Whats a Proven Way to Drop Belly Fat?

I once went to a women's fitness retreat and a woman there gave a presentation showing the math. Exercise is great, but the biggest thing is just to consistently eat less calories. It's almost all in what/how much you eat when it comes to losing weight. My step sister swears by not eating wheat products and sugar. She still eats carbs...but whole grain type carbs and much less than she used to eat. I have had good luck with large muscle group weight lifting (free weights) in the past. Good luck!!

They say that if you can see exercise as a thing with instant gratification, i.e. you feel less crabby and more energized if you exercise, then you are more prone to do it, than if you do it for the long term goals of weightloss.

Similarly, if you can see diet as a thing with instant gratification, i.e. I feel bloated and sluggish if I eat fries and dessert. My skin looks better when I drink more water.

See if you can work on changing your attitude towards diet & exercise and it might help you effectively loose weight and belly fat.

Best,
F. B.

Burn more calories than you consume. Eat less, move more. That's the only thing that really works. There is no maguic pill or serum that wuill make you lose weight.

Belly fat is always LAST to go. Therefore, if you need to lose 10-20 pounds, for most people, it's in the belly!!! But that doesn't mean you need to TARGET your belly. I'm always yo-yoing 10 pounds on my belly. I've lost it countless times...and it creeps back...and I beat it back down:

Target your biggest muscle groups for most calorie burn : GLUTES!!! SQUATS!!! Pushups, lots of leg stuff....the big calorie burn and muscle work triggers allover fat loss. Core work too certainly to firm up that core and define the muscles that are UNDER the belly. But core work alone is not enough.

Clean, fresh diet. "Fit For Life" by Diamond (amazon) from 80's rapidly drops weight and makes it easy to maintain slimness with healthy eating. I lost 20 pounds on it in one month 4 years ago and then stayed effortlessly thin doing it for 3 years. Then I fell off the wagon, put weight back on this winter...and lost it AGAIN with exercise and Fit For Life eating. I'm 45.

My favorite exercise is always changing, but you basically need muscle work (weights, any of Chalene's Beachbody DVDs, Piyo, Turbo Fire, gym classes) and ALSO cardio like long fast walks, Zumba, spin classes. Both are needed. Muscle work AND cardio. For me, doing only either or never works. The last weight you'll lose is always the belly. So don't give up. It will go away.

Sleep. Water. Get the book Fit For Life. You'll lose 20 pounds in NO TIME eating healthy food in right combos at right times without calorie restriction.

Also, google your weight loss calorie count for your BMI and count calories for a few days with food journal. I know it's a healthy lifestyle no no, and I USUALLY don't count calories, but SOMETIMES when I REALLY need to buckle down, it helps A LOT to realize it's not that it's so HARD to lose weight, it's just that I'm EATING MORE THAN I THOUGHT...

I do 30-40 minutes of muscle work ( Chalene DVDs, gym classes-maybe your wii if it's strenuous enough) 3-4 times per week (to lose weight, less to maintain) and ALSO nightly long walks 3-4 times a week. Like a strength workout in morning, and some cardio at night. Spreading all workouts out over 4-6 days per week...less once I've lost the weight.

It's basic math, sadly, so unless you are burning a LOT of calories you've simply got to eat less.
For example, you need to run for about an hour to burn the calories from a single candy bar.
I don't know about you but I'd rather skip the candy bar (or cheeseburger or whatever) and NOT run for an hour!
So get some exercise and cut your calories. Walk, ride a bike, swim, work in the yard, get outside and enjoy the summer!
And when you get a craving for something fatty, get half as much, or order a kids' size.
And don't keep your trigger foods in the house. For example I can't keep potato chips or ice cream around because I will devour it all in one sitting :-(

Famine.

Although exercise is good for you in so many ways - I find it does NOTHING to help me lose weight.
It helps me sleep better - but that's about it.
So you have to reduce calories in a way that keeps you satisfied.
If you have to eat any carbs try to make them complex carbs (oat bran, whole wheat (if you're not gluten phobic), etc).
Drink lots of water - stay away from 'diet' anything (artificial sweeteners are so bad for you), watch your salt intake (apparently too much salt makes it tough for your liver to work properly).

