One of the most health-threatening aspects of belly fat is the fat in and around the liver — which can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Eating meals rich in beans, green vegetables, nuts, poultry, olive oil, fish, whole grains, and berries while limiting full-fat cheese, butter, fried foods, red meats, and sweets can help reduce the risk of fatty liver. Even six months of eating like that can reduce fat in the liver by 25-40%, as well as improve liver enzymes.
Abdominal fat, also known as visceral fat, is a danger to health for a few reasons. First, it is carried at the front of the body where it creates a significant stress on the heart and other vital organs. This puts the individual at risk for heart disease and stroke, among other chronic conditions.
Obesity is a disease that can be a bit confusing when it comes to its definition and place in the medical world. At this point, obesity is considered a disease, regardless of its cause, because it places the individual at great risk of death due to the disease itself.
There are also obesity-related diseases that are caused or exacerbated by obesity. While being overweight or obese is generally a concern for health, belly fat in particular poses a greater risk for heart health. Belly fat, known as central adiposity, is a form of fat where the waist-to-hip ratio is larger.
Studies have shown that women and men with belly fat have a greater risk for heart disease. This fact is also true regardless of the individual’s body mass index (BMI). Even those with a normal BMI but carry a *Spare Tire* in their midsection have a greater risk for heart attack and heart disease.
This particular form of fat can be difficult to lose as it is often found in and around abdominal organs. It can also be difficult to target this area in exercise. The best approach to reducing belly fat for improved health is to take part in moderate exercise while also integrating a balanced diet low in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates.
There are a few different ways to reduce belly fat without surgery or pills.
Healthy Diet:
Eating a healthy diet that is low in sugar and saturated fat can help to reduce belly fat. Sometimes when we’re stressed, we don’t even recall eating. We reach for a bag of chips and before we know it, they’re all gone! Changes to your diet, such as eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods. You can also try doing exercises that target the abdominal muscles, such as crunches or Pilates. If you’re having trouble losing weight, you may want to talk to a doctor or nutritionist about other ways to reduce belly fat.
To help prevent stressful eating and mindless snacking, I recommend practicing more mindful eating so you can become more aware of your eating experience and understand if you’re truly hungry or eating to fill avoid it. If you notice you’re eating because you’re stressed, then you can switch to more productive activity.
Exercise Regularly:
Exercising can help to burn calories and reduce belly fat. Getting regular exercise will help to burn calories and reduce body fat overall. If you’re not used to exercising, start slowly with activities like walking or swimming. You can also try more challenging exercises, such as running or cycling, to help melt away the extra pounds.
Contrary to popular belief, exercise isn’t an efficient tool for reducing fat. A research review of 31 studies found that neither interval training nor medium-intensity continuous cardio training provided meaningful reductions in body fat Over the 31 studies, which had a mean duration of 12 weeks, the participants only lost between 0.5–1 kg (1–2 lb) of body fat. That’s what you could lose in two weeks on a proper weight-loss diet.
Reduce Stress:
Stress can cause the body to store more fat around the midsection. An overlooked source of belly fat is stress. Elevated stress produces a hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol increases our appetite and causes us to crave sweet/salty/fatty foods — usually things that are counterproductive to getting a flat belly such as candy, cookies, cakes, chips, and pies. Not only does Cortisol increase our appetites, but it also stores excess fat in the belly! Want to reduce belly fat? Learn how to manage your stress! Look into ways to ground yourself such as yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, exercising, walking, journaling, creative writing, dancing, gardening, drawing, sewing/knitting, and even taking a nap.
Enough Sleep:
One often overlooked area for losing weight and maintaining your new lower weight is to make sure to get enough sleep. Over the recent years, research has provided plenty of evidence that sleeping too little makes us overeat by up to 20% per day and especially makes us seek out the hyper-palatable food that we easily overeat, i.e., junk food. To make matters worse, when we don’t sleep enough, we tend to store body fat easier. And not only have the subcutaneous fat that is stored directly under our skin, but we also stored more visceral body fat. Visceral fat is stored around our organs in our abdominal cavity and is associated with significant increases in risk for diabetes, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.
Great success with prioritizing sleep, even if going to bed 30 minutes earlier or no longer working until bedtime. Giving some time for the mind to relax before bed can go a long way. I also recommend clients practice a simple yet deeply relaxing breathing technique, by breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds, breathing out for 4 seconds, and holding for 4 seconds. You can repeat this cycle a couple of times. I like to do it before bed, as well as during stressful times at work.
Calorie Defici:
The fastest and most effective way to lose belly fat is to create a caloric deficit. That is, eat fewer calories than you burn. This forces your body to use its reserves, which are your fat storage. A recent study showed that it doesn’t matter if you lose weight fast or slow; the end result will still be similar. A research review from 2017 showed that it also doesn’t matter which particular diet you follow, but it is recommended that you eat fairly high protein, making you lose less muscle and more fat.
