Belly fat is always a nightmare for many people, not only because it affects appearance but also because it poses many health risks such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure. Removing stubborn fat around the waist seems difficult, but if you persevere with healthy habits, you can completely improve your figure and strengthen your health from the inside.
Reducing belly fat does not necessarily have to rely on drugs or harsh methods. In fact, just focus on a balanced diet, maintain exercise and change your lifestyle in a positive direction, your body will gradually adapt and naturally burn excess fat.
How to reduce belly fat naturally?
Here are 12 ways to reduce belly fat naturally, safely and effectively:
1. Eat healthy
There is a famous saying: abs are a pre-built kitchen. You have to work hard and build toned abs, but if you start snacking all day, you won’t lose belly fat. So, make a vow to stop eating processed foods and eat only healthy foods, and build healthy eating habits, such as eating whole, unprocessed foods.
- Vegetables: Broccoli, kale, spinach, carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and Swiss chard.
- Fruits: Blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, kiwi, mango, papaya, cherries, and raspberries.
- Protein: Salmon, chicken breast, turkey, eggs, tofu, beans, and lean beef.
- Fats: Avocado, fish oil, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and coconut oil.
- Carbohydrates: Quinoa, brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, barley, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat pasta.
- Dairy and alternatives: Greek yogurt, almond milk, cottage cheese, feta cheese, and soy milk.
2. Limit alcohol
If you want to lose belly fat, remember that drinks are more important than food. If you don’t drink alcohol regularly, that’s fine, but if you do, forget about losing belly fat. Heavy alcohol consumption is significantly associated with a higher risk of central obesity, which is excess fat accumulation around the waist.
3. Eat fewer carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are consumed for energy. The main problem is that many people eat more carbohydrates than their body needs. Your body will start storing carbohydrates if it doesn’t need as much fat. And this is often the reason why you gain belly fat. Reducing your carbohydrate intake will help improve body composition and reduce fat mass. Low-carbohydrate diets help reduce fat mass, especially in the abdominal area.
4. Don’t skip meals
Eating healthy will not cause obesity, especially if you exercise 2-3 times a week. If you starve yourself, it will be a mistake, because then your body will burn muscle for energy instead of fat. Therefore, try to apply a diet to reduce belly fat, eat foods that burn belly fat and do exercises to reduce belly fat. Skipping meals or suddenly reducing your calorie intake can slow down your metabolism. This further increases your body’s dependence on muscle mass for energy. Intermittent fasting or skipping meals leads to muscle loss, slowing down your metabolism. In the process, losing fat in the long run will become more difficult.
5. Increase your protein intake
Protein creates a higher thermic effect than other foods. Your body will start to burn more energy when processing protein than when processing carbohydrates and fats. Therefore, a high-protein diet is very effective, especially in burning belly fat. The ten cheapest proteins include milk, sardines, cottage cheese, eggs, dried lentils, whole almonds, quinoa, and dried chickpeas.
6. Eat Healthy Fats
When you eat fat, you don’t gain weight; instead, it helps you lose fat. People who are constantly concerned about how to lose fat fast for women or how to lose belly fat in a week often think this way. Lack of exercise and poor nutrition will make you fat. Your body will stop storing fat when you regularly supplement it with healthy fats.
7. Stay motivated
When you look in the mirror, it will give you inaccurate feedback. It’s helpful to track how your food intake, body image issues, or water retention are affecting you.
There are two things you need to do:
- First, measure your waistline every two weeks. If you become healthier and stronger, your waistline will shrink rapidly, and your pants will become looser.
- Second, you should also take front, back, and side photos every two weeks. The side view will show you what changes, if any, you’ll notice.
8. Add apple cider vinegar to your diet
Apple cider vinegar has many impressive health benefits, and one of the top ones is that it can help lower blood sugar. You can incorporate apple cider vinegar into your diet in a sensible way to help reduce belly fat. A study was conducted on obese people for three months, and the results showed that those who drank about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day lost nearly half an inch from their waists.
9. Choose smaller plates
Try buying smaller plates and stop eating from large plates. The reason is that even if you fill your plate, you’ll eat less than you would from a large plate.
10. Avoid emotional eating
Emotions have a big impact on eating habits. Most people tend to snack frequently, not because they’re hungry. The reasons could be loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Avoid emotional eating. If you snack when you’re bored or feel happy after a meal, that could be a problem.
11. Count distances rather than times
Walk or run for a set distance rather than a set amount of time. You’ll run shorter distances and feel tired; as a result, you’ll burn fewer calories.
12. Success breeds success
The last but very important point to note is to accurately track your progress to see if there’s any progress. This will help you stay motivated to reach your goals.
