How To Lose Belly Fat Fast And Start Feeling Great Today

When it comes to fitness, everywhere you look, you’ll see tips on how to lose belly fat fast.

Lean, ripped abdominal muscles are profiled on every fitness magazine cover.

There always seems to be a story about how to lose belly fat and get ripped abs everywhere you look.

Some stories are for men while others are for women. Some promise to show you how to lose belly fat in 3 months, in a month, in a week or in 3 days.

I’ve even seen some articles promising to show you how to lose it overnight.

And don’t forget the ones telling you about the 32 foods that burn fat that you should be eating right now!

Sheesh.

This makes me believe that loosing belly fat may be the most sought after desire in the world of health and fitness ever.

It makes sense. Defined abdominal muscles look good. They make you feel stronger and capable of more physical accomplishments.

Overall, when your abs are in good shape, you feel better. Who doesn’t want to feel better?

So you want to know how to lose fat and get a stronger midsection?

It can be done. But if you’ve been struggling trying to get rid of your belly fat, here’s some things to help you out.

How To Lose Belly Fat vs. Getting Strong Abs

You can strengthen your abs but never see them. This is because you’re doing things to get stronger abs but not getting rid of the belly fat that covers them.

This is born out of the myth known as spot reduction. If you’re one of those people like me who used to think you could do a ton of crunches, sit ups or plank for hours and your abs would pop, you probably know now that’s not how it works.

Just exercising your gut muscles doesn’t burn off belly fat. Your abs may get stronger, but without doing other things, you’ll still have that fleshy stuff around the middle.

Studies have been done that demonstrate just exercising the abdominal muscles doesn’t reduce the waistline or the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity.

That fat around the waistline, often referred to as subcutaneous fat and the fat deep down and around the abdominal cavity, also known as visceral fat, make up the stuff you want to limit. Both can contribute to the fat you see and leg lifts alone won’t make it go away.

Both types of fat are fine and play valuable roles in the body. However, too much of either can be dangerous.

An accumulation of these fats on the body can lead to a host of complications ranging from fatigue to cardiovascular disease.

I was curious with how to burn off and control the subcutaneous stuff. As it turns out, both kinds can be controlled with similar reduction regimens.

But if you want to have a lean, strong and muscular midsection, there are other things to consider.

Do Genetics Influence Belly Fat?

This is something I wanted to know. I’m interested in reducing belly fat so naturally I wanted to know if it was going to be a crazy uphill fight.

There are definitely some overweight people in my family history so I wanted to know if nature is working against me.

I’m sure many other people want to know about this too.

As you can imagine, there is tons of information out there about this very subject. Sometimes just doing a little research can get exhausting.

So here’s the good news. A considerable amount of current research demonstrates mostly what you eat and not your genes, plays a major role in how your body stores fat.

Now you can stop listening to people who tell you you’ll never see your abs because of family history. You’re probably not listening to them anyway. That’s a great first step. Tell them to go eat a cheeseburger.

The not so good news but still not terrible news is that if you want to know how to lose belly fat it takes some work.

Looking For Something To Eat At Home? Try Food Rich In Protein and Fiber

I realize that diet and how it affects you will vary from person to person. There is no magic recipe for this.

But if you are trying to figure out how to loose belly fat, in all likelihood it begins and to a large extent, resides in your kitchen.

When I first wanted to start trimming down my gut and imagined what my abs might look like, I spoke to my doctor and a nutritionist.

Afterwards, I started doing a little research. Again, tons of information out there but this is the stuff that worked for me.

Fiber Is Particularly Great

The kind of fiber I’m referring to above is this stuff called soluble fiber. I didn’t know what it was either. But it’s a secret ingredient in fat burning.

As it turns out it has tons of great benefits and I was already eating it sort of regularly as far as my breakfast was concerned.

You can find great sources of it in oatmeal and oranges. Great foods you can eat any time of day. Black beans are also a good source. This is good news for my burrito cravings. There’s more. You’ll find them.

The significance of how soluble fiber works in regards to reducing belly fat comes from how it’s digested.