Uses of Green Tea:
Another way is to use natural remedies, such as herbs or supplements. For example, some studies suggest that regular green tea consumption may help promote weight loss and fat burning. This is because green tea contains Catechins, a type of antioxidant that may help promote weight loss by increasing energy expenditure and promoting fat oxidation. Additionally, green tea may also help suppress appetite and increase satiety.
The Catechins content in green tea is believed to be responsible for a number of beneficial effects, including reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. Green tea also appears to improve mental alertness and cognitive function.
Adding green tea to your daily routine is an easy practice to adopt and the suggestion seems to be that green tea appears to be a great addition as part of a healthy lifestyle plan especially if you are trying to lose a bit of excess weight around the middle.
Metabolism Issue:
Belly fat is a metabolism issue and not a localized one. Signs that someone’s metabolism can use some help include cravings, especially late at night, low energy levels, even in the morning, weight gain and difficulty losing weight, digestive issues, and even low mood. Belly fat accumulation is often associated with blood sugar imbalances and high Cortisol levels.
Belly fat always starts by looking at their diet and stress levels. In terms of diet, a great place to start is removing or reducing the top 5 things:
(1) Processed foods, especially deep-fried and starchy ones like many fast food items
(2) Added sugars & artificial sweeteners (including diet sodas)
(3) Alcohol (moderation may be okay for some)
(4) Grains, especially refined flour in the form of pastries, doughnuts, and muffins
(5) Liquid calories, which include sweetened specialty coffees, milkshakes, iced teas, and processed fruit juices. They spike blood sugar and contain little to no nutritional value.
As you start to reduce your intake of these 5 categories while focusing on adding at least 2 servings of colorful vegetables to your main meals, you will be on your way to great changes.
Chew Your Food Slowly:
Remember to eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly whenever you’re eating. This aids in the breakdown of your meal, making it easier to digest in your stomach. Furthermore, greater digestion leads to longer durations of satiation.
Avoid Sugar-Filled Drinks
Sugary drinks like soda and juice contain empty calories that add no nutritional value to your diet. Instead, drink water or unsweetened tea.
Drinks Plenty of Water:
Sometimes people confuse thirst with hunger. You can consume extra calories if you really need a glass of water. I recommend drinking 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day.
Turmeric:
Turmeric shouldn’t be strictly relied upon for weight loss but can make an excellent addition to an existing weight loss regimen. This is primarily due to turmeric’s anti-inflammatory capabilities.
Reducing inflammation in the body has an almost direct impact on preventing or reducing obesity and overall body weight. By cutting down inflammation in the body your metabolism is better able to burn calories at an efficient rate.
Turmeric can be taken in supplement form. It can be found in either capsule or powder form and sometimes goes by the name Curcumin. Curcumin is the name of the active ingredient in turmeric products that give it its benefits.
Eat Plenty of Soluble Fiber:
One way to reduce belly fat without medicine is by eating high-fiber foods every day. Foods rich in soluble fiber promote fullness, which can help you eat less. Soluble fibers form a gel-like substance in your gut, increasing digestion and making you feel full for longer.
Eat A High-Protein Diet:
Foods that are rich in protein increase the production of hormones peptide YY, GLP-1, and Cholecystokinin hormones which are all appetite-reducing. A high-protein diet also reduces Ghrelin or hunger hormones. A high-protein diet also makes you burn more calories and boost your metabolism.
Mock Cappuccino with Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Most popularly known for boosting overall focus and energy levels, coffee beans have a variety of other health benefits including weight loss, increased longevity, and an even lower risk of depression. Studies show that people who drink a daily cup of coffee are more likely to be physically active and burn fat throughout their day. The warming spices of cinnamon and nutmeg in this drink add to the stimulating effects of the coffee with a refreshing jolt of flavor.
Spiced Chopped Salad
I like to heat up this nourishing dish by mixing Jalapenos and Pepperoncini into the dressing. If your palate is very sensitive to spice, I recommend scraping out the extra hot white veins and seeds out of the inside of the peppers until you build a greater tolerance to the capsaicin. Remember the spicier the dish, the more fat-burning and weight-loss benefits!
Spicy Hummus Wrap
Cayenne pepper, made by grinding together a variety of dried hot peppers, is full of capsaicin and easy to incorporate into any meal. The fresh veggies, rich hummus, and fiery kick of cayenne make for a very tasty and effective jumpstart to the metabolism.
Spicy Eggs
Eggs are packed with protein and energy-boosting vitamin B12. Adding jalapenos or your favorite hot pepper-based sauce will give your taste buds and your metabolism that extra kick it needs to burn fat and promote weight loss.
Conclusion:
To reduce belly fat without medicine, you need to make sure that you are eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise.
Eating lots of processed and sugary foods will only contribute to more belly fat, so it is important to focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.
Getting regular exercise will also help to burn off excess fat and strengthen the muscles in your abdomen, which will make it appear more toned.
Try doing some cardio exercises like running or biking, and include strength training to tone your stomach muscles. Crunches, planks, and other ab exercises are also effective in helping to reduce belly fat. Lastly, be sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day!