How to Lose Belly Fat!

How to lose belly fat?  Well, the problem with belly fat, is that a lot of times it comes off last.  So for most, we will work hard for a while, stay consistent for a short period of time and then not see the results we want.  For anyone wanting to know how to lose belly fat, this is great info!

Do you feel like you are doing everything “right” but it isn’t happening fast enough? Before you give up understand THESE things?

First Way How to Lose Belly Fat – Make a Plan

♥-It takes a 3500 calorie DEFICIT to lose one pound of fat. To lose an average of 2 lbs a week you need to burn or deplete 7000 calories. Two pounds of fat loss a week may not seem like a lot but that is 104 lbs in a YEAR! Now you may vary slightly, but losing “30 lbs in a month” of FAT is probably not the best for your body. You are losing MUSCLE mass at that point and you WILL rebound from that, gaining back fat, as muscle takes a lot more work to build.

So, start with a plan.  My Fitness Pal has both a great website and app that work wonderfully for counting calories and macros.  Macros are your main nutrients that food provide you.  Protein, fat and carbohydrates.  We are not going to break those down today, but I will in the future.  I am a phone girl and love this app.  It let’s me look back quickly at what I had the previous days and where I am at throughout the day.  They have a barcode scanner that works amazingly well.  Overall it really is a game changer and keeps us on the right path as we learn how to lose belly fat.

Talk to people.  Seriously, don’t be afraid to talk and reach out to people that you know try to eat healthy.  When I started this journey I knew nothing compared to what I know now, but I had to start.  My husband and I tried lots of different things and had successes and failures.  We still do!!  We are always learning!  There are people that know much more than me!  That doesn’t stop me from trying to be the best I can…which takes a plan.  So, write down what you are planning on doing and stick to it.  And if you fall off the plan one day, jump back on the next and know that there are 365 days in a year!!  It’s a war, and we want to win more daily battles than we lose…that’s where we will see the change.

Second way how to lose belly fat – Nutrition

♥-I want to start of this section making a brief point about “water weight”. Losing excess water and bloat is NOT a bad thing. Many are so bloated from poor processed food diets high in sodium and allergens. That excess water usually comes off week one, in addition to fat, on a healthy plan, which is why there is a greater loss week one of starting a program. Starvation and severe calorie restriction will NOT work. If you eat too little too frequently, you WILL train your body to STORE fat. Output must exceed input! If you eat more calories than you burn, you WILL GAIN weight. Period. YES, you should be eating protein, the right carbohydrates, and healthy fats, but PORTIONS still matter. Too many calories of ANY type of food will cause you to gain weight. If it sounds too good to be true, then it IS too good to be true. The only way to LOSE FAT and to keep it off is to workout hard and EAT unprocessed natural foods.

This fully ties into one’s nutrition.  If you want to know how to lose belly fat, you have to be willing to really take a hard look at what you’re eating.  I can have 1700 calories a day of junk, such as chips, candy, fruit, bread, which are high in carbohydrates, or just one piece of fruit, one piece of bread and fill in my other portions with leafy greens, Shakeology, lean meats, and other healthy variety of foods.  Your daily intake of food makes all the difference.  We all need healthy fats in our diet.  For example, avocados, nuts of all variety are going to be a healthy sort of fat.  But adding in ice cream daily, which can be broken down into calories just like almonds, can really make a difference in how to lose belly fat.  One is healthy and gives you necessary nutrition, the other just hurts your body.

One of the main things you need to remember is that water is your best friend…..and lots of it!!  Not a glass here or there, but a plan to drink at least half your body weight in ounces per day.  I weigh around 140lbs…..yep, I told you my weight…. and I try to drink at least 80 ounces of water a day.  It keeps me hydrated, my body functions better and think more clearly.  I also find that I have a lot more energy.  The biggest benefit has been that I always feel less bloated and my belly looks trimmer.  Seems weird, but that’s the way it works!

Third Way how to lose belly fat – Workout…..Hard

♥-You have to WORK when you “workout”. I know what the magazines say: long walks in the park, doing laundry and household chores, lifting your groceries are all forms of exercise. They are all movement and that is great for a healthy lifestyle but to CHANGE your body you need more than that. Unless you are working out with intensity (intensity for you whatever that is) and unless you continually PROGRESS and CHALLENGE yourself you will not make changes to your body.

This means that you have to push yourself for 25-50 minutes 4-6 times per week.  And this means making your body sweat to the point you will need to wash your clothes!  The reason I chose to work with Beachbody was because I find that the at home workouts give me much less excuse not to do my daily workout.  I get a daily schedule, nutrition guide, Superfood shake and have a great plan of attack!

So, go make a plan.  Start learning a lot about nutrition and healthy options.  Then go work your booty off!  As you go through this process you will learn how to lose belly fat.  It is such a tough area on all of us and there is no shortcut for anyone.  You just have to work hard and make it a lifestyle!  I love helping others along this journey. I am always in the journey as well, in my own life! I will never reach a peak! I am always growing and changing, learning from others. If you do need some motivation…reach out, I love helping people! I believe I have the tools for us to succeed in this process and never ending battle, but you have to reach out and make the effort to connect!  Email me at [email protected] with the Subject line “Looking for a change!”. Then tell me a bit about what you’re looking to change! I look forward to learning from you as you take the steps to see major changes!  Thanks!