How to lose tummy? It is an increasingly frequent question in nutrition clinics. According to the WHO, more than 39% of the adult population is overweight, and around 13% is obese. This is one of the record numbers in the history of humanity. (1)
An increase in the size of the belly is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. So lowering the belly-stomach is essential, not only for an aesthetic issue but also for health.
Any nutrition professional can say that losing your belly in a week is not the best method. The good news – we have developed a strategy to lower your stomach progressively.
From the answer to the question – How to lower the belly? We take care of it; the results depend on you.
// Recommended: How to reduce abdominal fat?
How to lower the belly?
The main causes of an increase in belly size are overeating and low physical activity. (1,2,3)
To lower the belly, you must attack these causes. Now let’s go to what to do to maintain the results in reducing the size of the stomach.
A method to lower the tummy is described below.
How to lower the tummy:
- Limit excess sugar
To lower your belly, limiting excess sugar is the first step. Too much sugar drives hormonal levels out of control and causes people to eat more and more. It is recommended that a maximum of 5-10% of total calories come from this energy source. (1)
- Eat more complex carbohydrates and plant fiber
Not all carbohydrates are bad; complex carbohydrates are ideal foods to lower your belly. These foods release their energy slowly and can help you keep a full stomach. Ultimately they help reduce appetite.
- Cut down on alcohol
Alcohol only provides empty calories, so to lower the belly, you have to limit it. However, it is not about not having a beer or wine every so often but doing it in moderation.
- Limit your salt intake
Eating large amounts of salt per day will swell your belly, but it will also deteriorate your health. The WHO recommends a maximum salt intake of 5 grams per day. (1)
Remember that salt is camouflaged in a wide variety of industrial products. To reduce the size of your belly, it is best to prepare your dishes and avoid unhealthy snack chips.
- Start doing physical exercise.
The next step in how to lower your belly is to start with physical exercise. If you are a beginner in the sport, we recommend cardio and outdoor sports. This type of routine will not only help you to remove the belly but also control the levels of the stress hormone: cortisol. This week you should already be deflated.
- Don’t go hungry, don’t diet
If you want to reduce the size of your belly, you should not do a strict diet. In the long run, they cause low levels of the hormone leptin, which will make you binge on the refrigerator.
To avoid the rebound effect and to be able to maintain the results in lowering the belly, you must loosen a little with the rules and decontract. Give yourself the pleasure of eating good chocolate. Contrary to what you may think, this is better to remove the belly in the long term.
- Give continuity
The last step in how to lower the belly is to give it continuity. Carrying out healthy eating rules is ideal for this. This type of diet can reduce the circumference of the abdomen, but it also generates excellent benefits in terms of health. Weighting foods with high nutritional value is the basic rule to reduce abdominal fat without a rebound effect.
What not to eat to lower the belly?
Making changes in the diet is the most important thing to lower the belly. If you want to remove that belly in the lower zone, the first thing to do is cut down on sweets.
Ditching simple carbohydrates – sugars, honey, etc. and poor-quality fats like trans fats from the diet is the first thing to reduce belly size. Reducing the consumption of these foods will reduce your appetite and calm the urge to eat.
To lower the belly, you must replace the products with flour and sugar and eat complex carbohydrates. Examples of these foods are oatmeal, brown rice, and whole grain pasta. If you add more foods with fiber, your belly will feel full, and you will eat less.
// Recommended: diet for men to lose weight.
To lower the belly, you have to reduce visceral fat.
Until the 1990s, all types of body fat were considered the same. However, this theory has been refuted by new technological advances. Currently, there are at least three types of body fat, visceral fat, abdominal fat, and subcutaneous fat.
The fat with the most significant impact on health is visceral fat. This is because it presses the internal organs so that the heart works in a forced way. The type of visceral fat is the one that gives the shape of O to the typical belly of men over 40 years.
Visceral belly fat has been confirmed to be poorly susceptible to insulin but susceptible to adrenaline. Running is the first step to shedding this type of body fat. If you want to reduce belly size, you must include cardio in your weekly routine.
RELATED: How to Lower Blood Pressure?
Does intermittent fasting help reduce belly size?
How to lose belly with intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a nutritional system that refuses food regularly for 16 hours. At no time is total caloric intake reduced. Food is consumed exclusively for 8 hours.
The scientific foundation of this nutritional system is based on the fact that it allows normalizing of the body’s response to carbohydrates and normalizing insulin levels. (3)
This method reduces the size of the belly as it improves the ability to control the appetite for food.
Before starting this type of diet, you must ensure that the supply of nutrients is regular. It is not recommended to use intermittent fasting to remove the belly in cases of diabetes or eating disorders.
This method of shrinking the belly can cause dizziness or hypoglycemia. Therefore, it is always recommended to do it with the assistance of a professional.
Can You Lose Your Belly On A Low Carb Diet?
Can You Lose Your Belly On A Low Carb Diet? The answer is yes. The basic rule of thumb on a low-carb diet is to limit your consumption of pasta, bread, refined flours, and all high-starch vegetables.
This measure should be used as a temporary method, and it is an effective and quick diet to reduce the size of the belly. However, if it lasts for longer than 12 months, it can lead to unwanted side effects.
ABSTRACT
How to lower the belly? You should start by limiting simple carbohydrates such as sugar and changing them to complex carbohydrates, and finishing with a low carbohydrate diet combined with physical exercise.
To maintain the results and lower the belly effectively, a correct balance of macronutrients must be made: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Obsessively counting calories is not the solution to losing belly. Nor should fats be eliminated from the diet.
Performing moderate aerobic exercises at least three times a week is essential to regulate hormone levels and reduce belly size.
Methods to lose belly quickly, such as the keto diet or intermittent fasting, should only be carried out for short periods and under the supervision of a professional nutritionist.