Losing Belly Fat - Fact and Fiction

You may not like this, but I'm going to say it anyway.

Somewhere, sometime, you have probably been lied to about the effectiveness of spot-training when it comes to fat loss, and to losing belly fat in particular. If you're currently under the impression that crunches and sit-ups will aid you in losing belly fat, you are a 'victim' of this persistent fabrication.

Unfortunately, losing belly fat (and hip fat, and thigh fat) is not quite that easy.

Crunches, sit-ups, and others like these are resistance exercises. They build the muscle underneath the belly fat, but won't lead to actually losing the belly fat and make that firmer muscle visible. This does not mean that such resistance training is useless; building up the muscle underneath the belly fat helps to boost your metabolism. Losing the belly fat itself, though, requires aerobic exercise.

Because of the mechanics of fat loss, you may eventually begin losing belly fat if you were willing to consistently do crunches for 35 minutes straight, 5 days a week, but otherwise you are better off sticking to less excruciatingly painful aerobic exercise and performing it for 30 - 45 minute periods.

Why? Because the way fat loss works is that:

You can not choose where to reduce the fat on your body. Where the fat burns from first (as a result of exercise) is determined by your genetics. The first place the fat is going to deposit is genetically determined, and it will also be the last place you will lose it. Losing belly fat means you must get involved in exercise, while also exercising your patience.

During exercise the first thing burned for energy is glycogen (carbohydrate stores). Fat begins to burn only after these stores are depleted, which begins roughly 15 - 20 minutes into an aerobic workout of adequate intensity. This is why the process of losing belly fat, or burning fat from anywhere, must include consistent and persistent aerobic activity.

If you're a female, you may notice your particular trouble spots as being in the thighs, hips, and arms. If you're a male, you're most likely having problems in the areas of the belly and the 'love handles' (sides of the waist). Belly fat is very common in males, especially at a certain age, and even if they have quick metabolism and an ectomorph frame.

So, now that you know that doing only 1 type of exercise for 10 minutes a day and eating whatever you like is not going to help you in losing belly fat, are you willing to do what it does take?

If so, losing belly fat can be achieved through:

- A schedule of aerobic exercise at least 3 days a week, in at least 30 minute installments;

- A schedule of weight training at least 2 days a week, in at least 20 minute installments;

- A reduced-calorie diet that includes adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and unsaturated fats;

- Consuming about 15 - 20% fewer calories than you do right now to maintain your present weight;

- Devising a written plan that keeps you from veering off course or losing interest in losing your belly fat altogether like the vast majority do.

Finally, the most important component is the ability to persevere through the frustration that may arise as you find that time (and patience within it) is an essential element to losing belly fat and fat in other stubborn places - the belly and hips being the most common.

The first thing to do is to take at least 1 step immediately to prove your commitment to yourself. Shopping for less fattening foods, getting a gym membership, even buying a notepad to write out specific plans are all good first steps. Procrastination breeds only more procrastination, and losing belly fat is too big a challenge to meet with puny motivation and action.

I learn from the very best - the most successful 'fat-burners' who win the battle over failure and self-hatred to lose all those unwanted pounds of body fat...

What methods do they use to completely change their lives and make themselves happy and healthy beyond their wildest dreams?

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Three Tips to Lose Belly Fat Fast

You're about to learn some easy ways to lose belly fat fast. You probably already know that losing excess belly fat isn't just about looking good. You may not know that you'll also feel better and you'll significantly lower your risk of serious diseases that include heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

Recent scientific research has shown that excess belly fat is more hazardous to your health than fat elsewhere in your body. Lose your belly fat fast, and you'll also lower your health risks.

Are you skeptical that a little beer belly could really be dangerous? Keep reading and you'll find out how.

Your body can store two kinds of fat in the abdomen: visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is under the skin and over the muscle. It gives you a flabby, sagging appearance. Visceral fat is deep inside your belly, among your abdominal organs. It gives you the typical protruding beer belly look. Often people who carry extra belly fat have both types.

Visceral belly fat is the more dangerous one. It produces and releases into your body tissues molecules that can cause inflammation in other parts of your body. These inflammatory processes can attack your heart, your arteries, and other essential systems. That's how visceral belly fat can lead to disease.

So now that you're highly motivated to lose your belly fat fast, what are you going to do about it?

Of course you know the basic prescription: healthy diet and regular exercise. There are many products and programs available that will help a lot with your diet and exercise plan. But don't go searching for one right now, because in a moment you'll learn some lesser-known tips on how to burn up that beer belly. These will really help give you the extra edge in losing your belly fat quickly.

Keep Your Stress Levels Down

When you're frequently in a stressed-out state, your body produces excess amounts of the hormones cortisol, insulin, and adrenaline. Cortisol increases your appetite and signals your body to produce more fat. Insulin signals your body to store that fat, often in the belly. And adrenaline causes even more stress plus difficulty in sleeping.

