America has a habit of being obsessed with weight loss: getting a summer body, looking like an Instagram model, fitting into a wedding dress, looking like you did in college…there are a lot of reasons for people to want to lose belly fat fast. While some want weight loss for aesthetic purposes, others seek weight loss for the sake of their health.
Losing belly fat can prevent developing metabolic and heart disease, as well as diabetes, and more. For whatever reason you’re looking to eliminate some inches, we have some tips for you to help achieve that goal.
Table of Contents
1. Avoid Trans Fats
2. Cut the Refined Carbs
3. Do More Weightlifting Exercises
4. Eat More Soluble Fiber
5. Fix Your Sleep Schedule
6. Cut Back on Soda, Alcohol, & Sugary Drinks
7. Add Probiotics to Your Diet
In General, To Lose Belly Fat Fast…
1. Avoid Trans Fats
Trans fats are found naturally in some foods but can also be artificially made. Trans fats are a health risk because they raise your bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower good cholesterol (HDL) which not only increases belly fat, but also raises your risk for stroke, heart disease, heart attack, and type 2 diabetes.
Naturally occurring trans fats can be found in butterfat and the stomachs and digestive tracts of cows, sheep, and goats. Artificial trans fats are primarily found in processed foods including fried food, baked goods, shortenings, and spreads like margarine and peanut butter. Sometimes they are referred to as “partially hydrogenated oils” on nutrition labels – be sure to look for that red flag!
Though the debate continues whether naturally occurring trans fats have the same negative health effects as artificial ones, trans fats are a big culprit in abdominal weight gain, even when calories are carefully controlled. Trans fats also increase your body’s resistance to insulin which causes high blood sugar levels and increases inflammation, which also contributes to weight gain.
To cut back, avoid processed foods and replace trans fats with mono and polysaturated fats. Better foods to look for are:
- Low-fat dairy
- Unhydrogenated vegetable oils, nut butters, and seed butters
- Soft margarines
- Foods explicitly labeled “unhydrogenated” or “0 trans fat”
- Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, etc.)
- Whole grains (not multigrain or 7-grain bread)
- Naturally sweetened products (with raw honey, monk fruit, coconut sugar, etc.)
2. Cut the Refined Carbs
Carbohydrates are necessary for our body to thrive and give us the energy to function. But excess carbs – more specifically refined carbs – are more closely associated with metabolic issues and increased belly fat. You don’t need to drastically cut all carbs to have an effect either – replacing refined carbohydrates with unprocessed, starchy carb sources can be enough to help you lose belly fat fast. Focus on carbs low in sugar that are as unprocessed as possible. Examples of that would be:
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Oats
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Low-fat dairy
- Chia seeds
- Sweet potatoes
- Leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce, etc.)
- Beans
Whole grains, though rich in carbs, take longer to digest which does not spike your blood sugar and can aid in burning body fat or reducing the amount your body stores! All in all, avoiding products made with bleached flour, white rice, ice cream, sugary drinks, and store-bought pastries will do your body good.
Using the Keto Diet to Cut Out Carbs
The keto diet can be used to reduce belly fat fast by forcing your body to rely on burning stored body fat for energy instead of the carbs you eat. Using a keto meal plan is an easy way to make sure you follow the diet without having to calculate the macros yourself.
Eating less than 50g of carbs per day puts your body in a state of ketosis which leads to weight loss, reduced appetite, and stable blood sugar levels. While it’s not ideal for long-term use, it’s a great way to lose belly fat in a short amount of time if you follow the diet closely.
3. Do More Weightlifting Exercises
Many people believe that doing lots of cardio is the key to weight loss, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Strength-building exercises, particularly compound weightlifting, build body mass and burn more calories than cardio alone, even after you have finished your workout. This is because muscle tissue has a higher metabolic rate than fat, so it burns more calories overall.
A calorie deficit is indeed important for weight loss (aka burning more calories than you consume). And while cardio can help you burn more calories per session, if your goal is to target belly fat, doing consistent daily weight training can result in greater weight loss than aerobic exercises alone.
