Belly fat is a prime indicator of disease.
You need to lose the excess weight now!
Without doubt, the most common questions we get are how to lose weight faster and how to lose belly fat faster. In previous posts, we have discussed the process of reaching your ideal body weight, but losing that dangerous belly fat is a different story (as well as process.) Essentially, weight gain around the waist, what is called visceral fat, is related to cortisol levels. Stress and diet are the main causes of excessive cortisol secretion, but whatever the reason, the result is that cortisol breaks downs lean muscle (which burn calories most efficiently) and promotes visceral fat storage (which burn slowly) in the abdominal region. This fat promotes insulin surges, which promotes fat storage, and the whole thing becomes a vicious cycle and a recipe for illness. The problem is that you can lose weight in the rest of your body and still struggle with belly fat.
So how do you burn off belly fat fast?
As I said, it's not easy to get rid of abdominal fat. Let it be said at the outset that there is no immediate solution. Here are the fastest healthy methods to maximize your efforts and results:
Sugar is your enemy. Fiber is your friend.
Healthy diet is the lion's share of the challenge. The first thing you must do is cut out sugar. Of all foods consumed, sugar and simple carbohydrates are the worst. As you age, your body naturally starts producing more insulin, so adding sugar through food is only going to make fat storage even more likely. Switch out all high-glycemic foods for low-glycemic. Switch simple carbs for complex. Eat lean proteins, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and drink lots of water. Fiber-rich foods are your highest priority. These foods satiate your hunger and are more slowly absorbed in the body, causing fewer insulin and cortisol spikes. Stay away from white bread, snack foods, chips, cookies, candies, soda, and all these easy foods that lead us astray. Avoid fast foods, and processed foods. Whole foods are the way to go. Eat smaller meals through the day and drink a glass of water before each meal.
Furthermore, believe it or not, fat is not the problem. In fact, you actually need fat to burn up fat. Good fats (unsaturated) like omega-3's, according to a 2012 Swedish study, not only improve your health and increase lean muscle mass, they help keep you feeling full longer. Also, when addressing diet, vitamin C is crucial to energy conversion and utilization in the body (working with carnitine,) so make sure to eat plenty of foods like kale, oranges, berries -- anything rich in C.
Recent Japanese research suggests that taking a tablespoon of vinegar daily decreases body fat, and particularly visceral fat. It is posited that the acetic acid in the vinegar creates proteins that burn up fat. So try it for two months and see if it helps you.
Supplements are actually very useful in this endeavor. We crafted our JUMPSTART EX energy stimulant and APPETITE AWAY fat burning weight loss supplement specifically to address these very concerns. Mild stimulants and thermogenic (fat burning ingredients) work synergistically with the right vitamins, minerals, and actyl-l-carnitine to maximize the bodies ability to produce energy from fat stores. We combined nutrients that are proven to assist in fat utilization, like green tea catechins, which have shown in studies to increase abdominal fat loss from exercise over than those who didn't take them.
Movement is your ally.
Obviously exercise is part of the equation. The best approach is short, intense anaerobic (weights) routines, combined with brisk walking or gentle jogging totalling 12 miles per week or roughly 30 minutes, 6 days a week. Anything more than this causes excessive cortisol production and defeats the purpose. Embrace every kind of movement. Read this post on non-exercise activity thermogenesis for more tips on removing unwanted fat stores.
Here's an example of an ideal weight routine for busting up fat. Choose a move like a squat thrust where you stand straight, squat down, then put your hands on the floor and move your feet back to the push-up position. Do one push up and then straighten up again. Do 10 of these, then pause for 10 seconds, then do 9, pause, do 8, and so on until you get down to 1 rep. This countdown approach has the effect of quickly targeting your core and getting your fat burning ramped up. It doesn't matter the specifics so much as the regularity. Mix up some resistance and some cardio training every day for half an hour to turn your body into a fat burning machine.
Don't forget to sleep well.
In 2008 study, participants who had 6 to 7 hours of sleep per night gained less visceral fat over 5 years compared to those who slept 5 or fewer hours per night or 8 or more hours per night. While there may have been other factors involved, this is clear evidence that sleep impacts fat accumulation. Of course, part of the problem is that if you are poorly rested, you are more likely to snack on the wrong foods, less likely to exercise, and more likely to make unwise decisions as mental clarity is affected (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.) Beyond that, research shows that lack of sleep also causes increased hunger signals in the brain, leading to increased cravings for high-energy, high-carbohydrate foods. So whether you know it or not, the right amount of sleep means a healtheir, leaner diet.
There is no magic shortcut to this endeavor. You simply need to stay disciplined and smart. These methods are not difficult or radical, and with a bit of focus, you can set your body on the healthiest, fastest path to burning off that unsightly, unhealthy fat and losing the unwanted weight that endangers you.
The opinions expressed in this article are of the author. Content and other information presented on the site are not meant to be medical advice or any substitute for professional advice, counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard professional medical or mental health advice from your physician or other qualified health provider.
