5 Effective tips to lose belly fat

Visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat, is considered dangerous as it is the fat stored in the abdominal cavity and many vital organs, like the stomach. Such fat may lead to diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease and even cancers. Here are 5 tips to help you get rid of belly fat easily to maintain a healthier life.

1. Eat more protein
2. Low-carb Diet
3. Exercise for belly fat
4. Get more sleep, reduce stress
5. Massage belly fat away

What causes belly fat in females?

By starting with, let’s have a concept of body fat. There are 2 main types of body fat:

• Visceral fat (belly fat):  protects abdominal organs like the liver
• Subcutaneous fat(under the skin): protects the whole body

Because of genetics, females tend to store more visceral fat than males. During menopause, the estrogen levels will decrease and lead to fat being stored in the abdomen.

How do You Gain Belly Fat

So, how did you get belly fat? Your age, diet habits, lifestyle, stress level and genes matter. These are the reasons that cause weight gain and decrease your metabolism to burn fat.

Drinking excess alcohol and a poor diet like low protein, high-carb and sugary food contributes a lot to weight gain. Especially when you lack enough exercise, you may consume more calories than your need, so your body will transfer these extra calories as body fat.

Stress and poor sleep also affect your steroid hormone and lead to unhealthy eating behaviours. Apart from that, according to scientific research, genes will affect a person’s behaviour and metabolism. Therefore, the family history of obesity or genes plays a part in whether you will get belly fat easily or not.

How much fat is normal on the belly?

There are several ways to calculate and measure whether your belly fat is too much or not.

• Waist measurement
  • Men: 40 inches or less
  • Women: 35 inches or less
• Waist-to-hip ratio (W circumference ÷ H circumference.)
  • Men: 0.96-1.0
  • Women: 0.81-0.85

If you have high levels of belly fat, it may increase the risk of life-threatening diseases, including:

• type 2 diabetes
• heart disease or heart attack
• high blood pressure
• cancer
• stroke

Now, scroll to read the 5 tips to get rid of belly fat.

#1 Eat more protein

Good choices of protein include:

• Meat
• Eggs
• Milk
• Beans
• Salmon
• Fish

It is found that protein can reduce the level of hunger and improve your metabolism, which can result in weight loss and visceral fat loss. It is suggested to add a source of protein at each meal to increase the protein intake.

#2 Low-carb Diet

To get rid of visceral fat, starting low-carb diets is considered as an effective way. You can follow the keto diet as your plan that lower the carb intake and replace it with fat, such as natural fats, cheese, seafood and vegetable. Additionally, you can lose more visceral fat by following the low-carb diet than the low-fat diet.

#3 Aerobic exercise and workout for belly fat

Exercise is always the key to losing weight and burning calories. For visceral fat loss, it is suggested to try aerobic exercise at least two to three times per week, including brisk walking, jogging or running. Regular exercise with a healthy diet can reduce visceral fat and achieve your goals effectively.

Watch and follow the videos to do the workout for a flat tummy.

#4 Get more sleep, reduce stress

Lack of sleep and getting stress and anxiety are the causes of visceral fat. Those will lead to overeating and increase visceral fat storage. It is totally harmful to our health. Trying to get enough sleep and relieve stress, you can do more exercise, yoga and meditation to relax your body and mind. Or just simply spending more family and friends time could reduce your stress level and sleep better at night.

#5 Massage belly fat away

Massaging your belly provides stimulating effects on your digestive organs. It can ease constipation, nausea and boost your metabolism, blood circulation. Better circulation leads to better metabolism, which helps you burn more calories. And that’s how belly massage works!

Perform the belly massage just before bed:
1. Lie on your back on a flat firm surface.
2. Warm your hands by rubbing them together vigorously for 30 seconds.
3. Apply any oils that you’re using.
4. Place the palms flat on both sides of your belly button.
5. Begin to slowly rub your belly with gentle pressure in clockwise around your belly button.
6. Continue for 50 circles.