Exercise will help reduce stomach fat.
A bulging belly or stomach weight can lower your self-confidence. But rather than hide behind baggy clothes, consider ways to reduce belly weight and achieve a slimmer midsection. Weight loss strategies are plentiful. But oftentimes, lifestyle plays a role in stomach weight. And losing the weight calls for modifications.
Stomach Weight and Diet
Diet is a chief factor is weight loss. And if you're trying to reduce your belly weight and slim your midsection, altering your eating habits and patterns are key to success.
Unfortunately, dieting often calls for reducing your intake of favorite foods. But this doesn't mean you have to give up these foods entirely. Moderation is the key. Carefully monitor your eating habits and consider areas that need improvement. On average, how many calories do you consume a day? Do you overindulge in fried foods, unhealthy foods and sweets? If so, it's time to make some changes.
Begin my lowering your daily calories by 500. This can be a matter of simply eating less or cutting out snacking. If your normally consume 2,000 calories, cut back to 1,500 calories. Stick with this plan and you'll shed 1 to 2 lbs. a week and lose weight in your belly.
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (about five servings a day), whole grains, beans, lean meats and low-calorie snacks. Get into a healthy eating routine and you'll continue to shed pounds and keep the weight off.
Reduce Fat With Exercise
You can lose weight with dieting alone. But to get rid of stomach weight and achieve a flat belly, exercise is imperative. You don't have to schedule three or four hour workouts a day. Simply set aside 30 to 60 minutes a day -- or at least three times a week -- and devote this time to physical activity.
Participate in sports, join an aerobics class, go for a jog or walk, or engage in other types of high-impact workouts. Frequent exercise serves a variety of purposes. Not only will you reduce stomach weight, but you'll also improve your health and lower your risk of certain cancers (colon and breast), heart disease, diabetes and fatty liver disease.
In conjunction with aerobic activities, add toning or core exercises. These exercises target the abdomen, and they include sit-ups, leg lifts and side crunches. Other exercises designed to flatten and tone the stomach include Pilates and dances such as belly-dancing, salsa and the samba.
Water and Stomach Weight
Overeating and lack of physical activity aren't the only causes of a bulging belly. In many cases, stomach weight results from fluid or water retention. And getting rid of this extra weight calls for flushing excess fluids from the body.
On a positive note, it's much easier to shed water weight than lose body fat. Diet modifications are necessary, and this usually calls for removing or significantly reducing your carb and sodium intake. Water attaches to carbohydrates and encourages fluid retention, whereas a high-sodium diet dehydrates the body and prompts the storing of water.
Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day can help reverse fluid retention. Also, increase your potassium intake (bananas and apricots). Potassium balances body fluids and helps the body get rid of extra water.
