How often do you wake up everyday looking in the mirror and pinching that nasty belly fat? How about when you put on a pair of pants or even jeans, only to be sucking in so you button everything up? I know, it's a pain in the butt and can be very depressing for some people. But, it doesn't have to be that way. You can take back your life and your health this very moment by making a decision to lose that belly fat once and for all. I have a lot of information available that I could give you, but that wouldn't be fair to my paying clients. So what I'm going to do is give you my top 10 tips that you need to use right away in order to start losing that belly and start getting back your life.
Are you ready? Here we go.
Tip 1: First thing you have to do is go into your refrigerator, pantry, cupboards and throw out all of the junk food. I am talking about everything! This includes cookies, candy, chips, cake, pastries, dessert, pretzels, crackers, muffins, doughnuts etc. All of this stuff is pure garbage. It's all processed junk that leads to excess belly fat. It will do you no good in the long run and can only harm you in the process. A lot of the stuff found in these foods contains toxic chemicals that have been linked to obesity, type II diabetes, and an increase risk of cancer. All bad stuff. Also, the best thing about throwing all of this junk out is that you can't eat it. Plain and simple. Out of sight and out of mind. So when you go searching through the cabinets at night because you have a craving, there is nothing there that can harm your body.
Tip 2: Go grocery shopping right away after you have thrown everything out. When you go shopping, I only want you to pick up a small list of items. I have found that in the beginning of a weight loss diet, many people do better eating the same thing each week as opposed to each day. This enables them to break into the diet much better, therefore what they becomes habit and they accept it. It's also easier and less time consuming. The only stuff I want you to get is anything that runs, swims, flies, or grows from the ground. Think about that for a second. This means buy all natural food. No processed stuff. This one thing alone will help your body break down the excess belly fat. So, only buy stuff such as chicken, fish, any type of lean meat along with vegetables and fruits. No starchy carbs.
Tip 3: Avoid white, processed, high glycemic carbohydrates. If you have a lot of belly fat on your frame, you tend to be more insulin resistant. This is why diabetics have to take insulin shots. They have forced so many carbohydrates down their stomachs that their body did not need. A result of this was they become insulin resistant and develop diabetes. Also, when carbohydrates from these type of sources are not present in your diet, your body primarily relies on body fat to fuel everyday activity. So when insulin is not released, the body starts breaking down body fat. This is exactly what we want to happen.
Tip 4: Consume protein in every meal. Each meal I want you to consume a serving of protein. This equals 3 to 4 ounces. Since you will be exercising, you will need the extra protein in your diet in order to repair your muscles that were damaged. Also, protein has been found to increase your metabolism because of it's thermic effect on the body. What this basically means is that when you consume protein, the body has a harder time of breaking it down so it has to use more total calories. Protein is actually 30% more thermogenic than carbs or fats.
Tip 5: Eat 5 - 6 times a day. If your nervous about eating this much through out the day then you can substitute 2 to 3 meals with protein shakes. They are quick, easy and provide you with around 20 grams of protein per serving. You want to eat 5 to 6 meals so you can keep your metabolism revved up through out the day.
Tip 6: Exercise at least 5 days a week. Yes that's right 4 days a week. I don't care what you do. Even if its walking. You have to be active. The more active you are the better and faster you are going to lose belly fat. A quick tip is at first, do something that you like. Some people like to walk with others, that's fine. Other people like to play sports or games of pickup basketball. That's OK too. Another good activity is biking around your town or local trails.
Tip 7: Drink as much water as possible. Water is the key to life and one of the keys to your health. If you don't drink enough water, you will become dehydrated. It only takes a 2% drop in water levels before performance suffers. Another thing about water is it helps with digestion and helps to keep everything moving and working in the body. It's also good for the skin as well.
Tip 8: Consume lots of fiber. A lot of people lack fiber in their diet because of the types of food they are eating. A reduction in fiber intake can lead to an increase in colon cancer and well as bowel problems. Fiber has also been found to reduce cholesterol and waist fat. Another good thing about fiber is it keeps you feeling full all day long. By feeling full all day long, you have a decreased likely hood of giving into cravings. Great places to get a lot of fiber are oatmeal, beans, yams, berries, broccoli, avocados, nuts, and apples.
Tip 9: Have a buddy system in place. Having a solid foundation or circle of people that you can rely on when dieting is such an advantage over someone else who is doing it all alone. Having a team is like anything else in the world that you want to be successful at because its an essential trait to successful people. A buddy system will push you through your workouts and will keep you accountable for your actions. You can even make a friendly game or competition out of the whole thing. That will really fuel motivation.
Tip 10: Don't be too hard on yourself. I know this sounds too simple, but its true. If you have a bad day or slip on your diet a little bit, don't beat up yourself. No one is perfect all the time and neither will you be. Just jump back up on that horse and keeping heading down the road of success.
