How It Works
Eating a healthy diet can help you lose belly fat, the Mayo Clinic advises. Start reading nutrition labels when you buy food, and avoid products with saturated fats. Choose polyunsaturated fats when possible. Reduce consumption of simple carbohydrates, such as white rice and refined breads, the clinic recommends. Instead, eat a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Pay close attention to calorie consumption. You must burn 3,500 extra calories to shed an extra pound of weight each week, the Mayo Clinic calculates; you can lose 2 pounds a week by burning an extra 7,000 calories. You can trim calories through diet and exercise. For example, you can cut out 1,750 calories out of your diet each week and burn an extra 1,750 calories through exercise for a 1-pound weekly weight loss.
Benefits
Stomach fat cells appear to produce hormones that are linked to insulin resistance, increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes, the Mayo Clinic explains. Losing midsection pounds through healthy diet changes may decrease your risk for diabetes; it may also reduce the risk for other serious health issues, such as cancer.
Considerations
A healthy diet plan should also include physical activity, recommends the American Heart Association. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Shed stomach fat through high-calorie-burning activities. For example, rollerblading burns 913 calories in a 60-minute session, the Mayo Clinic notes. Burn 986 calories by running for an hour at 8 miles per hour, or 730 calories with an hour of tae kwon do; playing singles tennis will burn 584 calories in an hour. Physical activity, combined with a healthy diet, will burn weight around the midsection much more quickly, and will also tighten your stomach muscles.
Misconceptions
Some people think you can target a specific area for weight loss; in fact, this is impossible. Losing weight in the midsection requires losing weight in the entire body. It’s also important to select diet plans that focus on healthy weight loss and avoid fad diets, the American Heart Association counsels. Some such diets, such as the cabbage soup diet, may result in nutritional deficiencies and health issues. The Mayo Clinic adds that a rate of 1 to 2 pounds a week is healthy for weight loss.
Warnings
Midsection weight puts you at higher risk for breast cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and colorectal cancer, the Mayo Clinic warns. Consult your doctor to examine your health and create a plan to burn midsection fat. She can create realistic goals for shedding stomach fat and improving your overall health.
