How to Lose Belly Fat

If you want a flat belly, you're gonna have to get and stay energized. People with high energy levels eat healthier, do more effective exercise, and just feel a lot better all around. Here are 3 easy steps to boost your energy and lose fat quicker:

 

1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.

 

Believe it or not, there is quite a lot of scientific evidence to show that people who get enough sleep tend to have lower levels of abdominal fat. People who get very little sleep tend to have higher levels. One theory: lack of sleep leads to messed up hormone production. The bodies of chronically tired people tend to produce more stress hormones, including the infamous "belly fat hormone" cortisol. Lack of sleep can also screw up production of leptin and insulin, two extremely important hormones that control hunger levels, blood sugar levels, and body fat storage. Most people need at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night, so do whatever it takes to get at least that amount!

 

2. Drink a lot of water.

 

Water is an amazing substance, and definitely one of your best allies in the fight against belly fat. People who drink lots of water have much higher energy levels. They also have faster and stronger metabolisms. Finally, since water is a natural appetite suppressant, drinking it in large amounts lead to less hunger and fewer food cravings. Many fitness and weight loss experts say that it's a good idea to drink a gallon of water per day when trying to shed pounds and reduce body fat levels fast. Do that if you can. If not, be sure to drink at least 70 ounces of pure water each and every day.

 

3. Eliminate energy-zapping, belly fat-creating foods.

 

Certain low-quality foods literally kill your energy levels and create new belly fat at the same time... just about every time you eat them! All junk foods -- including sodas, chips, candy, etc. -- fall into this category. They're full of empty calories and the insulin-boosting simple sugars that convert those extra calories into new layers of ugly abdominal flab while providing that energy crash everyone dreads. One of the best ways to boost energy while reducing stomach fat is to simply avoid all foods that contain simple sugars, refined "white" flours, and/or highly-refined oils (especially trans fats!).

 

 

Eat the Best Flat Belly Diet

 

Belly fat reduction is nearly impossible without a good diet. In fact, most experts agree that healthy eating is about 75% of the solution when it comes to shedding fat quickly. The good news is that if you do stick to a clean diet you can easily burn off stomach fat within a matter of weeks or even days. The best "flat belly" diet is one based around whole, natural, unprocessed foods. It contains nearly equal amounts (in terms of calories) of lean protein, healthy fats, and good carbs. This is a proven ratio for losing weight quickly, efficiently, and safely.

 

The absolute fastest diet for losing belly fat is the paleolithic -- or simply "paleo" -- diet which is based around the natural foods that can be hunted or gathered in nature. So we're talking mainly meats, fish, eggs, leafy green vegetables, nuts, large seeds, some roots/tubers, and small amounts of fresh, raw fruit. Paleo dieters avoid all simple sugars, grains, refined flours, refined oils and fats, and all refined or processed foods. When you eat a paleo diet for a few weeks your belly fat will literally melt away. Plus your energy levels will skyrocket, any health problems you may have should improve dramatically, and you'll almost definitely feel much, much better all around!

 

If you think that paleo-style eating is too much of an "extreme" diet for you there's another option. You won't lose your belly as quickly but you also won't experience the food cravings that often come from avoiding all grain foods (e.g. breads, pastas, cereals, etc). Basically, you just eat a diet based around quality proteins, healthy fats/oils (like extra-virgin olive oil, natural peanut oil, avocado, unrefined coconut oil, etc.), and minimally-processed good carbs. The best healthy carb options are 100% whole grain foods, beans, legumes, whole fresh fruits, and raw or lightly cooked vegetables.

 

On this higher-carb diet try to follow a 40/30/30 calorie ratio of carbs/protein/fat (similar to the "Zone" diet method). Eat 4-6 small meals and snacks instead of 2 or 3 big meals. Try to eat some protein about every 3 hours in order to keep energy levels high, blood sugar levels stable, and hunger levels at a minimum. You'll still lose stomach fat quickly and you won't experience a lot of strong hunger and/or food cravings. In fact, this type of diet is the key to "easy" weight loss. ;)

 

No matter what you do in terms of dieting, cut out all refined sugars, "white" flours, and highly-processed fats (especially trans fats!). And remember: the right diet will almost always lead to belly fat loss. The wrong diet will lead to slow (or even negative) results and frustration. So stick to the best diet you can at least 90% of the time and you'll get some really great results in a minimal amount of time!

