you have already broken it by now.

The number one reason people fail to keep their resolutions is a lack of motivation. We need something to keep us focused on our goal.

People are motivated by different things. Here is a list of the top 6 things that work to keep your motivation up:

1.) Set Realistic Goals for Your Belly Fat Loss Plan

Goals have to be realistic and attainable for them to keep you motivated. So before you write down your goal, ask yourself if it is doable. If not, you are setting yourself up for failure. It does no good to have a goal of losing 10 inches off your girth in two months – it ain’t gunna happen, it isn’t realistic and it certainly is not attainable.

2.) Keep a Journal of Your Belly Fat Loss Plan

Now that we have a realistic and attainable goal, writing it down and posting it where you can see it keeps you more accountable to yourself than just saying it. Also through journalism, your fears, frustrations and successes flow out through your pen or keyboard.

3.) Monitor Your Progress of Your Belly Fat Loss Plan

To know if you are making progress or not, you have to have a starting point. Measure your waist before you begin your belly fat loss program. Once a week take a reading at the same place on your waist and record the results in your journal. Don’t forget to write something about how you feel with that number.

4.) Pace Yourself on Your Belly Fat Loss Plan

One of two things that help you lose belly fat is exercising, especially cardio training. The other is food and portion choices. But if you have not exercised in a while, doing a high intensity routine for an hour will be counterproductive. You will be so sore for the next couple of days, that you won’t be able to exercise – thus defeating your purpose. Instead, take it slow and work up to an hour workout.

5) Mix Up Your Belly Fat Loss Plan

If you do the same cardio routine day after day after … you’ll soon tire of it. Instead, try new things, like cross training. Or sign up for a Pilates class. Frustrated? Try kickboxing or boxing itself. The point is there are so many different ways to exercise. Keep it fresh by occasionally adding in new things.

6.) Make Smart Food Choice on Your Belly Fat Loss Plan

This is where many people go wrong. Clean out your pantry/refrigerator of temptations. Get rid of the food you should not eat. Instead stock fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tuna and walnuts among other “good” foods so that when you do eat, your have nothing but good things to choose from. Another trick is portion control. Instead of a regular size plate, eat from a smaller plate. The smaller amount of food looks like more, thus tricking your brain to think you are full.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Carbohydrates Play a Big Roll in Belly Fat Levels

Carbohydrates can definitely affect your belly fat levels. Countless studies show that even a slight reduction in the amount of carbohydrate-heavy foods you eat can promote a loss of belly fat. This in turn reduces your risk of contracting type II Diabetes and multiple cancers, and improves your heart health.

The problem is that many low-fat and fat-free diet crazes strip protein alongside fat. Good fats and healthy proteins are then replaced with carbohydrates, waist levels become bigger, and your health plummets.

To fight belly fat, you want to be sure you are cutting back on simple carbohydrates, and not necessarily fat. One significant study showed that test subjects with even a moderate reduction in carbohydrate intake showed an immediate 11% drop in deep abdominal fat, versus 0% loss for those eating a standard diet. And overall body fat loss was 4% greater for the low-carb dieters as well.

Carbohydrates are Essential But They’re Not All the Same

Carbohydrates are definitely essential nutrients that your body and brain require as a source of energy, but they are not all made equal.

The carbohydrates include simple sugars, starches and fiber. And eating too many of any of those carbs can cause a spike in insulin, which increases fat collection in your belly. The problem with simple carbohydrates which are digested and absorbed quickly, like white bread, candy, cookies and sugar, is that they lead to higher rates of belly fat. This is because the arrival of too much glucose in your bloodstream causes higher insulin production to help balance out your blood sugar.

The insulin efficiently spreads out your usable glucose to your many organs and tissues, including muscles, and then stores any extra as body fat. Complex carbohydrates, including fiber, are digested more slowly. Many of the complex glucose bonds are removed as waste with the fiber in these carbohydrates, so belly fat is not generated.

Complex carbohydrates include vegetables, fruits, whole grains and oats. Add these to your diet, and remove sugar, sweets and white bread, and you can have a positive impact on your belly fat.

