Our often sedentary lifestyles and stressful jobs – cookie self-medication and pub crawls – make it easy for belly fat to accumulate.
Fat deposits around the middle have previously been linked to serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
At its most extreme, obesity reduces life expectancy by an average of three to 10 years, depending on severity, according to the NHS. It is also estimated that obesity and overweight contribute to at least one in 13 deaths in Europe.
So, with many of us feeling like we’ve gained some weight here and there, and with stubborn belly fat that’s hard to move – how can you get back in shape in 2023?
Remove fat in 10 easy steps
1. Drink less alcohol
Yes, it can be very tempting to reach for the Merlot at the end of a particularly hard day, but studies show that alcohol is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to storing belly fat. Consider this: If you consume just two glasses of wine per night, that’s an extra 72,000 calories per year, equivalent to 20 pounds of fat.
Alcohol contains a lot of “empty” calories that have no nutritional value whatsoever. Women are more likely to store the fat created by these excess calories on their hips, thighs, and arms, while men store it on their stomachs, hence the “beer belly.”
If you want to reduce your belly fat quickly, it is advisable to cut alcohol completely from your diet. If that sounds too serious, at least try to stay under the NHS recommended 14 units (spread over three days or more). Try to reduce your intake by limiting your nightly intake to two drinks and always keep several alcohol-free days per week.
2. Eat a high protein diet
There is a good amount of evidence suggesting that protein is key to losing belly fat. First, it releases the hormone PYY, which helps send a message to your brain that you’re full. A good portion of protein in a meal should help you avoid overeating.
Many observational studies prove that people with a higher protein intake have less belly fat. It also boosts your metabolism, making you more likely to build muscle during and after exercise. Try to get one serving at every meal: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
3. Reduce your stress levels
Stress makes your body fat because it triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn increases your appetite.
How do you relieve stress? To some extent the answer is entirely personal – we are all different – but studies consistently show that getting outside in nature and meditating regularly works to reduce our anxiety.
4. Don’t eat a lot of sugary foods
Calorie for calorie, sugar is different from other food groups like protein, complex carbohydrates and fat because it messes with your normal appetite control and causes your body to produce fat.
Refined sugars are often hidden in a plethora of different products that you would not expect such as fruit juices. Be sure to check the labels before eating the produce.
5. Address food sensitivities
People often have food sensitivities that go unaddressed for years. If you think you have an allergy, it is important that you tell your doctor, who may refer you to a dietician.
Common food sensitivities include dairy and gluten, both of which can lead to inflammation of the gut, making it even more prone to developing more sensitivities. Addressing these allergies can have dramatic effects on weight loss and even mood and behavior.
6. Build up your strength
Everyone knows that regular exercise is necessary for weight loss; however, not everyone knows that resistance training is one of the best ways to do this.
Resistance training, also known as weightlifting or strength training, is important for improving and maintaining muscle mass. It also helps boost our metabolism, which means your body burns fat even after you put the weights down.
However, it’s worth saying that the best possible workout plan is likely to combine a variety of exercises.
7. Get enough sleep
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of your overall health and well-being, especially when it comes to managing your weight. A 2013 study from the University of Colorado found that a week of sleeping about five hours a night led to participants gaining an average of two pounds.
Easy ways to improve the quality of your sleep are to avoid looking at screens late at night and to do some gentle yoga before bed.
8. Eat oily fish every week
Omega-3 fatty acids are praised for their attractive properties, such as slowing down aging and fighting degenerative diseases. However, it is less known that eating oily fish is also excellent for weight loss (when accompanied by a balanced diet and regular exercise, of course).
Foods like mackerel and herring are high in protein and “good fats” that help break down some of the more dangerous fats in your body. Try to eat fish two or three times a week.
9. Replace some of your cooking fats with coconut oil
Set aside the butter and olive oil and try coconut oil instead.
According to Web MD — and other medically-led sites — the medium-chain fats in coconut oil boost metabolism and reduce the amount of fat you store in response to a high calorie intake.
10. Eat plenty of soluble fiber
Soluble fiber is ideal for aiding in weight loss because it forms a gel with the food in your digestive tract, making it slower to pass through. This type of fiber promotes diversity of gut bacteria, which is often associated with a lower risk of belly fat.
Excellent foods to eat to increase your soluble fiber intake include avocados, legumes (try lentils, peas, or chickpeas), and blackberries. In a 2021 study, volunteers ate one meal each day provided by researchers: One group ate an avocado, while a control group ate a meal that was similar in calories but omitted the Instagrammer favorite.
“Female participants who consumed an avocado daily as part of their meal had a reduction in visceral abdominal fat,” said study leader Naiman Khan, the Illinois professor of kinesiology and community health. “However, fat distribution in men did not change, and neither men nor women had improvements in glucose tolerance.”
Easy exercises to burn belly fat
The best way to burn belly fat is to add about 30 minutes of cardio or aerobic exercise to your daily exercise routine.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota ranked several common exercises based on information obtained from the US National Institutes of Health. The study calculated calories burned during an hour of each exercise, with surprising results. With this in mind, these are some of the best workouts to try:
To walk
Picking up the pace of your walk can do wonders for fat burning. When it comes to enjoying a brisk walk (3.5 mph), you can burn between 314 and 391 calories.
A 2013 study from the University of Michigan also found that walking on uneven terrain while walking increases the amount of energy your body expends by 28 percent compared to walking on level ground.
To skip
Like the above, skipping can help burn between 861 and 1,074 calories per hour, thus burning fat. It is also a weight-bearing exercise and so can help improve bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis.
Run
It goes without saying that running is a great way to burn calories. Running at 8 mph burns about 861-1,074 per hour (depending on your weight); you can burn 606-755 calories even running at 5 mph, and 657-819 simply by running up the stairs.
In addition, a 2005 study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that sedentary women who incorporated stair climbing into their daily activities increased their VO2 max, or maximum aerobic capacity, by 17.1 percent and lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol by 7.1 percent. reduced by 7 percent. (Read our guide to the best fitness trackers to learn how to track your workouts.)
Swimming
Experts agree that “vigorous swimming” is a full-body workout that’s good for your joints. (By powerful, we’re sure they don’t mean splashing around in the shallow end.) It will help burn between 715 and 892 calories per hour of activity.
Breaststroke is the least beneficial stroke for burning calories, but a much better cardiovascular workout than the other strokes.
This guide is updated with the latest advice.
