Belly fat—or abdominal fat—is a particularly dangerous fat stored around major organs such as the liver and kidneys, and is connected to a number of concerning health conditions. “Belly fat is the most dangerous kind of fat because it develops in the abdominal region and can surround internal organs,” says James de Lemos, MD, via UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Research at UT Southwestern, which was led by my former colleague Dr. Ian Neeland, has shown that this kind of fat puts people at greater risk for developing several kinds of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, liver problems, some types of cancer, and risk for sudden death.” Belly fat does not have to be a given—there are ways to get rid of it for good. While cardio burns fat, and is good for your heart and health, it’s difficult to out-exercise a bad diet.
“In terms of nutrition, while balance is good, the idea that ‘calories in must equal calories out’ is often not helpful for people,” Laura Goldberg, MD, tells UH Hospitals. “Try not to think that exercise earns you the right to eat a cookie or that eating a cookie means you must burn those ‘extra’ calories off by exercising. That’s just not realistic. If we lived that way, we’d need to run 1.5 miles or so for every cookie we ate.”
The most important method of fat-loss is first and foremost to be in a calorie deficit. One very useful tool for getting into a deficit is through intermittent fasting. Read on to find out more
RELATED: What Is Intermittent Fasting?
How Does IF Work?
ShutterstockIntermittent fasting works by forcing your body to use stored fat for energy. “Intermittent fasting contrasts with the normal eating pattern for most Americans, who eat throughout their waking hours,” neuroscientist Mark Mattson tells Johns Hopkins Health. “If someone is eating three meals a day, plus snacks, and they’re not exercising, then every time they eat, they’re running on those calories and not burning their fat stores.”
Fasting and Food Windows
ShutterstockIf you’re new to intermittent fasting, start with a reasonable eating window and ease into it. “It’s important to check with your doctor before starting intermittent fasting,” says Johns Hopkins Health. “Once you get his or her go-ahead, the actual practice is simple. You can pick a daily approach, which restricts daily eating to one six-to-eight-hour period each day. For instance, you may choose to try 16/8 fasting: eating for eight hours and fasting for 16.” Some people prefer 18/6 or even OMAD, which means one meal a day.
Intermittent Fasting and Insulin
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Intermittent fasting can impact insulin. “Insulin is a fat-storing hormone. There’s nothing wrong with that – that is simply its job,” says Jason Fung, MD. “When we eat, insulin goes up, signaling the body to store some food energy as body fat. When we don’t eat, then insulin goes down, signaling the body to burn this stored energy (body fat). Higher than usual insulin levels tell our body to store more food energy as body fat.”
Energy Balance
ShutterstockIntermittent fasting makes it easier to stay in a calorie deficit. “The weight loss effects of time-restricted eating derive primarily from achieving a negative energy balance,” says Richard Joseph, MD, via Harvard Health. “If you maintain your regular diet and then limit the time window during which you eat, it is likely that you will eat a few hundred fewer calories per day. If this is sustainable as a lifestyle, it could add up to modest weight loss (3% to 8% on average, based on current data) that can produce beneficial improvements in cardiometabolic markers such as blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and average blood sugar.”
RELATED: The 10 Best Ways to Lose 10 Pounds Fast.
Don’t Just Gorge!
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There is a caveat—if you spend your window eating too much food, especially unhealthy food, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot. “If you are overcompensating for the time restriction by gorging yourself during your eating window, it will not work as a weight loss strategy,” says Dr. Joseph. “And it may indeed backfire. The other two levers in your dietary pattern — the quantity and quality of what you eat during your eating window — still matter immensely!”
Do Resistance Training
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When you lose weight through IF, you also risk losing lean muscle. “Given the importance of lean muscle mass for revving your metabolic rate, regulating your blood sugar, and keeping you physically able overall, pairing resistance training with an intermittent fasting protocol is strongly advised,” says Dr. Joseph.
Which IF Window Is Best?
Shutterstock/kitzcornerIdeally, your fasting window should correlate with your circadian rhythm. “Limit the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm, but definitely not in the evening before bed),” says Harvard Health.
Intermittent Fasting and Disease
iStockIntermittent fasting can positively impact overall health and even help prevent disease. “Many things happen during intermittent fasting that can protect organs against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative disorders, even inflammatory bowel disease and many cancers,” Mattson says.