Some great examples of weightlifting and resistance training are:
- Deadlifts
- Squats
- Bench Presses
- Pushups
- Lunges
Doing a lot of abdominal exercises will also not have much of an effect on belly fat. Sit-ups and crunches are great for building muscle tone and tightening your core muscles but don’t do much to help you lose belly fat fast.
HIIT (high interval intensity training) is a great combination of resistance exercises, body-weight exercises, and cardio and has an equal or greater effect on calorie burning than cardio does. HIIT emphasizes short intervals of intense exercises alternated with low-intensity exercises and it only takes about 30 minutes to be an effective workout.
If you’re short on time and want a solid calorie-burning workout, HIIT is perfect. Overall, you should aim for about 150 minutes of exercise a week to see weight loss results.
4. Eat More Soluble Fiber
Fiber slows down the digestion process so that you feel fuller longer, and decreases the number of calories your body absorbs, much like complex carbohydrates. Eating more soluble fiber (meaning it absorbs water and forms a gel during digestion) can lead to weight loss.
Excellent places to get fiber are flax seeds, Brussels sprouts, avocados, black beans, and pears. Including these foods and other high soluble fiber foods in your diet will increase your chances of losing belly fat fast.
5. Fix Your Sleep Schedule
You’ve heard it before: sleep is the key to good health. That’s because it’s true! When it comes to losing belly fat, sleep can make or break your goals. Not getting enough quality sleep is a primary factor in weight gain, with research showing that people that get less sleep tend to gain more belly fat.
An easy way to reduce the amount of belly fat you gain and speed up belly fat loss is to get at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night.
Getting enough sleep will also ensure that you avoid craving carbs throughout the day to make up for the sleep you didn’t get. Fatigue and lack of sleep can intensify those processed food cravings which lead to overdoing carbs and calories. For belly fat loss, that’s no bueno!
6. Cut Back on Soda, Alcohol, & Sugary Drinks
Sodas and other sweetened beverages are easily the fastest way to consume more sugar than you mean. People who drink unsweetened beverages consume fewer calories on average than those that drink artificially sweetened drinks.
To avoid added sneaky sugar try drinking flavored herbal teas (unsweetened, of course), black teas and coffees, or infused waters. Green tea is a great alternative because it has the added benefit of helping improve your metabolism.
Kombucha is another great option if you want something carbonated, though the jury is still out on what kinds of health benefits it exactly has. There’s also nothing wrong with just plain old water! Drinking more water, especially before a meal, can make you feel fuller and more hydrated.
Be wary of “0 sugar” or “diet” sodas! They often replace cane sugar with artificial sweeteners like saccharin or aspartame, which is associated with all kinds of health problems, as well as leading to more calorie consumption than regular, old sugar.
7. Add Probiotics to Your Diet
Probiotics are found naturally in foods and aid in gut health and healthy digestive processes. The natural bacterium in your gut plays a role in managing weight. Probiotics in the Lactobacillus family such as Lactobacillus gasseri have been found to help with belly fat and abdominal fat loss specifically.
You can find Lactobacillus bacteria in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, sourdough, kimchi, and kombucha, as well as in yogurt, miso, tempeh, and cottage cheese. You can also take supplements to get more from this helpful bacteria family.
In General, To Lose Belly Fat Fast…
Losing weight requires lifestyle changes and there’s no single way to drop inches from your waist. A combination of the above will work best, but what works for you will be unique. Some people find that intermittent fasting works for them, and for others, cutting out certain snacks or upping their exercise routine is enough.
Talking to a doctor about your health issues and what might work for you is a surefire way to develop a solid plan to lose belly fat fast, and losing weight in general. They might recommend specific changes to your diet or exercise routine or prescribe medication in extreme cases.
In any case, be patient. The above can be used to facilitate and encourage belly fat loss, but it will always take time to make positive health changes that will last a lifetime.