Lose the Bad Carbohydrates and Keep the Good

Simple carbs affect belly fat negatively, and complex carbohydrates help to cut down on the amount of belly fat you retain. Eliminate baked goods, candies and pastas, while adding lean meats, vegetables, whole grains and good fats like those found in avocados, olives and nuts to your diet. And remember that natural fruit juices are very high in fructose, one of the biggest carbohydrate culprits. Add reasonable exercise to this sensible nutrition plan, and you can limit the effect that your carbohydrate intake has on your belly fat.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Here’s How to Measure Belly Fat

Measuring belly fat starts by wrapping a tape measure around your waist at the point that is just above your hipbone. For many people this is also where their belly button is located.

When you measure belly fat, or any fat for that matter, be sure not to pull the tape tight. You want it to be snug, but not pressing into your skin. Also exhale just before taking your measurement, so that you are not holding in your stomach. Holding in your stomach, pulling the tape too tight, etc. are all little “tricks” people use to make their initial measurement smaller, but they are only kidding themselves?

Yes, their initial number will be smaller, but they won’t see as much of a loss on the tape when the belly fat starts coming off. Get a true measurement in the beginning and then enjoy seeing the measurement shrink instead of lying to yourself in the beginning with a false number. A healthy waist measurement for women is 35 or less; 40 or less for men.

Measure Belly Fat But Don’t Forget Your Butt

Because of body composition, people store body fat in different areas, so to get an even more accurate picture, also take your hip measurement. The measurement is taken using the same “rules” however, have the tape around the widest part of your buttocks instead of your waist.

Once you have those two numbers, divide your waist number by your hip number to get your waist-to-hip ratio. A healthy ratio is 0.8 or less for women and 0.95 or less for men.

The Effects of an Excessive Belly Fat Measurement

So why are we concerned about our waist circumference or the above ratio? Excessive belly fat, called visceral fat, is worse than fat located in other areas as it can lead to many serious diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and liver disease, just to name a few. People with a high waist-to-hip ratio are particularly susceptible to diabetes and heart disease.

Visceral fat settles deep in the abdominal cavity taking up the spaces between internal organs. However once you start burning off fat, it is also one of the first places you will see results.

How to Reduce Your Belly Fat Measurement

Healthy eating and exercise are the best ways to get rid of body fat and to keep from gaining it back. Some of the fat you lose will be from the belly area. Your diet should consist of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, all of which are high in fiber, but low in fat and carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates such as sugar.

Exercise should focus on cardio as those are the preferred routines that burn the most calories for the time invested. Start out at a moderate or even low intensity; as you get more fit, ramp up the intensity.

It is never too late to start and anything you can do to become healthier is better than what you were doing before. Invest in your health by reducing your belly fat measurement!

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Don’t rely on Sit-ups Alone for Reducing that Belly Fat

While many “diet and exercise programs” would lead you to believe you can, the cold hard truth is no, you can’t reduce belly fat by doing sit-ups. Reducing fat in just the abdominal area is touted as spot reducing, but the body does not work that way. The only way to lose belly fat is to reduce the fat from your entire body. In the process, a certain amount of fat lost will come from your abdominal area.

Body fat is your body’s “rainy day account”. During the good times when food is plentiful, we store fat so we have an excess supply to use as energy during the lean times. Unfortunately in many people, the belly is one of the first places fat gets stored.

The Value of Abdominal Exercises to Reduce Belly Fat

As noted, doing sit-ups does no good as far as losing belly fat, but they (and their close cousin crunches) are beneficial at strengthening your abdominal core muscles. And a strong core means better posture and less potential for back problems. A strength training routine performed a couple times a week will greatly improve your abs. You want your “six-pack” to shine through once you lose your belly fat.

We know that to lose a pound of weight per week, you have to burn more calories than you consume – 3,500 to be exact. We also know there are two ways to have a calorie deficit, working out and eating foods lower in calories (or a combination of both which actually works the best).

