Having a flat stomach is pleasing to the eyes. In fact, some people consider it as one of the indicators of being attractive. In the quest to look and feel good, a lot of people around the globe have spent an unbelievable amount of money for slimming products, ab exercise equipment, and most of all, surgery. What these people do not realize is that a flatter belly can be achieved even without breaking the bank. Rather than money, what you have to spend to get rid of lower belly fat is time and effort. Furthermore, remember that thinning your waistline doesn’t happen within 24 hours. Hence, in addition to time and effort, be patient! Listed below are 12 super simple ways to achieve a flat stomach and most of all, a better physique.
Drink ice water
Drinking ice water helps boost the body’s metabolism. Why? When the ice water gets in the body, the body needs to warm it. This simple process alone burns enough energy and increases metabolism. If you drink eight or more glasses of water a day, you are helping your liver burn stored fat. If you don’t, then you are decreasing its fat-burning capacity. The equation is simple; more water equals more fat burned, less water equals less fat burned. Water is certainly the most affordable weight loss supplement there is!
Drink water before each meal
We all know that drinking water, even just one glass, gives us the feeling of being full. This means that when you fill your stomach with water prior to your meal, the less likely you are to eat a lot since your body thinks you are already full. Eating less every meal is synonymous to reducing daily calorie intake, which would eventually help you get rid of lower belly fat. Overeating is obviously the cause of weight gain. If you want to avoid it, then drink water prior to mealtime to suppress your appetite.
Drink green tea
Catechins, the major component of green tea extract, are antioxidants shown to aid in burning fat cells. A 2012 study concluded that people who drank 1 ½ cups of green tea added with 609 milligrams of catechins daily for 12 weeks lost about 16 times as much visceral fat than those people who drank green tea without the said antioxidant. Visceral fat is body fat stored within the abdominal cavity.
Each cup of green tea available in grocery stores and supermarkets may contain 160 to 470 milligrams of catechins, depending on the variant. If you want to enjoy the same result as what was concluded in the 2012 clinical research, then brew and consume two to four cups of green tea every day.
Avoid carbonated drinks
One of the best ways to get rid of lower belly fat is to replace carbonated drinks with water. Water has zero calories unlike sodas and beer. A 12-oz. can of Coca-Cola has a total of 140 calories while a liter of the same beverage has 400 calories. A bottle of Budweiser, on the other hand, has 145 calories.
According to the World Health Organization, “The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended.” When someone is overweight or obese, he or she is expected to develop lower belly fat. Well, even thin people have visceral fat! When you eat foods or drink beverages that are rich in calories, then your body will either store or burn them. If you meet someone with abdominal fat problems, then he or she has surely consumed a lot of calories from carbonated drinks but has not exerted enough physical activities in order to burn them.
Replace cups of juice with glasses of water
Instead of slurping four, five, or six cups of sugary juice a day, drink plenty of water to get rid of lower belly fat. You also have the option to consume a liter of water flavoured with cucumber, lemon or lime daily (in addition to pure water). Like carbonated drinks, juices contain large amount of calories and of course, sugar. According to an article entitled “Is There ‘One Trick’ to Losing Belly Fat?”, “sugar increases belly fat and fiber reduces belly fat.”
In another article from the Huffington Post, Dr. Jade Teta gave the equation (SS + Ft) x St = Belly Fat. SS is starch and sugar combined with fat (Ft) and then multiplied by stress (St). This equation, he says, “may represent the worst combination for fat gain.”
Eat a high fiber diet
You probably have heard a lot of claims that eating plenty of fiber is good in avoiding weight gain and preventing belly fat. For sure you’re asking, “Are these claims true?” In the same article written by Dr. Teta, he mentioned that the best way to get rid of lower belly fat is by replacing sugar and starch with fiber, increasing protein intake, and stabilizing fat.
There are two types of fiber: insoluble and soluble. Soluble fiber is the type that helps eliminate fat and lower cholesterol in the body. Soluble fiber is also responsible in slowing down the entry of fats and sugars into the bloodstream. This results to a constant supply of energy. Remember that your blood sugar will spike at a fast rate if you consume foods that contain less or no fiber. Your blood sugar then crashes, giving a signal to your brain to eat again. This is one of the reasons why there are people who overeat.
Another advantage of eating fiber-rich foods is that they tend to be low in calorie. This means you can have as much as you want without the guilt. Fiber, like water, also gives you the feeling of fullness because it absorbs liquid. Fiber also helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure and aid circulation.
Eat protein-rich foods
“High-protein diets are great for weight loss”, says Eirik Garnas in his article entitled “Protein: The Most Important Macronutrient for Weight Loss?” Clinical studies have shown that protein has the ability to boost metabolism by up to 100 calories daily. Protein also helps suppress the appetite by 60%.