Apparently it binds with water to form a gel during digestion that slows the process down. This means you feel full longer. When you feel full longer, you have less cravings to fill up on munchies. Less cravings means a leaner waistline.

Additionally, fiber prevents the absorption of calories into your body by binding with fat and sugar in your system. Less calories is good for the belly too.

Finally, a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that simply by increasing your intake of fiber to 30 grams a day can help you lose weight and keep it off over time. Are you starting to see that belly flab melt away?

All praise soluble fiber.

When It Comes To Protein, Try Some Fish

Right out of the gate, fish is great because most contain Omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrient that is great for keeping your brain and heart healthy.

Also because it is loaded with protein, it helps keep you feeling full during meal time and prevents you from snacking in between. That should keep your waistline looking healthy.

I was never a big fish fan to begin with but once I started to incorporate it into my diet, it wasn’t bad at all. You can mix it with other things if you find a few good recipes. Next thing you know, it barely tastes like fish (that’s what I tell myself).

Some fish is better than others. I go for wild salmon, light tuna and cod. Why those fish in particular? They are all great for weight loss. One study showed that during a low calorie diet for eight weeks, participants who ate 5 servings of cod per week experienced 3.8 more pounds of weight loss than those who did not.

A study in the International Journal of Obesity showed people who ate 3 five ounce servings of salmon a week for four weeks lost 2.2 more pounds than those consuming the same amount of calories during that time period without fish as part of it.

An additional bonus to eating light tuna, besides the benefits noted above, is that it contains fewer calories than chicken of the same portion size. (BTW, chicken is also a good source of protein but you probably knew that.)

See that. Swimming with the fishes is better for your belly than it was for Luca Brasi.

What? You haven’t seen The Godfather?

Snack On Berries, Nuts and Veggies

Things like raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are great snack choices. They are full of nutrients for the body and are great sources of fiber as well.

This makes them what is referred to in the biz as ‘low energy density’ food. That means they are more food and less calories. You get to eat more good stuff without packing on the calories and you feel fuller longer.

Sound familiar? It should because they are also a good source of fiber. We already know how great that is for the waistline.

I’ll eat berries throughout the day and will often include them with my morning oatmeal or a bowl of yogurt. Blueberries are probably my first choice. That’s just me.

Eating nuts like almonds, pistachios and cashews is really good for you. Despite the fat and calorie content, which make them a great source of energy, a review of numerous studies showed eating nuts regularly was not linked to an increase in weight, body mass index or waist size.

In fact, studies show that including nuts as part of your diet to support a weight loss regimen is a highly beneficial decision.

So go nuts!

Not Too Many Vegetables Right?

I’ve never been much of an “eat your vegetables” kind of person. As a kid, I’d usually look for places around the table to hide them so my mom thought I ate them.

However, veggies are a great source of fiber, minerals and vitamins. That means they also help with the body’s metabolism which will help you burn fat.

My go-to choices in regards to veggies (if I have to) are baby spinach, cucumbers and green beans. I’ll usually just toss them in a salad with something else for a little flavor.

Choosing to snack on berries, nuts and veggies instead of junk food helped me considerably in slimming down the waistline.

I think if you can snack on this stuff instead of the garbage, especially when you’re at home, you’ll take a significant step towards trimming the fat off your belly.

I still enjoy the fun foods once and a while but it’s waaaaay less.

So drop the cookies and grab some fresh berries. I know it’s not the same but you’ll see the difference.

Exercise Is Key When Working On How To Lose Belly Fat

No answer to the question of how to lose belly fat would be complete without exercise.

I really believe that along with healthy eating, exercise is helpful to managing your waistline.

What I learned over the years from my own experience and speaking with others is that you have to keep moving.

You’re not going to see results in 2 weeks, in 10 days or at all without some exercise. Stick with a solid exercise routine and stay committed.

Aerobic Exercise Is A Great Way To Start Moving

Make sure to incorporate aerobic exercise like walking, jumping rope or swimming and running around in the water. These kinds of aerobic exercises have demonstrated major reductions in belly fat.

