Belly fat or the fat around your gut is the most difficult to lose. Need a confirmation, ask anyone who is trying to get rid of that gut. Usually estimated by measuring the circumference around your waist, 40 inches and above for men and 35 inches and more for women, this apple shape is symptomatic of syndrome X, a metabolic disorder and puts you at increased risk of diabetes and some type of cancers.

6 Proven ways to lose belly fat

Agreed, it’s difficult to burn the abdominal fat, but these 5 research-proven steps to lose belly fat will be of great help and they are not that difficult to do either. You only need to ensure that you have made certain lifestyle tweaks and included a few foods and you are all set to lose your belly fat faster.

1.       Shed belly fat with cardio

Steady state cardio involves any aerobic exercise, like jogging/walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming or dancing that keeps you heart rate up at a relatively stable level for at least 10 minutes.  It is recommended that you get at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week (30 minutes five days a week) to reduce stomach fat. American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes or more of physical activity, preferably all days of the week.  

Evidence: A 2009 study published in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders found that abdominal fat responded positively to high-intensity cardio that raised the heart rate to 75 percent or more of their Maximum Heart Rate. Such an intense activity resulted in burning 1000 calories in a week. Continuing the activity for 12 weeks resulted in significant loss of visceral fat.

2.       Go for fasted cardio to lose belly fat faster

On cardio, the other question that usually surfaces is whether it should be done in a fasted state? After an overnight fast, the body is keen to store its precious carb stores and wants to mobilise fat and proteins for fuel. If muscle building is your goal, fasted cardio is not for you, but you can easily overcome the flaw of muscle loss by consuming a whey protein shake, along with some slow digesting protein, like casein after your cardio.

Evidence: Research study published in the ‘British Journal of Nutrition’ reports that doing cardio in a fasted state allowed subjects to burn 20 percent more fat.

3.       Say No to sugar or sugar-sweetened beverages

Sugar is a combination of glucose, fructose and can only be metabolised in the liver, in any significant amount. Research studies go on to prove that the overload of refined sugar converts fructose into fat and is primarily responsible for the accumulation of belly fat. Moreover, excess sugar also leads to insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. Learn to limit your sugar intake to 25g in a day.

Evidence: A 2016 study, published in journal Circulation confirms the fact that sugary beverages are directly linked to deep belly fat. The six-year-long study evaluated the impact of one sugar-sweetened drink in a day on the abdominal fat of 1000 adults.  Though the study is not the first to confirm the suspected link, but it certainly proves the mechanism of fat gain beyond doubt.

At the outset, 13 percent of the study group said they drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage every day. And on average, those men and women showed the greatest increase in visceral fat over the next six years, which was validated by CT scans. 

4.        Add insoluble fiber to your diet

Fiber or roughage helps you to stay regular. Beyond the obvious, did you know that fiber will help you lose belly fat naturally? Here, insoluble fiber has a greater role to play. This kind of fiber absorbs water and turns into gel-like-mush that slows the movement of food through your stomach and small bowel. By prolonging the transit time of foods in intestines, soluble fiber increases your feeling of fullness and reduces appetite.

The foods that are good sources of soluble fiber are oatmeal, beans and apples.

Evidence: A five-year-long study examines the impact of 10g of soluble fiber per day on belly fat. It led to 3.7% reduction in the belly fat. 

5.       Swap carbs for proteins to lose belly fat

Eating a protein-rich meal helps lose belly fat faster than high glycemic carbs. High glycemic carbs are those foods that digest quickly, like white bread with jelly, a fruit cake. When you exchange such foods for proteins, like paneer cubes, sprouts, boiled eggs, protein shake or roasted chicken, you are going to feel full for a longer duration. As compared to, high glycemic carbs, these foods are going to take a longer duration to digest and you are not going to feel hungrier that often.  

Evidence: When you increase your protein intake from 15 to 30 percent your total calorie consumption goes down by approximately 441 calories in a day. This is mostly due to a drop in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a rise in the fullness hormones.

6.        Choose specific protein foods to burn belly fat

You are caught in a ‘fat cycle’ as the constant flow of hunger hormones makes you impossible to resist cravings. One of the quick ways to burn belly fat fast is to include in your meals specific protein foods like milk, nuts and fish. These foods are not only enriched with proteins but also with calcium and omega 3 fats. Specifically, these foods help correct nutritional errors and correct your bodies’ ‘inner eat-and-sleep clocks’ that have been thrown out of sync and help you lose your gut. 

Evidence: A 2010 research study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that 100 milligrams of additional calcium, derived from 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt lead to losing an inch of intra-abdominal fat.

Nuts are a good source of magnesium, without enough magnesium in your body, your melatonin level is thrown out of sync and it disturbs your sleep cycle, as well as it makes you vulnerable to carb craving, a condition  brought by the low light of winter.

