Overweight does not necessarily equal unhealthy.
There are actually plenty of overweight people who are in
excellent health.
Conversely,many normal weight people have the metabolic
problems associated with obesity
That’s because the fat under the skin is actually not that
big of a problem (at least not from a health standpoint,it’s more of a cosmetic
problem).
It’s you have a lot of excess fat around your waistline,even
if you’re not very heavy, then you should take some steps to get rid of it.
Belly fat is usually estimated by measuring the
circumference around your waist.This can easily be done at home with a simple
tape measure.
Anything above $0 inches (102 cm) in men and 35 inches (88
cm) in women,is known as abdominal obesity.
There are actually
a few proven strategies that have
been shown to target the fat in the belly area more than other areas of the
body.
Here are 6 evidence-based ways to lose belly fat.
1.DON'T EAT SUGAR AND AVOID SWEETENED DRINKS
Added sugar is very unhealthy.
Studies show that it has uniquely harmful effects on
metabolic health
Sugar is half glucose,half fructose, and fructose can only
be metabolized by the liver in any significant Amount.
When you eat a lot of refined sugar,the liver gets
overloaded with fructose,and is forced to turn it all into fat.
Numerous studies have shown that excess sugar,mostly due to
the large amounts of fructose,can lead to increased accumulation of fat in the
belly
Some believe that tis is the primary mechanism behind
sugar’s harmful effects on health.It increases belly fat and liver fat,which
leads to insulin resistance and a host of metabolic problems
Liquid sugar is even worse in this regard.Liquid calories
don’t get “registered” by the brain in the same way as solid calories, so when
you drink sugar-sweetened beverages, you end up eating more total calories.
Studies show that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a
60% increased risk of obesity in children,per each daily serving.
Make a decision to minimize the amount of sugar in your
diet, and consider completely eliminating sugary drinks.
This includes
sugar-sweetened beverages,fruit juices and various high-sugar sports
drinks.
Keep in mind that none of this applies to whole fruit,which
ar extremely healthy and have plenty of fiber that mitigates the negative
effects of fructose.
The amount of fructose you get from is negligible compared
to what you get from a diet high in refined sugar.
If you want to cut back on refined sugar,then you must start
reading labels.Even foods marketed as health foods can contain huge amounts of
sugar.
EATING MORE PROTEIN IS A GREAT LONG-TERM STRATEGY TO REDUCE BELLY FAT
Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to
losing weight.
It has been shown to reduce cravings by 60%, boost
metabolism by 80-100 calories per day and help you eat up to 441 fewer calories
per day.
If weight loss is your goal,then adding protein is perhaps
the single most effective change you can do to your diet.
Not only will it help you lose,it can also help you avoid
re-gaining weight if you ever decide to abandon your weight loss efforts.
There is also some evidence that protein is particularly
effective against belly fat.
One study showed that the amount and quality of protein
consumed was inversely related to fat in the belly.That is,people who ate more
and better protein had much less belly fat.
Another study in Denmark showed that protein was linked to
significantly reduced risk of belly fat gain over a period of 5 years.
This study also showed that refined carbs and oils were
linked to increased amounts of belly fat,but fruits and vegetables linked to
reduced amounts.
Many of the studies showing protein to be effective had
protein at 25-39% of calories.That’s what you should aim for.
So make an effort to
increase your intake of high-protein foods such as whole
eggs,fish,seafood,lagumes,nuts,meat,dairy products and some whole grains.These
are the best protein sources in the diet.
If you struggle with getting enough protein in your
diet,then a quality protein supplement(like whey protein) is a healthy and
convenient way to boost your total intake.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan,then check out this article
on how to increase your protein intake.
Bonus tip:Consider cooking your foods in coconut oil.Some
studies have shown that mL(about 2 tablespoons) of coconut oil per day reduces
belly fat slightly.
3.CUT CARBS FROM YOUR DIET
Carb restriction is a very effective way to lose fat.
This is supported by numerous studies.When people cut
carbs,their appetite goes down and they lose weight.
Over 20 randomized controlled trials have now shown that
low-carb diets lead to 2-3 times more weight loss than low-fat diets.
