Nowadays health and fitness are all the rage, and many people are looking for different ways they can get into shape and lose a bit of weight.
Excess weight on your belly can be a particularly annoying problem, and it can be difficult to know how to target that area. It can be so hard trying out a new diet, as it often involves cutting out a huge amount of food and feeling hungry and unsatisfied.
This is an unsustainable way of losing weight, and even if it helped you for a little while, you are likely to stray, binge and then potentially gain back any weight you have lost. It can also be a huge hassle trying to do loads of exercise and attempting to get to the gym every day.
Well, you don’t need to worry about crazy fad diets or unrealistic exercise routines, as this article will have you covered. Do you want to lose that pesky belly fat quickly in a way that allows you to still live a nice, lazy life? Well, keep reading.
#1 Drink Lots of Water
You have probably heard this thousands of times, but that is because it is very true. One of the best ways to lose belly fat is to make sure you drink lots of water.
Water helps to flush out toxins from the body, and generally helps to keep things moving to prevent you from getting bloated or holding onto excess fat in your belly. It also boosts your metabolism and so makes your body better able to break down fat.
Water also helps you to lose belly fat because it can keep you feeling fuller for longer. When you feel like you want to snack, have a big glass of water instead. You might realise you aren’t actually very hungry anymore, and that really you were just thirsty. This helps to prevent you from eating when you don’t need to, and therefore can help you to lose weight.
#2 Eat Lots of Fibre
Another great way to help you lose weight around your belly area is to try and stick to eating foods that are high in fibre. Soluble fibre in particular is what you need. This works because the fibre mixes with water in your stomach and turns into a gel, which helps to improve your digestion and keep you feeling fuller for longer.
You are therefore likely to stop eating sooner, and so will consume fewer calories which will help you to lose weight. It also helps to promote healthy bacteria in your gut, which studies have actually shown has a link to reduced belly fat.
Soluble fibre is found in lots of different types of food including apples, strawberries, oats and potatoes.
#3 Get Plenty of Sleep
This is something else that you will have definitely been told multiple times. But it really is so important that you get plenty of good quality sleep every night. It is the perfect method of weight loss for a lazy girl, as you can literally lose belly fat from bed. Sounds great, right?!
It works because getting lots of sleep helps to boost your metabolism, which improves your body’s ability to burn fat.
Furthermore, a lack of sleep can negatively affect your brain and make you more likely to make bad decisions such as snacking or bingeing on unhealthy foods. It has also been proven that if you are running on less sleep then you are more likely to reach for foods that are higher in carbs and fat.
So, make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep a day, and it will help to boost your metabolism and make you less likely to snack on unhealthy foods. This will therefore help you to lose weight, especially around your belly.
#4 Eat Lots of Protein
Many studies have shown that eating lots of protein can actually help to reduce belly fat by 10%! This is such an easy way to lose a significant amount of weight, as all you have to do is switch out some of the more unhealthy foods you are eating, for ones that are higher in protein. So, in your lunches and dinner you can try incorporating more chicken. An extra lazy way to get lots of protein is to have protein shakes, as they give you a good amount of protein in just one drink!
It is also known that if you eat protein before bed then it can significantly increase your metabolism. This, as mentioned previously, can help to improve your body’s ability to burn body fat, and is especially effective at reducing belly fat.
However, we don’t recommend you going crazy with the protein intake, just taking the right amount as per your weight and age will do. Excessive protein is bad for the kidneys. If you have kidney problems, consult with your doctor about your protein intake.
#5 Don’t Drink your Calories
A key way to help you lose weight around your belly is to avoid drinks that have a lot of calories, especially fizzy drinks such as coca cola. It doesn’t even matter if the drink is still diet, you need to avoid any sort of drink that isn’t water, a protein shake or a detox drink like Green Tea.
This is because drinks like coca cola won’t fill you up, so you will keep eating more after. The drinks themselves contain a huge amount of sugar and calories, so your calorie intake will significantly increase, and you are more likely to gain fat. Carbonated drinks also induce bloating which gives you the appearance of more belly fat.
One study showed that people who drank carbonated drinks had waist sizes 6 times bigger than those who didn’t. So, as tempting as they can be, try and stay away from them.
#6 Eat Smaller Portions
The easiest way to lose belly fat is to eat smaller portions for all your meals. Whatever is put in front of you at dinner, you are likely to eat it all as that is just how our brains work. Therefore, if we have a full plate with too much food on, we have the tendency to eat the whole thing even if we start to feel full.
However, if you serve yourself a smaller portion, you can finish it and then you can really tell if you are still hungry or not. It gives you more time to take note of if you are full, so prevents you from overeating and from consuming too many calories.
So, there you have 6 easy ways to lose belly fat that is perfect for if you like being a little bit lazy and are a bit of a couch potato. Follow these steps every single day and you’ll notice your stomach flattening in no time!
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