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Burn belly fat: Many people want to lose weight in their middle section but many people find that their belly is where the fat tends to be hardest to lose. You perform abdominal exercises until you drop and yet nothing seems to work
Before you read this article, it is important that you realise that you can 'spot reduce' or lose bodyfat from just one certain area, such as the belly. However, it's not impossible to lose bodyfat from your belly! We can help you to achieve your weight loss goals to lose excess body fat, especially abdominal fat.
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There are actually two types of fat and both types of fat are present in every human being. Health risks occur when you have too much excess bodyfat.
Subcutaneous fat
This type of fat is located directly under the skin, above your abs. This fat is the type that most people want to reduce and can be frustrating for people to lose.
Visceral fat
This type of fat is around your organs and is therefore the most dangerous form of fat. This fat is also called 'belly fat' as it's the white fat that’s stored in your abdomen and around all of your major organs, such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, intestines, and heart.
Several studies show that excess body fat is associated with high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and some other diseases.
But how do you burn this (potentially) dangerous visceral fat? When you start to burn fat, you automatically burn this fat however the tips that read in this article can help you to absolutely incinerate for visceral fat!
Now you know the health risks and differences in visceral fat and subcutaneous fat, it is time to explain the difference in fat loss between men and women.
When it comes to abdominal, and other body fat, there are some important differences between men and women. We'll explain in more detail:
When do you have too much belly fat?
A healthy weight is often calculated using BMI alone, which is based on the relationship between height and weight. However, this isn't the best way to determine whether someone has too much belly fat. A better way to determine whether you have too much belly fat is by measuring waist circumference. Men can generally have a large waist circumference than women before being considered unhealthy.
Here are the general guidelines about abdominal circumference:
Another way to measure results if by having your body fat percentage taken. Women naturally have a higher percentage of bodyfat than men.
Use the following guidelines when measuring your fat percentage:
How do you get a toned stomach?
A healthy body fat and waist circumference is definitely a step in the right direction. Eventually, though, many people want to aim for a toned stomach.
But what percentage of body fat do you need to have a flat stomach?
The fat, or the abdominal circumference, of a healthy man or woman differs. This is partly because abdominal fat and body fat is stored in different places in men and women:
Now that you know what types of abdominal fat there are, what are the health risks? Plus now you know that there are essential differences between men and women, you can get started losing weight from your belly.
1. First, get busy!
You may have heard of the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule means that your body structure is often determined by 80% diet/nutrition and 20% by sport and exercise.
Do you do lots of sports or exercise yet hardly pay attention to your diet? If so then you'll see a lack of results around the abdominal area or anywhere on your body. If you do abdominal exercises, you may gain some muscle but still find it hard to lose weight
So how do you lose this fat?
2. Eat less sugar and carbs!
The main cause of developing belly fat and other body fat is eating too many carbohydrates. When you eat a high carb diet, your body burns the carbs for energy and excess gluclose is directly stored as body fat. If you reduce your carb intake your body goes your (belly) fat reserves to get energy. The process by which your body switches from burning carbohydrates to burning fat is called ketosis.
But one carbohydrate is not the same as another, so we explain the different types of carbohydrates briefly for you:
Broadly speaking, there are two types of carbohydrates: The simple carbohydrates, also called fast burning carbohydrates, and complex carbohydrates, also called slow burning carbohydrates. Read more about the differences between simple and complex carbohydrates.
In order to lose weight in your belly, and weight loss in general, its essential that you avoid sugar and simple carbohydrates as much as possible. Simple carbohydrates are mainly found in the following foods:
Healthy, complex carbohydrates are found in the following foods:
Start on Atkins today and receive more meal plans for free!
Now you're probably wondering how you can add complex carbs to your meals and we can help!
Breakfast: Bowl of Atkins muesli with Greek yogurt
Snack: Atkins bar of your choice
Lunch: Chicken Cobb Salad
Snack: Atkins Shake
Dinner: Stuffed peppers with turkey mince, onion and garlic.
Find even more inspiration with low carb recipes.
Would you like to learn more about what foods we recommend? Read our article about our favourite low-carb foods.
3. Eat more protein
Protein has always been an important part of the Atkins lifestyle. There are so many health benefits of protein.
Eating enough protein stops hungry as it's slow digesting. Research has shown that eating protein decreases cravings by as much as 60%! So eating more protein can help to get rid of excess (belly) fat.
Furthermore, from another study, conducted in Denmark, it showed that the risk of abdominal fat significantly decreases as you eat more protein.
This means that eating protein, both directly and indirectly, has a positive impact on burning belly fat!
Get protein mostly from the following sources:
4. Eat more healthy fats
Fats? Yes, fat! At Atkins, we all know that eating fat is not the culprit in the weight loss battle and we hear about diets which banish fat. It is it is essential that you choose the right fats, high in omega 3 fatty acids.
These fats have the following health benefits:
To get enough healthy fat, we recommend you eat the following food:
5. Eat more fibre
Fibre is not only very important in digestion. They also make sure, like proteins, that you're less likely to eat again. Each day provides an extra 14 grams of fibre make you about 10% eat less. And again ensures you about four months on average 2 kilos fall off. Please note that 14 grams is on top of your normal fibre intake.
The recommended fibre intake is 30 grams per day.
Soluble fibre can mainly be found in:
Insoluble fibre is mainly found in:
It is important to have a good mix of soluble and insoluble fibre in your diet. Both have their own health benefits.
Would you immediately start to lose weight belly? Download our free weekly menus including delicious low-carb recipes!
6. Avoid (long-term) stress
Experiencing prolonged stress plays an important role in the development of abdominal fat. Research from Yale University has shown that cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, plays an important role in the accumulation of abdominal fat. This hormone increases especially when you are experiencing a lot of stress, little sleep and / or unhealthy eating.
All these things may sound easier said than done but it doesn't have to be hard, often three steps are linked:
How to burn belly fat?
If you follow these six steps, then you'll naturally burn more belly fat. And perhaps most importantly you will feel fitter, healthier and more energetic!
Do you want to lose weight or maintain your weight? Atkins is there to help you!
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