How to Lose Belly Fat

What is belly fat?

Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, lies deep inside your abdomen which surrounds your internal organs. The primary reason for belly fat is simple – you eat way too much than you burn.

Why is belly fat so hard to lose?

Belly fat, characterised as the most stubborn to get rid of, requires heaps of effort and commitment to achieve the desired results.

Research shows that although you’ve been exercising regularly and following your diet plan, you may not be able to achieve the desired results.

This article articulates reasons why you may not be able to shed your existing belly fat.

1. Not accountable of your progress

Do you keep track of what goes into your body every single day?
It is imperative to figure out which habits are blocking your path to slim tummy. You may subconsciously consume food or drinks which is slowly sabotaging your dream of attaining slim figure. One simple way to stop this is by keeping a notebook and writing down everything that you eat during a day and then for a week. Keeping a track by writing it down will make you more conscious and aware of what goes into your body and over a period (say 3-4 weeks) you will automatically form a habit to avoid foods that contribute to weight gain.

2. Excess sugar in your diet

Too much sugar in your diet increases the risk of belly fat which in turn causes obesity. Aside from this, eating too much added sugar can have negative effect on your health including diabetes, premature aging, tooth decay and greater risk of heart disease. Processed foods that contain added sugar contributes to health issues and putting on that extra pound.

Simple ways to cut back on added sugar encompass the following:

• Replace sugary drinks with water, green or normal tea and coffee without sugar. It may sound daunting at first but you will get used to beverages without sugar over a period of time. The most difficult time will be the first few days and weeks to switching to no sugar.
• Skipping sweet deserts and replacing with fruits. Deserts such pastries, pies and puddings are loaded with sugar, hence, continuous intake will only leave you feeling lethargic with hike in belly fat. Switching to alternatives like fresh fruits and yogurt will not only reduce sugar consumption but are more nutritious.

3. Wrong gym workout

Being free from belly fat will not simply result from running on tread-mills. A shift will only eventuate from strength training. Strength training such as squats and lunges with weights in addition to 15 minutes cardio exercises such cycling, swimming 2- 3 times per week effectively contracts belly fat.

4. Not enough sleep (7-9 hours)

A new study based on International Journal of Obesity demonstrates the correlation between overweight people and sleep deprivation. We may be on top of our low carb diet and gym exercise, however, staying awake long hours can cause cravings for an extra piece of cake or hot chocolate to keep you going.

Additionally, inadequate sleep leads to tiredness which would tempt you to skip exercises. To note, if this is done once in a while it will not impact weight gain to that extent whilst doing this habitually will have an impact gaining belly fat.