Working Out to Reduce Belly Fat

To burn the maximum amount of fat, two things have to happen. One, you have to increase your heart rate by performing a warm-up routine so your muscles are getting the maximum amount of oxygen. Two, you have to exercise your body as hard as possible (while monitoring your target heart rate) by doing intense workouts, such as cardio exercises, going on long runs or bicycling a long way.

Eating Fewer Calories to Reduce Belly Fat

Not all calories are created equal. Your focus should be on eating food low in saturated fat and carbohydrates, but high in fiber and protein. Such broad choices include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, seafood, beans and lean meats to name a few. And don’t forget to add in some of the good fats – the poly and monounsaturated fats. These come from olive oil, fatty fish such as tuna and salmon, nuts and avocados.

By lowering your overall body fat percentage, some of your loss will be belly fat. To accomplish the loss, eat healthy and exercise as defined in this article.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Numerous studies have shown that excessive stress is associated with weight gain. Dating back to when our ancestors were wearing animal skins and hunting with spears, when the body encountered a fight or flee situation, it released a series of hormones as a response to the situation.

While our fight or flee situation today may be more related mounting credit card bills or something that happened at work, instead of getting attacked by a wounded Wooly Mammoth, the response by the body is the same.

The Body’s Response to Stress

When your body feels stressed, it releases three hormones – adrenalin, corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and cortisol designed to give us energy needed to deal with the stressor. In most people, the effect of adrenalin and CRH is a short-term decrease in appetite. Cortisol on the other hand lasts longer and is designed to replenish our bodies with food after the stressor has passed.

The problem of today is that dealing with our stress does not involve physically expending calories, however, the effect of cortisol is the same – eat after the fight or flee. So eating becomes the relief from the stress. While that response worked well for our ancestors, it leads to weight gain for us today.

For many people, the food they turn to are simple carbohydrates (aka sugar). The body’s response to sugar (a sugar high) is to release insulin (and usually more than it needs). Because insulin is the hormone that allows those calories to be stored as fat in our cells, and we have more of it in our bloodstream that we need at the time, too much sugar is stored resulting in low blood sugar (the crash). Our body recognizes that it needs more sugar … and the cycle continues.

While initially this is a behavioral response, it can quickly evolve into a learned response, meaning you consciously turn to food in times of excessive stress. So how do you break the effects of stress?

Do These Six Things to Break the Stress Cycle:

1. Exercise – Find an exercise that you enjoy doing. Not only will it burn calories, but it will help control your cortisol level.
2. Eat right – Focus on eating six small meals per day consisting of foods high in fiber, but low in sugar, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.
3. Get enough sleep – Sleep deprivation increases cortisol levels.
4. Relax – Choose an activity that makes you feel relaxed and calm. It will counter the biochemical effects of stress.
5. Avoid caffeine and alcohol – These can also raise cortisol levels and can keep you from getting enough sleep.
6. Take multi-vitamins – Stress can deplete essential vitamins, especially the B and C complexes.

While you may not be able to completely control the stressors in your life, you can control how you react to them. Use the information in this article to take control and avoid stress-related weight gain.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Most of what you read suggests drinking alcohol and losing weight do not go together. For the most part that is true, however when done in moderation, you can drink a little alcohol and still lose weight.

Let’s first tackle the moderation part by defining a “drink”. A drink can be 5 ounces of wine, 1 1/2 ounces of an 80 proof/40% alcoholic drink such as whiskey or vodka, or 12 ounces of beer. Generally speaking each one has about 150 calories. Mixed drinks can have significantly more calories due to the sugary “mix” added to the alcohol.

For women, moderation means one drink per day; men can have up to two per day. Drinking alcohol becomes a problem affecting weight loss when it is not done in moderation.

What Happens When You Drink Alcohol?

Knowing how the body metabolizes alcohol helps explain why excessive drinking sabotages any weight loss plan. First, alcohol is recognized as a toxin in our body, therefore after one drink our liver gives the alcohol priority and it starts to break it down, use it as energy, and get rid of it. After as little as one and a half drinks, your liver has shut down as much as 75% of its fat burning so it can concentrate on breaking down the alcohol.

