Lose The Belly Fat

“How do I lose belly fat?” This question is asked constantly and billions of dollars have been spent in purchasing products that will “solve” your spare tire dilemma. But whether you are a man looking to cut that 6-pack, or a woman who just wants to look good in a two piece, it seems as though everyone shares in the dissatisfaction with their midriff. When I think back to all of the late night infomercials I have seen that again, “solve” your belly fat problem, I get a kick out of some of the things I have seen: from girdles to belts that electrocute your abs. Then there are products that you sprinkle on everything you eat to help suppress your appetite before you can finish your 200 calorie meal, lol. Then you get into the downright dangerous things people do such as taking metabolism enhancer pills like they were sweet tarts, or cutting their calorie intake to a quarter of what the brain needs just to function.

First and foremost, we have to address the giant black cloud of a myth that lingers over belly fat loss. Focusing on spot reduction WILL NOT get rid of belly fat. Doing a crap ton of crunches WILL NOT get rid of belly fat. Fat is lost in a pattern that is determined by your genetics, sex and age. Some people carry more fat above the waste line and some carry a lot of weight below the waste line. Its funny when I tell people that I lost 50lbs because they dont believe me! I carried my fat evenly across my entire body, but as far as the order in which the fat came off, just below my belly button was the last thing to go and it was very frustrating. There are so many people out there who will try and sell you the “secret” to losing that belly fat and getting a 6-pack, but today…that “secret” is revealed. In reality guys there is no secret. What it boils down to is a well rounded fitness program like P90X, Insanity, or TurboFire and eating good, clean, nutrient dense foods. But what if you already think you are doing both of these things and you still arent seeing the results you want, then here are some nutrition and exercise tips that will help get rid of that stubborn belly fat.

Nutrition Tips

1) Eat Often: Your metabolism is just like a wood stove, you need to keep it fed if you want to stay warm. If you want your metabolism to generate some heat and be burnin some calories, you have to keep your body fueled. Eating every 2-3 hours has shown to burn almost 300-400 more calories per day than just 3 square meals per day. If you would like something you can see as an example, check out My 1900 Calorie Diet. This is a 7 day example of everything I ate at every single meal.

2) Eat Healthy:  Duh! This is no secret! You have heard me say this before, but “abs are made in the kitchen” and 80% OF YOUR RESULTS WILL COME AS A DIRECT RESULT OF YOUR NUTRITION.  If you continue to eat processed, junky foods packed with artificial ingredients then your results will display exactly that: junk. Earlier I had mentioned eating nutrient dense foods. What is “nutrient dense” mean? It means these foods are whole…unprocessed, nothing has been extracted or added. Here are some great examples:

• Proteins: Lean meats (chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, whey, organic beef)
• Carbs: Complex carbs like oats, brown rice,  black beans, whole grain breads.
• Fats: Look for heart-healthy fats from nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, and avacado.
• Fruits: The cool thing about fruits is that they are seasonal, so your choices change year round!
• Veggies: Eat em!!! Lots of them!!!
• Dairy: Low fat milk, fat-free cottage cheese, fat-free greek yogurt, fat-free cheese, low sodium cheese sticks (great snack)

3) Track Your Nutrition: Here is a video that I created based on the P90X Fat Shredder Plan which is configured with 50% of you calories coming from protein, 30% from carbs, and 20% from fats (50/30/20) This video will show you how to calculate your daily intake needs based on this fat shredder phase which has a foundation of high protein and low carb intakes. This will absolutely kick your metabolism’s butt into gear and get it working for you rather than against you!

 

 

4) Adjust Your Calories: Too many people, far too often think that by going on some sort of 600 calorie per day diet, that their belly fat will simply disappear if they can just tough it out. This causes so much more harm than good. When you do not give your body the neccessary calories it needs to function efficiently, it goes into starvation mode. Because your brain recognizes a lack of nutrients it will actually retain fat in order to prepare your body for a period of starvation. Basically you brain tells your body “oh crap! We are starving! I better hold on to this fat to use for energy later.” Mean while you begin to burn muscle for energy which is completely the opposite of what you want since muscle burns fat. So make sure you are getting enough calories!

Exercise Tips

1) Add Resistance Training: A lot of people think that tons of cardio is the answer to getting rid of belly fat, but actually, muscle burns more fat. This is why I suggest the P90X classic routine to so many people looking to lose weight. The Lean routine is great with lots of cardio, but if you want to burn more calories and thus burn more fat, focus on gaining some muscle mass.

2) Dont Skip Your Workouts: Routine is definitely a huge thing when it comes to seeing your desired results and achieving your goals. During my first round of P90X, I only did about 70-75% of the workouts. If I stayed up too late one night and was too tired the next morning…I skipped my workout. This type of attitude will not get you to where you want to be folks. Get in the game, get fired up, press play, check your excuses at the door and BRING IT! Just like developing good eating habits, you have to develop good exercise habits…the key word being HABIT. You dont think about it, you just do it. I wake up every morning at 5:00am without even thinking that skipping the workout is an option. Routines become habit…Develop your exercise habit.

3) Dont Overwork Your Abs: Tony Horton says it best, “You dont work out your chest everyday. You dont work out your back everyday, you dont need to work your abs everyday!” Lots of people think that doing a billion crunches a day is going to shred their core, but just 3x per week is sufficient. I only do abs 3x per week and I got myself a decent six-pack. My wife tells me its just protein bars lodged in my stomach, lol.

I hope these tips help. I know its a lot to try and remember all at once, but try and keep atleast one of these tips in mind this week and if need be, come back to the article later and refresh your memory banks. But whether guy or gal, these tips will absolutely help you shed the belly fat and see those results you want.

Do you think these tips are easy enough for you to follow? Do you have any tips of your own to share? Let us know by replying to this article below!