One of the best ways to control stress is by regular meditation. Most experts recommend 20 minutes per day to begin. Search for "meditation techniques" and you'll find many online resources to teach you how. It's not difficult. Anyone can learn in a few minutes.

Another way to reduce stress is to eat certain specific foods, especially ones that are high in Omega-3 fatty oils. These include most fatty fish (like salmon), olive oil, nuts, and seeds. Don't overindulge, though, because these high-fat foods are also high in calories.

Get Enough Sleep

Most of us suffer from insufficient sleep. Five or six hours per night is not enough for optimum health, and it's certainly not enough when you're trying to lose belly fat fast. People who sleep less than four hours a night have a 70% higher chance of being overweight than those who sleep nine hours.

When you don't get enough sleep, your body's hormones get out of balance. In particular, you don't produce enough leptin, which is the hormone that signals the body when it's had enough to eat. When you don't know you've eaten enough, you tend to keep eating.

For most adults, doctors and scientists recommend eight to nine hours of sleep per night.

Avoid Trans Fats

When you avoid foods with high trans fat content, you'll lose your belly fat faster. It's a simple relationship that recent studies have confirmed.

Trans fat is the hardened form of fat that manufacturers put into processed foods to increase their shelf life. Packaged cookies and crackers have large quantities. So does margarine. Whenever you see the word "hydrogenated" on a food label, it means that the fats have been processed to create trans fat. Don't eat it.

There you have the three tips. Combine these with a great fat loss plan based on diet and exercise, and you'll have a head start on your way to better health and losing belly fat fast.

The author invites you to learn more about fast fat loss plans. You may also wish to read more about how to lose fat quickly and safely.

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Why a Diet Will Not Help You Lose Belly Fat

If you want to know how to lose belly fat fast, you must know how to set up your daily eating plan.

Some people mistakenly think that the less food you eat, the more fat they'll lose. But honestly, if you really want to know how to lose fat fast, that's one of the worst things you can do for your metabolism. Besides being too restrictive to stay on it long term, a starvation diet can slow down your metabolism so much that you can seriously damage your health. In fact, starving yourself is a surefire way to stop all your fat burning results from happening.

Your body relies on food for fuel. Your body needs food for blood sugar, which it uses for energy. When you starve yourself, it starts to sense that you're not going to be getting food soon, so your metabolism will slow down and your body will hold on to stored fat in order to conserve energy. It does this as a defense mechanism in case of future energy needs. Any time your body senses starvation, it will bring all fat burning and calorie burning to a halt, to save energy for future needs. Also, your lean muscle needs more energy to function. And the more lean muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn. If you starve yourself, your body will feed on lean muscle tissue. And when you have less lean muscle tissue, your metabolism won't be as fast and you won't burn as many calories Obviously, if you starve yourself for a long time, you'll lose some weight but it will be mostly lean muscle mass.

It won't be the belly fat you want to lose... so you'll weigh less but you'll still have that belly. That's why one of the worst things you can do to try and lose weight is to starve yourself. If you lose any weight, it will be muscle weight or water weight and as a result, you'll start to look sickly.

If you want to know how to lose stomach fat fast, you must set up your daily eating plan and nutrition so that you're eating often enough to get your metabolism burning calories often. Do this one simple thing and you'll start to lose belly fat in less time.

Besides, any weight you lose from starvation diets will come back. It's just too hard to maintain a lifestyle in which you starve yourself or restrict your calories too much.

Any kind of starvation or super restriction of calories will slow down your metabolism. And it can take months... even years... for it to get back to normal.

As soon as you start eating normal, you'll likely gain back all of the weight you lost, and even worse, you'll probably keep eating because you felt deprived for so long. And because of that, you could gain even more weight than you had before you started your starvation diet. That's why trying to lose stomach fat by starving yourself is truly one of the worst ways to do it. When you go without proper nutrition, your body isn't able to function properly and be as healthy as it is when you eat good, nutritious foods.

It's like trying to run your car on the worst fuel possible. It won't get very far.

Starving your body just to lose some belly fat can result in fatigue, kidney problems, heart failure, and other serious complications.

This is just a few of the health problems starvation diets can cause. It just doesn't seem worth it, to lose a few pounds of belly fat.

What good is it, anyways, to lose some belly fat if you're not healthy. Without a doubt, it's not healthy if you're going to try and starve yourself. You're not going to lose belly fat fast and you'll actually cause more health problems in the process. Worst part is, some of the health problems that can arise from starvation diets can be irreversible. In other words, the damage to your body is permanent and requires lifelong attention.