So not only is your body not burning stored fat while it is breaking down the alcohol, it is not burning the calories from the food eaten while drinking. Drinking in excess diminishes your reasoning ability, which not only leads to eating food while socializing, but eating too much of the wrong type of food – food not good for you, such as high calorie/high saturated fat appetizers or meals.

It is not uncommon for the calories you eat while drinking to equal or exceed the calories consumed from your drinks. Because your body is burning up the alcohol, the calories in food gets stored as fat, plus your body is not metabolizing the store fat it would have otherwise burned had you not been drinking. This is the main reason drinking in excess raises havoc with weight loss – consuming calories in excess and not burning them off.

Health Benefits of Alcohol in Moderation

However when done in moderation, alcohol and weight loss can cohabitate; actually there are some health benefits derived from alcohol, such as a decreased risk of:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Alzheimer’s

It can also improve your immune system, raise your HDL- the “good” cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

As you can see, drinking in moderation can have some positive health benefits and still not derail your weight loss plan. The key is to know where the line is and having the reasoning ability (and will power) to not cross it. By factoring in the calories of your drinks into your daily intake, you can avoid sabotaging your weight loss plan.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Smoothies for Weight Loss and a Flat Belly

Flat belly smoothie recipes which help you lose weight should also make you feel full. This promotes fat burning and overall fitness, and keeps your stomach full of healthy foods instead of making you crave unhealthy snacks.

A peanut butter and banana smoothie blended with nonfat milk, chocolate whey protein powder and a few ice cubes is surprisingly great for weight loss, and tastes outstanding as well.

Keeping with the chocolate theme, you can create a yummy mocha smoothie that is a healthy alternative to sugary and fatty snacks. When you get that sweet tooth craving, combine a few ice cubes with a half cup of low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, one shot of espresso and a couple of teaspoons of cocoa powder. Blend until smooth, and allow this high-energy chocolatey smoothie to contribute to your weight loss by replacing baked goods, candies and other unhealthy, fat producing snacks.

Good and Simple Smoothies for Weight Loss

Watermelon is extremely low in both fat and calories. And when you combine it with lemon sherbet or low-fat vanilla yogurt and some ice cubes, you have an incredibly simple smoothie that fills you up while promoting weight and fat reduction.

For an equally simple weight-loss smoothie, cut up a banana, add a few strawberries and an orange, and slip in some low-fat yogurt or milk. Then blend with a few ice cubes for a unique and flavorful combination that will help you trim your waistline while also quenching any hunger cravings you may have.

Blueberries are commonly referred to by leaders in the health and nutrition industries as the perfect food. Super high in wonderful antioxidants which aid in losing weight, when combined with flaxseed oil, a large banana and apple juice or honey, blueberries form the basis for a great tasting weight-loss smoothie that might become your new favorite breakfast drink.

Combine one half of a large banana with 1/2 tablespoon of flaxseed oil, 1/2 tablespoon of apple juice concentrate or honey, and 1 teaspoon of psyllium seed husks. At 8 ounces of water, 1/3 cup of soy protein and 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries to blend together this healthy, fat burning smoothie.

And from the respected Doctor Oz comes a breakfast drink that the good doctor enjoys himself. Very high in fiber, low in calories and heavy on the vitamins, this green drink powers up your energy and your taste buds while promoting fat and weight loss.

Add 2 cups of spinach with one half a cucumber, one half of a bunch of parsley, and one quarter head of celery. Add 3 carrots and 2 apples, as well as one quarter orange, one quarter lime, one quarter lemon and one quarter pineapple. Blend well for 28 to 30 ounces of a delicious weight-loss smoothie that you can use to start your day in a healthy way.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Belly Enemies: Belly Fat and Belly Bloat

Belly bloat – that distended stomach look that not only makes your belly look bigger than it actually is, but gives you that uncomfortable “full” feeling. For people with celiac disease, or a gluten or lactose intolerance, certain foods can cause them bloating. However if you do not have any of these conditions, then your bloating could be water retention caused by ingesting too much sodium and not enough potassium.