 

 

The Best Exercise for Burning Stomach Fat

 

The fastest way to burn stomach fast always involves some form of effective exercise. While it is possible to lose body fat without exercise, the "skinny fat" results that come from diet-only approaches aren't what most people want. Exercise simply provides too many metabolic and hormonal benefits that you can't get from diet alone (or supplements/diet pills for that matter). Regular exercise boosts the metabolism, burns calories, tones, strengthens, and increases lean muscle mass, and even lowers stress better than any diet, drug, pill, or supplement out there!

 

The best exercise for getting rid of stubborn belly fat is interval-based cardio training combined with full-body strength training/muscle-building exercise. You can burn stomach fat much more efficiently by doing both cardio/aerobic exercise and resistance training, instead of just one or the other. Strength training is proven to help build lean muscle mass, prevent muscle loss during a dieting/calorie cutting program, boost the metabolism (more muscle = faster metabolism), and help burn off ugly abdominal fat very rapidly. Interval-based cardio training, such as HIIT (high intensity interval training), is proven to burn more body fat and less lean muscle tissue. Also, many people notice that by doing short, intense interval workouts they actually burn belly fat first, making it one of the best options for getting rid of tummy flab!

 

 

Belly Fat Supplements: The Big Three

 

Most fat loss supplements don't provide a lot of real benefits. In fact, I'd say that about 90% of the weight loss supplements on the market are total wastes of money. That being said, there are 3 relatively cheap supplements that can really help with fast, healthy fat loss. They are: whey protein, omega 3 fats (e.g. fish oil or krill oil), and quality multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplements. Whey protein is one of the best proteins you can consume and is perfect for increasing your lean protein intake easily and conveniently. Omega 3 fats are probably the healthiest of all dietary fats and provide a wide array of benefits for losing abdominal fat. Unless you eat a lot of oily fish and seafood you should definitely consider taking a good omega 3 formula. A high-quality multivitamin supplement is a simple and low-cost way to make sure your body has all the nutrients it needs to maximize its metabolism, maintain proper hormone production, and shed belly fat as fast as possible.

 

 

Conclusion

 

So there you have it: a simple guide to the best way to lose belly fat fast and naturally. All you have to do is get motivated and focused, boost your energy naturally, eat a healthy "flat belly" diet, do the best fat-burning exercises, and take a few low-cost "support" supplements. Losing tummy fat really just comes down to two things: reduce or eliminate the "junk" in your diet and do smart exercise a few times each week. If you do only those 2 things you will remove belly fat at a rapid rate. If you add in a few other things like getting plenty of sleep, drinking lots of water, and taking helpful supplements you'll lose your stomach flab even more quickly!

The Beach Body Challenge

I am pretty excited today because I will be starting the The Beach Body Challenge! It is a challenge that is open to teambeachbody.com members and coaches alike to get healthier and get healthy and fit. The grand prize is $100,000 for the best transformation and transformation story! I SO want this! It gives me about 9 months to hit my ultimate goal. This is such a huge incentive for me to finish what I have started because I know that this is something that is in my reach to achieve, and an awesome way to share my story with others.

So in my head all I am doing is the work, because I am already claiming the victory! Whether I win the grand prize or not...I have ME back! And that is what means the most to me! I feel like I will truly be a "product of the product" and people can see that Beach Body does work and they stand by their programs and products. What other company is giving away money on a daily basis to get people to work out? Ummm none of them!

So here I go world! Wish me luck! And God willing....this will be MINE!

For more info on the challenge go to www.beachbodycoach.com/brockinbody to sign up for your free account and http://www.teambeachbody.com/connect/beachbody-challenge to "commit to be fit"

Good Morning friends! I had an awesome weekend in the respect that I went shopping for a maxi dress, and after trying on different dresses and not liking the way anything fit...I found a winner...and it was a LARGE!!! Not a 2x or 3x, but a large! Who knew that I could fit into that size. It had been so long that I didn't even attempt to go to that side of the store and then thought I would try it on as a gauge of how close I was. I was so ecited, I could hardly contain myself.

I think more than anything it made me realize how hard I am on myself, and how I need not be. I mean yes, I still have some weight to go and I will get there by the end of this year...but I don't have to beat myself up for not being there already, or for what I "can't wear" I wore that dress with no sweater over it...and proud! It was an amazing feeling. Because I think I finally saw what a difference a new outfit can make in your confidence and your motivation to keep going! I can do this, I will do it and I am taking as many people with me as possible.