Examples of foods that help get rid of lower belly fat are eggs, fish, meat and whey. If you are asking what foods contain the highest amount of protein, then these are Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Greek yogurt contains 23 grams of protein per 8 oz. serving while cottage cheese has 14 grams of protein per ½ cup serving. However, remember that cottage cheese has large amounts of sodium too. As mentioned in the article “Foods that Bloat Your Belly and Increase Belly Fat”, sodium-rich foods can trigger the body to retain water, making a person feel and look bloated, especially in the midsection.
Other good sources of protein include soy milk, steak, lean ground beef, chicken and turkey breast, salmon and yellow fin tuna.
Meet your recommended daily calcium needs
If your body has less calcium than how much it requires, then it will produce a hormone that signals the body to store visceral fat. The hormone that promotes fat storage is called calcitriol. Reciprocally, if your body has enough calcium it needs, then it can burn fat in your abdomen without any issue. An adult body needs 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily. Furthermore, starting from the age of four until 70, human beings need 600 IU of vitamin D. Clinical studies suggest that the higher vitamin D and calcium your body has, the better your metabolism is.
Calcium found in dairy products helps get rid of lower belly fat and retains lean muscle. The best sources of calcium, other than milk and dairy products, are collard greens, broccoli, and kale. One cup of cooked collard contains 268 milligrams of calcium while two cups of raw broccoli has 86 milligrams of the said mineral.
Minimize carbohydrates in your diet
According to a research conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 69 overweight individuals claimed they had 11% less visceral fat after consuming a low-carbohydrate diet for eight weeks. Low-carbohydrate diet, also called ketogenic diet, is a diet high in fat and protein but less in carbs.
Don’t be a couch potato or a sleepyhead
Regardless if you are too conscious with the things you eat but don’t perform enough physical activities daily, you will surely develop belly fat. Medical professionals say that even moderate activities like sweeping the lawn, raking leaves in the backyard, gardening, playing basketball with the kids, and going to a Zumba session for 30 minutes at least three times a week is helpful in your efforts to get rid of lower belly fat.
Be realistic! Do not think that steering clear from lower belly fat happens in a week after eating the suggested foods in the list above. You also will not develop abs after a day of extreme workout. Stop being a sleepyhead or a couch potato; instead, start being a health-conscious individual. Exert enough effort – such as performing household chores and exercise – and in time, you will harvest positive results. However there’s a catch. If you really are an inactive person, it is recommended that you see a health care provider first if you wish to start a fitness program. This is to ensure your body can easily cope with whatever changes it is about to undergo.
Perform aerobic exercises
Vigorous and constant exercise is crucial in your attempt to get rid of lower belly fat. For beginners, start with aerobic exercises before performing a more strenuous workout routine. Several studies have proven that walking, jogging, running and swimming can trim down visceral fat. What’s even better about these aerobic exercises is their ability to prevent individuals from re-gaining visceral fat subsequent to losing weight.
People who consider themselves obese but dream to steer clear from embarrassing abdominal fat may start by brisk walking. Remember that desirable results when exercising are only attainable if you do not take things abruptly! Walk four days a week, 20 minutes daily. You know that you are going it right when you breath harder each day, sweat more, and your heart rate increases. If you think your body is appropriately adopting, then that means you are ready to jog and even run for 20 to 30 minutes daily.
Go for abdominal workout
You are probably asking why abdominal workout is the last in the list. Well, it is true that working out builds muscles and tones up your midsection. However, these results would not be noticeable if your belly has big layers of fat. Therefore, you might want to lose fat first and reduce weight by following the 11 steps above before performing abdominal workout.
The simplest abdominal workouts to help get rid of lower belly fat are roll ups, straight leg raise, and hip lift. For the roll up, you should lie on your back with your legs straight on the ground. Next, carefully extend your arms over and behind your head to the point just before your torso starts to lift off the floor. Remember that your torso should always be in contact with the mat. This is your starting position. Then inhale, curling your upper body off the floor and reaching your arms toward the ceiling, exhale about halfway up, continuing rolling forward reaching all the way to your toes. Inhale again, reversing the movement and exhale half way through the movement to return to your starting position.
There are actually dozens of exercises for a flatter stomach you can find in the internet. Just make sure what you choose fits your physical capacities. Experiencing injury and harm is the last thing you want to happen!
These 12 super simple ways to get rid of lower belly fat are proven effective. Why resort to expensive medical surgeries such as liposuction when you can enjoy a flat stomach the easy and affordable way?
Any other ways that worked for you, to get rid of lower belly fat? Leave a comment below to let us know.