This is true even when the low-carb groups are allowed to
eat as much as they want,while the low-fat groups are calorie restricted and
hungry.
Low-carb diets also lead to quick reductions in water
weight,which gives people near instant results.a major difference on the scale
is often seen within a few days.
There are also studies comparing low-carb and low- fat
diets,showing that low-carb diets specifically target the fat in the belly, and
around the organs and liver.
What this means is that a particularly high proportion of
the fat lost on a low-carb diet is the dangerous and disease promoting
abdominal fat.
Just avoiding the refined carbs(white
breads,pastas,etc)should be sufficient,especially if you keep your protein high.
However,if you need to lose weight fast,then consider
dropping your carbs down to 50 grams per day.This will put your body into
ketosis,killing your appetite and making your body start burning primarily fats
for fuel.
Of course,low-carb diets have many other health benefits
besides just weight loss.They can have life-saving effects in type 2 diabetics.
4.EAT FOODS RICH IN FIBER,ESPECIALLY VISCOUS FIBER
Dietary fiber is mostly indigestible plant matter.It is
often claimed that eating plenty of fiber can help with weight loss.
This is true,but it’s important to keep in mind that not all
fiber is created equal.It seems to be mostly the soluble an viscous fibers that
have an effect on your weight.These are fibers that bird water and form a thick
gel that “sits” in the gut.
This gel can dramatically slow the movement of food through
your stomach and small bowel, and slow down the digestion and absorption of
nutrients.The end result is a prolonged feeling of fullness and reduced appetite.
One review study found that an additional 14 grams of fiber
per day were linked to a 10% decrease in calorie intake and weight loss of 2
kg(4.5 lbs) over 4 months.
In one 5-year study,eating 10 grams of soluble fiber per day
was linked to a 3.7% reduction in the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity,but
it had no effect on the amount of fat under the skin.What this implies,is that
soluble fiber may be particulary effective at reducing te harmful belly fat.
The best way to get more fiber is to eat a lot of plant
foods like vegetables and fruit.Legumes are also a good source,as well as some
cereals like oats.
Then you could also try taking fiber supplement like glucomannan.This is one
of the most viscous dietary fibers in existence, and has been shown to cause
weight loss in many studies.
5.EXERCISE IS VERY EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING BELLY FAT
It is among the best things you can do if you want to live a
long,healthy life and avoid disease.
Getting into all of the amazing health benefits of exercise
is beyond the scope of this article,but exercise does appears to be effective
at reducing belly fat.
However ,keep in mind that I’m not talking about abdominal
exercises here.Spot reduction (losing fat in one spot) is not possible, and
doing endless amounts of crunches will not make you lose fat from the belly.
In one study,6 weeks of training just the abdominal muscles
had no measurable effect on waist circumference or the amount of fat in the abdominal
cavity.
That being said,other types of exercise can be very
effective.
Aerobic exercise(like walking,running,swimming,etc) has been
shown to cause major reductions in belly fat in numerous studies.
Another study found that exercise completely prevented
people from re-gaining abdominal fat after weight loss,implying that exercise
is particulary important during weight maintenance.
Exercise also leads to reduced inflammation,blood sugar
levels and all the other metabolic abnormalities that are associated with
central obesity.
6.TRACK YOUR FOODS AND FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT AND HOW MUCH YOU ARE EATING
What you eat is important.pretty much everyone knows this.
However,surprisingly,most people actually don’t have a clue
what they are really eating.
People think the’re eating “high protein”, “low-carb”or
whatever, but tend to drastically over-or underestimate.
I think that for anyone who truly wants to optimize their
diet,tracking things for a while is absolutely essential.
It doesn’t mean you need to weigh and measure everything for
the rest of your life,but doing it every now and then for a few days in a row
can help you realize where you need to make changes.
If you want to boost your protein intake to 25-30% of
calories,as recommended above,just eating
more protein rich foods won’t cut it.You need need to actually measure
and fine tune in order to reach that goal.
Check out these articles here for a calorie calculator and a
list of free online tools and apps to track what you are eating.
I personally do this every few months.I weigh and measure
everything I eat to see what my current diet is looking like.
Then I know exactly where to make adjustments in order to
get closer to my goals.
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