If you have unsightly belly fat and want to get rid of it as quickly as possible, there are certain things that can really help speed up the process. Assuming you’re trying to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way, getting rid of belly fat can only benefit your health. “A more firm overweight abdomen can be indicative of a higher level of visceral fat, which is where the fat tissue has accumulated around vital organs,” nutritionist Jenna Hope tells The Guardian. “A softer overweight abdomen indicates a higher percentage of subcutaneous fat tissue, which is where the fat tissue is closer to the skin. While it’s recommended to try to avoid both, visceral fat is believed to be a greater risk of poor health and disease later on in life.” Here are 6 shortcuts to blasting belly fat, according to experts.
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1. Try Intermittent Fasting
ShutterstockIntermittent fasting is a very effective tool for losing not just belly fat but fat all over the body. "When you don't eat, what happens in your body from a hormone standpoint is that your insulin's going to fall," says Dr. Jason Fung. "You're going to allow your body to start using the calories that are in the body. Let your body eat your body fat. That's what fasting is doing for you, and it's totally natural because that's what it's there for. That body fat is not there for looks, it’s there for you as a source, as a store of calories. So fasting just lets you use that.”
2. Eat More Fiber
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Fiber slows down digestion and helps you feel full longer. “High-fiber foods tend to be more filling than low-fiber foods, so you're likely to eat less and stay satisfied longer. And high-fiber foods tend to take longer to eat and to be less ‘energy dense,’ which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food,” says the Mayo Clinic.
3. Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods
ShutterstockUltra-processed foods are terrible for your health and your waistline. “If you look at the insulin release in processed foods versus unprocessed foods, there's a huge difference,” says Dr. Fung. “So if you eat sort of highly refined foods like white bread for example, then you're going to have a very different response in insulin compared to sort of a whole food. So unprocessed foods in general, your body knows how to handle. We've been eating them for thousands of years, but certainly anytime you eat, your insulin is going to go up. You're giving your body instructions to store energy. So the solution is to eat less often.”
4. Walk As Much As Possible
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Walking at a brisk pace is an excellent way to help burn fat, especially on an incline. “The higher you set the incline, the more energy your body is forced to use to help activate your glutes, quadriceps, and calves, all of which have to put in overtime when the incline is increased,” certified personal trainer Chrys Crockett tells NBC News. “This increase of energy burns more calories and, depending on your weight and cardiovascular endurance, can also burn more fat.”
RELATED: 8 Best Ways to Strip Away Your Unhealthiest Belly Fat.
5. Watch the Wine
iStockDrinking your calories—especially alcohol—can lead to excess weight around your abdomen. “It passes through your stomach and enters the bloodstream and the brain,” says the Cleveland Clinic. “But ultimately, alcohol must find its way to the liver, which is the only organ that knows what to do with it. There, it takes center stage. Your liver lets alcohol go to the front of the line, before other nutrients, because it simply needs to break it down into CO2 and water and get it out of your body.” It might be a good idea to avoid alcohol completely while trying to lose weight.
6. Eliminate Added Sugars
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Cut out sugar to speed up the fat-burning process. “When the body experiences inflammation and stress, the preferred storage site for fat is in and around the belly,” says Brenda Rea, MD, DrPH, PT, RD, a family and preventive medicine physician at Loma Linda University Health. “Foods like granola bars, ketchup, yogurt or breakfast cereals may also have hidden sugars. If you’re not sure if something has sugar, read the labels and look for those lesser-known names of sugar.”
