When it comes to losing weight, one of the main priorities (and difficulties), whether we are talking about men or women, is knowing how to lose belly fat.
The accumulation of abdominal fat is quite common, simultaneously affecting health and self-esteem. Although the elevation of body fat to excessive levels is always harmful, the truth is that the place where it accumulates will have different consequences for health, in the medium and long term.
HOW TO LOSE BELLY: 7 ESSENTIAL STEPS
Although fat loss is general and not localized, some strategies will help you reduce your abdominal volume.
First of all, it is important to make it clear that, for fat loss to occur, there must be a caloric deficit, expending more energy than what is consumed through food.
Without a negative energy balance, fat loss (slimming) will not occur. For all these steps to be successful, you must consult a nutritionist who will help you define a food plan suited to your individual energy needs, possible pathologies/allergies/intolerances, tastes, and day-to-day life.
Consume more fiber and water
Often, a larger abdominal volume, although it may be caused by the accumulation of fat due to a caloric surplus (when the calories ingested exceed those spent), can also be caused by a malfunction in the intestine.
When constipation exists, the likelihood of abdominal bloating (and discomfort) is greater.
An increase in the consumption of foods rich in fiber, which include fruits, vegetables, cereals, and seeds such as chia or flaxseed, is associated with a good water intake (1.5L to 2L per day, on average, despite the needs are variable according to the characteristics of each individual), are essential to good intestinal functioning.
Although discomfort and abdominal distention (swelling) are often associated with the consumption of a certain food it may be a situation of intestinal dysbiosis. That is an imbalance between beneficial bacteria and those that are harmful to our body.
In this way, our intestinal microbiota, the set of bacteria that inhabit our intestine, may lose the ability to properly digest a certain food, which may result in intolerance and even other health problems such as a greater predisposition to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression.
Scientific evidence indicates that the consumption of probiotics even seems to improve lactose tolerance, reducing, as a consequence, the resulting symptoms. In addition, it also appears to improve symptoms such as abdominal bloating that affect individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
A diet rich in processed foods, with excessive amounts of fat, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and low consumption of vegetables is associated with an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota.
Modulation of the microbiota by taking probiotics not only improves intestinal symptoms (and consequently abdominal volume) but also seems to be associated with a reduction in body weight and adiposity.
In this sense, it may be important to take probiotics, supplements that contain live bacteria in their constitution, as well as the consumption of probiotic foods including yogurt, kefir, and other fermented drinks.
By promoting muscle mass gain, protein promotes an increase in the body’s energy expenditure at rest (basal metabolic rate), thus aiding in the loss of fat mass.
In addition, its consumption is also beneficial in terms of satiety, being the macronutrient with the greatest impact on appetite control, even having a greater thermic effect on food, that is, more energy (calories) is spent for its process of metabolism than in the case of carbohydrates and fat.
In this way, protein also assumes great importance in weight loss that also extends to the abdominal area.
Bet on foods rich in protein such as dairy products (ideally in lean versions and, depending on tolerance, with or without lactose), meat, fish, eggs, legumes, and fatty fruits such as pine nuts, peanuts, and walnuts.
Follow the Mediterranean diet
Adherence to a typically Mediterranean dietary pattern, where the consumption of unsaturated fats predominates, which we find in olive oil or fatty fruits, such as nuts, for example, a moderate consumption of meat and fish and a high consumption of cereals, vegetables, and fruits, appears to have a potential role in reducing waist circumference, visceral fat, and central obesity.
Furthermore, it is known that this dietary pattern has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with a recognized protective effect concerning cardiovascular risk.
Reduce salt intake
Salt, in addition to increasing the risk of diseases such as high blood pressure, which affects 3 out of 10 people, also contributes to greater fluid retention, aggravating distension, including in the abdominal area.
In this way, reducing its intake, by using a smaller amount for seasoning, achieved through aromatic herbs and spices and the habituation of the taste itself and, at the same time, lower consumption of processed foods such as canned foods, fat broths, and sausages, will be essential to help you lose belly fat.
In addition, once again, adequate hydration is essential, this time by promoting greater excretion of water and thus reducing retention and swelling. Although it seems counterintuitive, drinking more water is essential for improving fluid retention.
Pay attention to body signals
Although intolerances are less frequent than is often thought, these situations can indeed exist, and you must be aware of any symptoms, particularly those of the intestinal tract, after eating certain foods.
You should test by eliminating and reintroducing certain foods/drinks, to understand which ones may effectively cause some type of symptom such as abdominal swelling, gas, or fullness.
However, great care is needed when eliminating foods or beverages without an established diagnosis, as is the case with foods containing gluten, which should only be removed from individuals with celiac disease or non-celiac intolerance to gluten, cases that must be diagnosed through examinations and medical study.
Even though gluten or even lactose is often blamed for discomfort and abdominal swelling, many times the causes may be other, running the risk of causing nutritional deficits with the withdrawal of food without proven need.
Be physically active
The practice of physical activity, although it does not promote localized fat loss, is also essential in losing belly fat.
By increasing energy expenditure through exercise, the calories/energy expended will more easily exceed energy intake, creating a negative energy balance, essential for weight loss.
On the other hand, greater physical activity improves intestinal functioning, facilitating evacuation and reducing abdominal swelling, along with a good intake of fiber and water, as already mentioned.