When you eat foods high in salt (sodium chloride) your body tends to retain water. Much of that water can show up in your belly region making you look fat. To cut back on water retention, stay away from processed and fast foods. When you read nutritional labels on a product, if it is high in sodium, look to see if it has a high amount of potassium to offset the sodium.

If salt is not causing your bloating, then these foods could be the cause:

Cruciferous Vegetables Can Cause Belly Bloat

Cabbage, asparagus and broccoli cause gas due to bacteria in the large intestine eating the undigested sugar raffinose from these vegetables. To minimize their effect on bloating, eat them in moderation.

Beans Can Cause Belly Bloat

Gas produced by eating this vegetable is also caused by an indigestible sugar – oligosaccaride. Eat beans in moderation and with easily digestible foods, such as whole grains, rice or quinoa.

High Fiber Fruits Can Cause Belly Bloat

Fresh fruits with high fiber include apples and pears. With about 5 grams of fiber per fruit, they can produce bloating in some people. Peeling them first can help as well as only eating half of a fruit at a time.

Certain Drinks Can Cause Belly Bloating

Bubbly drinks can also cause bloating. Many soft drinks contain carbonation which is released in the stomach as carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles in beer may cause gas in some people.

Controlling Belly Bloat

Certain foods – especially ones high in water content or potassium – are good at either preventing bloating in the first place or helping to reduce it:

• banana – eat one a day to keep your potassium level up and negate the effects of salt.
• watermelon – high in potassium and 92% water, this melon neutralizes the bloating effect of salt and gets things moving in your digestive tract.
• celery – not only does celery have a lot of water in it, it also has chemicals that act as a detox, helping to purge your digestive tract of toxins.

Certain foods cause more bloating in some people than in others. By watching what you eat, and identifying the foods that cause bloating, you can minimize its effects, and if it does happen, know how to counteract its effects.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.

Tone Your Belly with Crunches, Planks and Your Bicycle

Once you have lost your belly fat, it is time to start working on toning muscles around your middle. While there are numerous different exercises that target the belly area, these three are the tried, true and get results:

• Crunches
• Planks
• The Bicycle

The nice thing about these exercises is that none of them require any equipment. However, you can use a yoga or exercise mat to make you more comfortable.

Tone Your Belly with Crunches

Crunches are similar to sit-ups, but not as stressful on the back and neck. To start, lie on your back on the floor (or a mat if you have one) with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor shoulder width apart. Keep your hands across your chest or locked behind your head.

Inhale and lift your head and shoulders by tightening your abs so that your shoulder blades are just off of the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds, exhale and slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position. Do as many crunches as you can right now with an eventual goal of two sets of 10 to 20 crunches per set.

Tone Your Belly with Planks

There are several variations of the plank; the one explained here is the full plank. Start by lying on the floor face down; your forearms, elbows, hands and stomach should touch the floor. Tighten your abs and lift your body off the floor. Only your forearms, elbows and feet should now touch the floor.

While in this position, your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders to your feet; avoid the tendency to raise your buttocks or to arch your back. This defeats the purpose of doing planks.

Hold this pose for 10 to 30 seconds. Relax and slowly drop to the starting position. Work up to the point where you can hold the pose for a full minute. Do as many repetitions as you can.

Tone Your Belly with Your Bicycle

The starting position is to lie on your back with your fingers locked behind your head and legs bent at the knees. Now lift your left shoulder blade off of the floor, twist slightly and bring your right knee up toward your left elbow. At the same time, straighten your left leg. Now switch sides by straightening your right leg, bending your left leg, and bringing the right elbow up to the left knee. Keep alternate sides in a pedaling (bicycling) motion. Strive to complete 8 to 12 repetitions.

While there are several more exercises that target the abdominal muscles, these three will get you well on your way to having 6-pack abs and looking great. Start working your abs today so you’ll be ready to show them off in a bikini or short top this summer.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.