Visceral fat is true fat in the abdomen. It causes your waistline to expand over time, and it can have dangerous health implications. This type of fat isn’t gained or lost overnight. You must transition yourself to a belly-flattening lifestyle to gradually lose visceral fat and keep it off for good.
Treat the plan as a lifestyle, not another diet
The Belly Fat Diet isn’t really a diet. Don’t think of this plan as a diet; think of it as the Belly Fat Lifestyle.
Lifestyle changes are just what they sound like — changes you make and keep for life. This little secret of the Belly Fat Diet sets it apart from most of the other diets out there.
This diet isn’t a short-term fix. In other words, you don’t keep a one-month commitment and go back to your old habits. If you just want to drop weight quickly in a few weeks (and then regain it all plus more the next month), this plan isn’t for you.
If you start out making too many changes at once or being too restrictive, you may find that the changes become almost impossible to stick with, causing you to go back to your old habits. If you start out of the gate sprinting, you’ll burn out before you reach the finish line. Gradually adjust your eating habits to promote health along with weight loss for life.
If you follow the Belly Fat Diet the way it’s designed, you aren’t going to feel restricted, and you aren’t going to give up all your favorite foods permanently. However, you are going to figure out how to make simple changes to your current diet that will provide you with fantastic, long-term results!
Fight belly fat by eating the right foods
As you transition into a belly-flattening lifestyle, you need to make a few key dietary changes. You can make these changes gradually over time. The more regularly you stick with these changes, the better your results:
Consume an adequate amount of fiber per day. Aim for a minimum of 30 grams of fiber daily. Fiber provides you with a sense of satiety without any calories. Increasing your fiber intake helps stabilize blood sugar, control cravings, and prevent overeating — all things that help promote weight loss and flatten your belly.
Consume an adequate amount of healthy fat each day. Dietary fat doesn’t equal belly fat. Healthy fats in the diet, mainly monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, have been shown to help promote a decrease in belly fat. But portion control is still key here. Even though these fats are healthy, they’re still rich in calories.
Consume an adequate amount of lean protein. Lean proteins — which include animal proteins like chicken breast and fish as well as plant-based proteins like tofu and beans — are what make up the majority of your muscle. Without enough dietary protein each day, you may begin to lose muscle mass as you lose weight, which can slow your metabolism.
Increase your intake of whole fruits and vegetables. Vegetables and fruits are not only rich in filling fiber, but they’re also loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals. Certain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, have been linked with reducing belly fat by helping to regulate stress hormones in the body. They’re also rich in minerals like potassium, which helps to expel excess water from the body, slimming the belly.
Drink up! Drinking at least 8 cups of water per day helps keep you hydrated, gives you increased energy, and helps prevent water retention that can bloat your belly. Drinking adequate amounts of fluid also helps with appetite regulation, promoting weight loss.
Avoid some instant belly-bloating foods:
Carbonated beverages
Gassy vegetables
Gum
High-sugar drinks
Trans fats
White flour
Know that slip-ups are part of the process
When transitioning to a belly-flattening lifestyle, you want to keep in mind that slip-ups are unavoidable. No one is perfect with food intake every day (and those who are tend to burn themselves out over time, which can lead to even more poor food choices).
So if you get off track at times, just relax. You won’t undo all your hard work with just one meal or in just one day. Simply investigate why this slip-up occurred (maybe you waited too long to eat and caused a poor food choice, for example), and then pick right back up where you left off.
Making lifestyle changes takes time and hard work, but if you pull yourself back together when you get a bit sidetracked, you can achieve your goals not only for a short period of time, but for life!