Belly fat isn’t just a problem because it can look bad.

In fact, having too much belly fat is strongly linked to diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

For this reason, losing belly fat has massive benefits for your health and can help you live longer.

Belly fat is usually estimated by measuring the circumference around your waist. This can easily be done at home with a tape measure.

Anything over 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women is known as abdominal obesity.

If you have a lot of excess fat around your waist, then you need to take some steps to get rid of it even if you are not overweight in general.

Fortunately, there are some proven strategies that have been shown to target fat in the belly area more than other areas of the body.

Here are 5 evidence-based ways to lose belly fat:

Do not eat sugar and avoid sweet drinks
Added sugar is very unhealthy.

Studies show that it has unique detrimental effects on metabolic health.

Sugar is half glucose, half fructose, and fructose can only be metabolized by the liver in significant amounts.

When you eat too much added sugar, the liver becomes overloaded with fructose and is forced to turn it into fat.

Numerous studies have shown that excess sugar, mainly due to large amounts of fructose, can lead to increased fat accumulation in the abdomen and liver.

Some believe that this is the main mechanism behind the harmful effects of sugar on health. It increases belly fat and fatty liver, which leads to insulin resistance and a host of metabolic problems.

Liquid sugar is even worse in this regard. Liquid calories are not “registered” by the brain in the same way as solid calories, so when you drink sugary drinks, you end up eating more calories.

Studies show that sugary drinks are linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity in children, for each daily serving.

Merrni një vendim për të minimizuar sasinë e sheqerit në dietën tuaj dhe merrni parasysh eliminimin e plotë të pijeve me sheqer.

Kjo përfshin pije sheqer-të ëmbël, pije të gazuara , lëngje frutash dhe pije të ndryshme sportive me sheqer të lartë.

Mbani në mend se asnjë nga këto nuk vlen për të gjithë frutat, të cilat janë jashtëzakonisht të shëndetshme dhe kanë mjaft fibra që lehtësojnë efektet negative të fruktozës.

Sasia e fruktozës që merrni nga frutat është e papërfillshme në krahasim me atë që merrni nga një dietë e lartë në sheqer të rafinuar.

Nëse dëshironi të ndërpreni përdorimin e sheqerit të rafinuar, atëherë duhet të filloni të lexoni etiketat. Edhe ushqimet e tregtuara si ushqime shëndetësore mund të përmbajnë sasi të mëdha të sheqerit.

Eating more protein is a great long-term strategy to reduce belly fat
Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to weight loss.

It has been shown to reduce cravings by 60%, boost metabolism by 80-100 calories per day, and help you eat up to 441 fewer calories per day.

If weight loss is your goal, then adding protein is probably the single most effective change you can make to your diet.

Not only will it help you lose, but it will also help you avoid weight regain if you ever decide to give up on your weight loss efforts.

There is also some evidence that protein is particularly effective against belly fat.

One study showed that the amount and quality of protein consumed was inversely related to belly fat. That is, people who ate more and better protein had much less belly fat.

Another study showed that protein was associated with significantly reduced risk of gaining belly fat over a 5-year period.

This study also showed that carbohydrates and refined oils were associated with increased amounts of belly fat, but fruits and vegetables were associated with reduced amounts.

Many of the studies showing protein to be effective had protein at 25-30% of calories. This is what you should aim for.

So make an effort to increase your intake of high-protein foods, such as eggs, fish, seafood, legumes, nuts, meat and dairy products. These are the best sources of protein in the diet.

If you struggle with getting enough protein in your diet, then a quality protein supplement (like whey protein) is a healthy and convenient way to increase your total.

Bonus tip: Consider prepping your food with coconut oil. Some studies have shown that 30 ml (about 2 tablespoons) of coconut oil per day reduces belly fat.

Cut out carbohydrates in your diet
Restricting carbohydrates is a very effective way to lose fat.

This is supported by numerous studies. When people cut carbs, their appetite decreases and they lose weight.

Over 20 randomized controlled studies have now shown that low-carb diets lead to 2-3 times more weight loss than low-fat diets.

This is true even when the low-carb groups are allowed to eat as much as they want, while the low-fat groups are restricted and starved.

Low carb diets also lead to rapid reductions in water weight, which gives people instant results. A change in mass is often seen within 1-2 days.

There are also studies comparing low-carb and high-fat diets, showing that low-carb diets specifically target fat in the belly, and around the organs and liver.

What this means is that a particularly high percentage of fat lost on a low carb diet is dangerous and promotes belly fat.

Just avoiding refined carbohydrates (sugar, candy, white bread, etc.) should be enough, especially if you keep your protein intake high.

However, if you need to lose weight quickly, then consider dropping your carbs to 50 grams per day. This will put your body into ketosis, killing your appetite and making your body start burning mainly fats.

Of course, low carb diets have many other health benefits besides just weight loss. For example, they may have rescue effects in type 2 diabetics.

Eat foods rich in fiber, especially coarse fiber
Dietary fiber is mostly undigested plant matter.

It is often said that eating more fiber can help with weight loss.

This is true, but it is important to note that not all fibers are created equal.

It seems to be primarily soluble and coarse fiber that has an effect on your weight.

These are fibers that bind water and form a thick gel that “sits” in the intestine.

This gel can dramatically slow the movement of food through your digestive system and slow down the digestion and absorption of nutrients. The end result is a prolonged feeling of fullness and reduced appetite.

One review study found that an additional 14 grams of fiber per day was associated with a 10% decrease in calorie intake and a 2 kg weight loss over 4 months.

In a 5-year study, eating 10 grams of soluble fiber per day was associated with a 3.7% reduction in the amount of abdominal fat.

What this means is that soluble fiber can be particularly effective in reducing harmful belly fat.

The best way to get more fiber is to eat lots of plant foods like vegetables and fruits. Legumes are also a good source, as well as some whole grains like oats.

Then you can also try taking a fiber supplement like glucomannan. This is one of the densest dietary fibers in existence, and has been shown to cause weight loss in several studies.

Exercises are very effective in reducing belly fat
Exercise is important for a variety of reasons.

It is among the best things you can do if you want to live a long, healthy life and avoid disease.

A list of all the wonderful health benefits of exercise is beyond the scope of this article, but exercise appears to be effective in reducing belly fat.

However, keep in mind that I am not talking about abdominal exercises here. Spot reduction (losing fat in one place) is not possible, and doing endless amounts of abdominal exercises will not make you lose belly fat.

In one study, 6 weeks of training only the abdominal muscles had no measurable effect on waist circumference or the amount of abdominal fat.

Having said that, other types of exercise can be very effective.

Aerobic exercise (such as walking, running, swimming, etc.) has been shown to cause large reductions in belly fat in many studies.

Another study found that exercise completely prevented people from regaining belly fat after losing weight, implying that exercise is especially important during weight maintenance.

Exercise also leads to reduced inflammation, lower blood sugar levels, and improvements in all the other metabolic abnormalities associated with excess belly fat.