Jumping Rope

My favorite of the bunch is jumping rope. It’s great because you can do it anywhere. Grab your jump rope and go. Jumping rope allows you to burn 500 calories after about 30 minutes.

If you can’t do 30 minutes, don’t worry about it. The important thing that I picked up about aerobic activities is to maintain the intensity. So do shorter spurts with reasonable intensity.

Personally, I wouldn’t think of jumping rope straight for 30 minutes. That would get a little boring.

Instead I’ll do it for a minute at high intensity and then take a break for 30 seconds to a minute. Then, repeat several times until I’m done.

Sometimes I’ll mix it in with my warm up exercises as well. I’ll do it for 30 seconds, immediately followed by another 30 second exercise and so on until I’ve done ten of them.

Jumping rope is a great workout that gets your heart pumping, your shoulders and calves burning and a great sweat going.

Cycling

Also on my list of favored aerobic exercises is cycling. Over the years I’ve enjoyed it around the neighborhood and also by using a stationary bike.

This is a great activity because it is almost as portable as a jump rope. Especially if you have a bike rack. Most buses today will let you hook your bike up to them.

I prefer the stationary models now more myself but that’s only because we don’t get the greatest weather up here in Canada.

It’s also great because it’s such low impact on your body. Your knees will thank you.

It’s a good burn. After about a half hour you’ll drop about 600 calories and you may not even notice the time go by if you’re out with friends or listening to your favorite music.

High Intensity Interval Training

Finally, when it comes to aerobic activities, you’ll want to consider High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). I touched on it indirectly above.

It’s exactly as it sounds. The thing I love about it is how it cuts down the amount of time you work out so you can spend more time during the day doing other things you enjoy.

Apply it to jumping rope as outlined above. Instead of jumping rope for one minute intervals at reasonable intensity, change it up.

Jump rope for a minute, take a minute break, then another minute, break, but then go for thirty seconds at high intensity. Mix it up as you see fit.

You won’t have to do the exercise for as long and you’ll reap the benefits of increased energy expenditure and resting metabolic rates. Just make sure you give yourself equal time to rest in between intervals.

You can mix HIIT into all different parts of your workout if you’re in a hurry. So get moving! You can watch the game later.

The Weight Training Secret To Losing Fat

Get out the weights and start lifting because strength training burns fat fast like a steam engine. How does this work you may ask?

Well, this is great because in addition to developing a lean midsection, I wanted to build lean muscle throughout my body. This just turns out to be the great secret for fat burning. Everybody should know about this.

And why not? Developing lean muscle means you get stronger. Getting stronger means it’s easy for you to live day to day and inevitably become the envy of all your friends because you don’t make outrageous sounds every time you stand up out of a chair.

So How Does It Work?

So here’s how it works:

The more muscle you have on your frame, the more calories your body burns while resting. This is often referred to as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).

Your BMR is responsible for 60-75% of your daily calorie burn. To break it down further, one pound of muscle burns 7 to 13 calories a day, while a pound of fat doesn’t even burn half as many calories in a day.

What do you want on your body to burn calories, muscle or fat? That’s right. More muscle on your body means you’re burning more fat. You get that muscle from strength training.

Strength training also helps boost your metabolism. But it helps the boost continue even after you’ve finished the workout. In that regard it’s better than cardio alone, where the metabolism boost ends with the end of the workout. Metabolism boosts mean more fat burning. And that makes everybody happy.

For a great deep dive on strength training, check out Staci Ardison’s article over at NerdFitness.com. They’re doing some amazing stuff over there.

Developing muscle is one of the great secrets to burning fat. Combine that with a healthy diet, cardio and naturally, you become a fat burning machine.

So start lifting and pressing. You’re going to start getting a lot leaner!

In Conclusion

There you have it. This is what I’m currently doing to burn off the belly.

I think if you’re able to stick with the suggestions I’ve outlined above, in addition to fat loss you’ll start experiencing some other great benefits like better sleep, stronger focus and just feeling better all around.

Give it a shot and if you hear about any other great ideas for naturally building a healthy, lean midsection and how to lose belly fat fast, let me know about it. Then again, if you’re happy the way you are, keep on keeping on.