Visceral fat, also known as belly fat, not only affects your appearance adversely but also has many adverse effects on your health. It is highly associated with type 2 diabetes and other heart diseases. When you try to reduce the fat, the whole body tends to lose it instead of specific spots. Hence, reducing belly fat is difficult.
Yet, several ways help you to reduce abdominal fat. If you are looking for some useful tips, here we go:
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Avoid stress
Stress is known to trigger the adrenal glands, which produces the cortisol that is directly related to evoking hunger. Thus you end up eating more under stress leading to fat accumulation to the different parts of the body.
The women who are already struggling with the abdominal fat produce more cortisol due to stress, adding more fat to their midsection. To get rid of abdominal fat, it is essential to get rid of weight first. Engage yourself in some pleasurable activities. Practice meditation and yoga.
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Avoid drinking alcohol
The adverse effects of drinking alcohol are high as compared to the small health benefits it offers. Too much alcohol leads you to gain abdominal fat. Giving it up completely is not the way you should limit your alcohol intake.
The study reveals that the people who have an average of less than one drink per day are likely to have lesser belly fat.
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Sound Sleep
The studies show that the people who do not have a sufficient sleep are more likely to gain weight. It is recommended to sleep for at least 7 hours every night and are less likely to gain weight as compared to the women who sleep less than 5 hours each night.
Insufficient sleep also leads to stress, which triggers the cortisol, a hunger driving hormone. In case, if you feel to have some sleeping disorder, talk to your doctor.
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Focus on eating soluble fiber
The peculiarity of soluble fiber absorbing the water helps in slowing down food digestion. As you remain full for a longer time, you tend to eat less. Ultimately, it helps your body to consume overall lesser calories.
Some of the high soluble fiber foods are:
- Avocados
- Flax Seeds
- Blackberries
- Shirataki Noodles
- Legumes
- Brussels Sprouts
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Avoid the foods with trans fats
When hydrogen is pumped into unsaturated fats, it leads to the creation of trans fat. Soybean oil, margarine, and spreads are some of the foods which contain trans fat. Trans fat is responsible for increased abdominal fat, insulin resistance, inflammation, and heart diseases.
A study suggests that the people eating trans fat are likely to gain abdominal fat more than 33% of those who don’t. It is essential to check the ingredients and labels before buying packaged foods. The products listed with hydrogenated fats must be avoided.
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Include Cardio exercises
Aerobic exercises are a great way to burn calories and cut down fat from the body. Cardio is referred to as an effective exercise for reducing belly fat. A right mix of high and moderate intensity exercise is ideal for reducing body fat
A study reveals that the women who do aerobic exercises for 300 minutes every week are likely to cut more fat than the women who exercise for 150 minutes per week.
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Resistance training
Also known as strength training or weight lifting, resistance training plays a vital role in losing body fat. It helps in gaining muscle mass and inducing belly fat loss. A combination of resistance training and aerobic exercise is proved to be beneficial for teenagers to lose belly fat, according to the research.
However, if you are new to weight training, it is recommended to refer to a professional trainer to avoid any injury.
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Include protein in your meals
Protein is referred to as a building block of your body. Higher intake of protein makes you feel full for a longer time, and you tend to eat less. It helps the body to retain muscle mass and improves metabolism rate. Studies also reveal that a high-protein diet is associated with lower abdominal fat.
Following are some excellent sources of protein which one can include in their diet:
- Fish
- Whey protein
- Meat
- Beans
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Yogurt
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Replace sugary foods with a healthy diet
The fructose present in sugar is related to several chronic health issues, including high blood sugar called diabetes, fatty liver, and obesity. High sugar intake is directly related to increased abdominal fat.
It is recommended to minimize the use of natural sugars like real honey as well to cut down the abdominal fat.
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Say ‘No’ to refined carbs
Restricting the carb intake is highly beneficial to lose fat. It is recommended to include less than 50 carbs per day for the people with excessive weight, women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome, and patients with type 2 Diabetes.
Replace refined carbs with starchy carbs to improve the metabolic rate. People with higher consumption of whole grains are less likely to gain abdominal fat by 17% as compared to the people who eat refined grains.
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Use coconut oil
The medium-chain fatty acids present in coconut oil are known to boost your metabolism. This coconut oil is referred to as the healthiest fat to include in your diet. However, coconut oil is higher in calories. Thus, you should only replace it with the other fats in your diet.
- Include fatty fishes to your diet
The presence of Omega-3 fatty acid and high-quality protein makes the fatty fishes extremely healthy to consume, even when you are on your weight loss journey. Omega-3 fat is also helpful in reducing abdominal fat.
You can aim to include 2-3 fishes every week as follows:
- Mackerel
- Salmon
- Anchovies
- Sardines
- Herring
Conclusion
Losing belly fat is not a short- term phenomenon. It takes considerable time and effort to reduce the overall body fat with the primary focus on belly fat. Eating healthy is the key to stay fit. A good exercise regime helps you to burn more calories than you consume to cut down the body fat.
Author Bio
Hello Readers !! Natalie and Caitlyn Bell are the founders of Healtholine, They started Healtholine to provide a platform where they could share informative articles related to health, fitness, beauty, weight loss etc Natalie is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry. Connect with both sisters to know more.
