5 Ways To Lose Belly Fat, According To Experts

1. 5 Ways To Lose Belly Fat, According To Experts

3. Washboard abs, a toned tummy and a flat stomach are the dreams for many. While a trim middle can be difficult to achieve without a strict lifestyle and a dose of favorable genetics, there are good reasons to reduce your belly fat—and they have much more to do with your overall health than with the way you look.

4. While it’s not possible to spot-reduce fat on any particular area of your body, there are strategies you can use to reduce your overall body fat and thus your belly fat.

5. 1. Banish Midnight Snacking Who hasn’t found a bowl of cereal to taste better in the wee hours of the night rather than after the sun comes up? Still, it might be better to close your eating window as early in the day as is feasible for you. “Research has shown that eating according to your body clock and natural circadian rhythms helps reduce fat storage,” says registered dietitian Elizabeth Ward, co-author of The Menopause Diet Plan: A Natural Guide to Hormones, Health, and Happiness.

6. “Eating earlier in the day when your body is much better at processing food will help you control your weight. If you skew your calorie intake to later in the day, it’s going to be difficult for you to prevent weight gain.” She explains this is a hormonal response related to insulin, which does a better job of clearing glucose from the blood earlier in the day. Ward’s advice? Shut down any snacking after dinner.

7. 2. Carefully Consider Your Carbs While dietary fat has gotten a bad rap over the years, it’s more likely that carbohydrates are the culprit of a growing waistline. “There’s a general misunderstanding among people who have cholesterol problems that it’s simply through consumption of fat,” says internist Spencer Kroll, M.D., who specializes in cholesterol and lipid diseases in his private medical practice in Marlboro, New Jersey.

8. “The overconsumption of carbohydrates and processed foods are the primary contributors to the accumulation of abdominal fat. I’ve spent years trying to change people’s ideas that it’s not just about ice cream and heavy cuts of meat—it’s really about carb modification.” You don’t necessarily have to follow a low-carb eating style, but it is a good idea to reduce your consumption of simple carbs, such as fruit juice and cookies. Instead, look for carbohydrates that also come with fiber like vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains. Aim to consume at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, recommends Ward.

9. 3. Engage In Cardio And Strength Training Exercise is a key component of weight loss, along with belly fat reduction specifically. A mix of resistance training and aerobic activity will give you the most benefits. Research is still underway about the optimal intensity and duration of exercise, but a good starting point is to follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (think fast walking and mellow bike rides) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (like running and playing basketball) a week, along with at least two days of muscle-strengthening activities.

10. 4. Fill Your Plate With Protein Including lean protein on your plate every time you eat helps you feel full. Aim to consume at least 20 to 30 grams of protein with each meal and 10 grams of protein with each snack, recommends Ward. “People who get enough protein feel very satisfied, and they’re not looking for all the refined carbohydrates—chips, cookies, cake, candies—or foods that have trans fats like the pastries you’d buy at a bakery or French fries,” she says.

11. 5. Prioritize Getting Good Sleep Just as a bad night’s sleep can ruin your whole day, a track record of bad sleep can mess with a lot of other aspects of your life—and one of those might just be belly fat. A study in Sleep found routinely logging less than five hours of sleep a night to be associated with a significant increase in both visceral and subcutaneous fat accumulation among adults younger than 40.