If you want to know how to lose belly fat fast, just start eating good, nutritious foods more often.

Stay away from sugar, processed foods, and saturated fats. Stick with organic lean proteins and meats and plenty of all natural fruits and veggies. Don't feel that you have to go on a starvation diet just because you want to lose some belly fat. A starvation diet can destroy your health and make belly fat loss even harder to achieve. The healthiest way to lose belly fat fast is to eat good, healthy foods every 3 to 4 hours in the proper portion sizes.

That's why you don't want to overcomplicate things when you're trying to lose belly fat. Losing belly fat in the long run is all about setting up your daily lifestyle so that it supports your efforts... not hurt them. You need to think about losing belly fat, and keeping it off, as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. Lifestyle changes hopefully are permanent, where most diets are short term. If you focus on healthy eating instead of dieting, you'll know how to lose belly fat fast in the long run. Your success won't be short lived like most diets.

Eating a healthy diet will keep your metabolism operating smoothy so you can burn belly fat more efficiently. If your daily nutrition plan lacks the right balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats, your body will not be able to function at it's best. Your diet needs to be nutritious with a proper amount nutrients for your body to handle all the functions and processes it must do each day.

By not eating well, it's going to be tough to lose belly fat at any point, because your body won't have the nutrients it needs to be able to function properly.

You'll want to eat a lot of healthy, whole foods like vegetables, fruits, poultry, lean meats, nuts, legumes, beans, and eggs. If you eat the right foods and stick to proper portion sizes, you can lose stomach fat. Also, if you want to lose some belly fat, start to drink plenty of water. Water helps metabolize stored fat and rids the body of excess fat and toxins.

If you want to be at your healthiest, try to drink at least a gallon of water a day. It will also keep you feeling fuller in between meals, so you're less likely to want to eat.

When you start eating healthy, you'll start to reduce your caloric intake and lose some belly fat.

To kick it up a notch and lose belly fat even faster, start to move your body more by doing exercise. By adding exercise to the mix, you'll speed up your metabolism even more. And when you do, you'll start to lose belly fat at an even faster pace. All you need in order to burn belly fat fast is 20 to 30 minutes of intense exercise, 3 to 4 days a week. By doing intense cardio and eating properly, you'll start to lose belly fat fast. If you haven't exercised in a while, just start by going for a walk. Think small, baby steps and then just try to work your way up to a more intense pace. You don't want to try running 3 miles the very first day if you haven't run in a while. You'll either hurt yourself or feel so bad the next day, you won't want to run again.

Don't try to change your lifestyle overnight by doing too much, too fast. Start by making small changes like drinking more water, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, and going for a walk a few days a week. Once you get used to it, you'll start to feel better and you'll want to do more of these things because you'll be seeing results.

Small changes, if you do them often, can build up like a snowball and create huge changes in the future.

Learn how to lose belly fat. Proven diet tips and meal planning information will show you how to lose stomach fat. Get the diets and exercise to lose belly fat and foods that burn belly fat.

Diets to lose belly fat [http://www.lose-belly-fat-exercises.com]

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5 Steps to Lose Belly Fat-URGENT

Belly fat, which is also referred to as stomach fat, visceral fat, pot belly, and so on, is the kind of fat that is found deeper in the body in comparison to subcutaneous fat, which is located just under the skin. Belly fat is particularly dangerous since it gathers around the organs in the abdomen. Health practitioners are sounding the alarm increasingly as more and more Americans are being diagnosed each day with high levels of cholesterol, diabetes, heart diseases, and so on - all of them linked to belly fat. So, here tend to be some tips on how to lose belly fat.

5 Steps to Lose Belly Fat

1. You Become What You Eat!

Two words - balanced diet. Foods that are high in health proteins and low in carbohydrates, glucose, and saturated weight are the really for losing belly fat. Eggs, fish, lean meats, complex carbs like vegetables, and a variety of natural fruits which are not sweetened or canned are the way to go. These foods will also help in increasing the Thyroid Hormone (T3), which helps in burning fat. Prepare certain to avoid simple, enhanced carbohydrates that contain white sugar or white flour. Consist of healthy weight such as fish fats, seeds and nuts, olive oil, etc. Essential fatty acids are required for process of burning body fat, exclusively belly fat.
A neglected attribute of diet is whole grains. According to a learn that appeared in the United states Journal of Clinical vitamins, a diet rich in whole grain, in which the calorie intake had been controlled, helped subjects of the study to lose belly fat. These participants consumed all whole grains along with three servings of low-fat dairy, five servings of fruits and vegetables, and two servings of lean meat/fish/poultry. The explanation of this phenomenon is that a decrease in refined carbohydrates, and an increase in entire grains causes a change in the glucose and insulin response, which consequently increase the mobility of the fat stores.

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