Fish is not a good source of protein but also heart healthy omega 3 fats.  A deficiency of omega 3 fats disrupts your sleep cycle and makes you prone to tossing and turning in the bed. If you are a vegetarian then flax seeds, walnuts and dark leafy greens are your best bet as omega 3 sources.

On your journey to burn the abdominal fat, you have to remain patient and put twin strategies at work simultaneously: dietary tweaks and cardio. When combined together, these two will lead you to the fastest way to lose belly fat. Gear up and get rid of that mum-tum or family pack. The world is waiting for your ab-show. 

Top 5 Natural Fat Burners to Beat Belly Fat

Want to get rid of those flabs and extra kilos but don’t feel like going to the gym? You don’t need a gym membership or don’t need too much equipment. Doing simple yet effective fat burning exercises for women at home consistently is the best way to burn those calories and build muscles. Also, the best workouts are those that work on your multiple large muscle groups. So, don’t make excuses, instead, make progress. You only have to take care of your body then you will be able to make the difference. 

Since weight loss is both a mental and physical challenge, you have to be determined and tell yourself every day you can do this. Are you ready? Check out these 6 simple fat burning workouts for women and exercises to reduce belly fat for females at home.

1. Walking & Running

Okay, you might be wondering how moving your legs can shed off those kilos? Well, as you walk or run, calories are burnt, and the body fat percentage decreases. So, exercising helps you lose belly fat and also remove fat from other areas of the body. Whether you want to walk or run, both are fine. To get started, try to walk for at least 20 to 30 minutes almost 3-4 times a week. Make sure you warm-up and cool down if you are planning to run for weight loss. If you find running or walking outdoors to be hard on the joints, just try running or walking on a soft surface like grass, and there are so many troubles that have built-in cushioning, which can be easy on your joints. Overall, it is a perfect exercise to reduce belly fat for women.

Do You Know Ten Must-Do Strength Workout for Women

2. Cycling

Cycling is also a great way to improve your fitness and a perfect fat loss workout for females. You can either do traditional outdoor cycling or there are gyms and fitness centres that have stationary bikes and you can cycle while staying indoors. Cycling regularly will not only help you lose weight but also improve your overall fitness, decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer and increase your insulin sensitivity and much more. Cycling is perfect for people of all fitness levels, from athletes to beginners. Plus, it is a low-impact and non-weight bearing exercise, so it will not put so much stress on your joints.

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3. Swimming

Swimming is a perfect way to get in shape and lose weight. Swimming offers various health benefits such as trim inches, burn fat and help you get fitter, stronger and healthier. Swimming can burn up 500-700 calories whether you do freestyle or breaststroke. It is a very effective exercise for weight loss and toning your body as it engages all your major muscle groups from arms to back muscles to abdominals to hips, glutes and legs. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, enjoy losing weight while feeling great.

4. Surya Namaskar

Yoga can give you many benefits, such as make you feel better, and you become more flexible, stronger and tone your muscles, reduce stress levels and improve your physical and mental well being. Surya namaskar is one of the basic yoga asanas and the best upper body fat burning workout for women that focuses on different parts of the body and can do wonders for your weight loss goals. Surya namaskar comprises a series of 12 different poses encompassed in prayer pose, bhujangasana and forward bend. This pose strengthens the ligaments and skeletal system. It keeps your body active and helps in reducing anxiety and stress.

5. Zumba Dance

If doing a workout in the gym is not your thing, then try zumba dance. It is a good way to improve your fitness level and an easy way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Zumba is all about dancing your heart out, loosening up and burning those extra calories. It has been found to help increase energy, improve strength, and relieve stress. Zumba dance included high-intensity movement and vigorous exercise that helps in sculpting the body. You will not know when you lost those calories while enjoying this. You will actually have fun.

6. Pilates

Pilates is a great exercise for a beginner and can help in losing weight. This exercise may not burn as many calories as aerobic exercises such as running, but most people find it enjoyable, and it is easy to stick to overtime. With pilates, you have to be patient, and the results are lasting. It is also shown to improve balance, strength, endurance, flexibility, fitness level and reduce lower back pain. If you want to give it a try, then incorporate it into your weekly routine; you can do it at home or at the gym. To get more amazing results, make sure to combine it with a healthy diet and regular walking or running.

Conclusion: Losing weight in a healthy and safe manner takes time, losing weight too fast can have a negative impact on your health. Quick weight loss can cause muscle loss, increase conditions like fatigue, dehydration, gallstones, irritability, headaches, hair loss, malnutrition, irregular periods and constipation. Losing weight too fast can actually regain it quickly also.

Remember that weight loss takes time; listen to your body and take small steps one by one. There are so many exercises that will help you lose weight, but you must choose one that you actually enjoy doing, this will make you stick to that exercise for a long time, and you will see visible results.