A frequently posed question from people of all backgrounds is "What is the best way to lose abdominal fat? I've tried so many things but nothing has worked."
Simply put if you're not losing your belly fat, you're using the wrong approach. Methods such as infinite sit-ups, starvation, supplementation or even surgery are completely unnecessary.
Below are some of the best ways to lose abdominal fat in a quick and natural manner which you can start doing right now.
Get Stronger
A weight training program built around exercises such as the squat and deadlift is a great way to build and preserve muscle mass which will help in your quest to burn belly fat.
Eat healthily
The old saying "abs are built in the kitchen" holds a lot of truth. If you train hard yet refuel your body with junk food all day long, you will find it very difficult to burn belly fat. Try to eat more whole, unprocessed foods and avoid processed foods where you can.
Good examples of healthy foods include:
• Low glycemic index carbohydrates - Oats, quinoa, brown pasta, brown rice
• Proteins - Eggs, meat, fish
• Healthy fats - Fish oils, olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds
• Vegetables - Broccoli, kale, spinach
• Fruits - Strawberries, blueberries, apples
This doesn't mean that you have to only eat these foods. In fact occasionally indulging in junk food helps fat loss through keeping your hormones sharp. As a guideline for your personal junk food consumption, try to stick to an upper limit of 10%. So if you eat 3 meals a day, that'd work out as 2 junk meals every week.
Be careful with alcohol consumption
In order to burn belly fat, what you drink is just as important as what you eat. Like junk food, the occasional indulgence of alcohol is fine, however if you drink beer on a daily basis, this will seriously hinder your progress for losing abdominal fat.
Excessive alcohol consumption can put a big stress on your liver which has to work overtime to clear the toxins. This will hinder your muscle building capabilities.
Like junk food a good rule of thumb is to drink alcohol 10% of the time. This for example could be a few drinks on a Friday and Saturday night. for the rest of the time your liquid consumption should revolve around water, green tea, rooibos tea if you are serious about losing belly fat.
Eat more
This may surprise you, but eating lots of healthy foods as listed above will not make you fat, especially if you exercise more than twice a week. Eating lots of healthy food is important for 3 reasons:
Food is energy: The human body utilises food for everyday activities, working, weight lifting and digestion. Starving your body of food translates into a lack of energy and may have a negative impact on your life.
Fat loss: Eating the right foods will speed up your fat loss. For example protein is the macronutrient which keeps you satiated for the longest and healthy fats promote fat loss even further.
Listen to your body: if you are hungry then EAT! If you allow yourself to starve, your body will begin to burn muscle for energy and not fat! As a result you may end up skinny and fat! Try not to worry about your calorie intake too much, providing your sticking to healthy foods 90% of the time, you will lose your abdominal fat quickly.