ETA: I ran into the other coworker yesterday. She lost another 50 pounds. She told me she started doing Yoga and the pounds really started coming off once she got comfortable and better at it. Said it took about a month of 4 times a week Yoga to "not fall on my arse" as she put it. She also told me she added weight training 2 times a week and does cardio 3 or 4 times a week depending on her schedule. She is now just maintaining her loss and does not worry if she misses a workout.

I have a former coworker/friend that studied to be a nutritionist. She lost over 100 pounds using Weight Watchers. With that experience and her studies, she found the best way to rid belly fat was to greatly reduce if not totally eliminate sugar. Also, cut carbs. Another coworker follwoed her advice for the most part--went from drnking 2 cans of Pepsi a day to once a week, dessert on days with her parents and only half of it, very thin bread rather than thicker that she loves, etc. She lost over 60 pounds. She fell back to old habits and got back the belly. She cut the sugar again and had no problem getting rid of it and keeping it off.

As for exercise, while you can do exercises to work the muscles like planks etc, you need overall cardio to really reduce weight.

if you're just hoping to lose the fat in your belly, well, there's nothing. you can't spot-reduce. we've all tried for years.
exercise is great, it'll tone you up underneath the fat, but the only way to lose the fat is to watch your intake, and be aware of your own metabolism's pitfalls. i can eat olive oil until the cows come home, but sweets (which are my achilles heel) and processed foods balloon me up like the michelin man.
:( khairete
S.

I recently posted a question in a similar vein - I am trying to slim down so I can wear a 2 piece on vacation. I got lots of great responses and so far, although I haven't lost much weight in the last week (about 2 lbs), my stomach is flatter and I look thinner.

I am drinking more water (my weight divided by 2 is how many ounces I drink a day). I have greatly reduced my carb intake and when I do have carbs, they are the "good" kind. No dairy of any kind. No "bad" snacks of any kind (my downfall is salty things). Nothing after dinner other than water. I watch my calorie and salt intake (mostly making sure that I am burning more calories in a day than I am taking in). So far, I really haven't been compelled to "cheat" - I even made a Death by Chocolate cake yesterday for my son's birthday and haven't touched a crumb.

The two things I didn't give up is my morning coffee (I put chocolate soy milk, caramel and sea salt in my first cup - not giving that up), and my evening drink: vodka, ginger beer, mint and lime. Knowing that I can keep those two things keeps me motivated as I tell myself that if I do cheat, I can't keep my two faves :)

Exercise hasn't been a big part for me, but I do walk or run almost daily (have for quite awhile to stay in shape for the couple of 5k, 10k, and 15ks I do a every couple of months), and I do the stairs in my home about 100 times a day (50 up/50 down).

I hope that you find something that works AND you are happy doing. Good luck!!

Abs are made in the kitchen. And the gym. I have abs at 37. They are tough to keep all of the time though. I fluctuate about 5 lbs up and down and I really have to get serious to get them back.

As far as your diet: No alcohol. No sweets/sugars. I disagree about the carb thing. You need carbs, just good ones! So no bread. But whole grains are a must. And be conscience of your fruit intake. I generally stick to apples and berries.

And you have to do strength training. 3-4 days a week for 30 - 45mins with serious intensity. If you can have normal conversations, you're not working hard enough.

Jillian Michaels "30-Day Shred" is a good, get the last 10 lbs off, book. At the very least, it's a good starting point. Try and check it out from your local library. Good luck!

Hello
At 51 and since the age of about 42, The only tried and true method of getting rid of body fat that has worked for me is giving up white flour, starchy carbs and fruit that has a high glycemic index such as a banana as oppose to eating an apple. In my case, I have become so insulin resistant that to simply cut down in starch doesn't really work...
it's only when I have eliminated it completely that I have had results of my belly shrinking.... I don't cut out all carbs, simple complex carbs are ok and again, lower glycemic foods..
when I follow this method, the first few days are the hardest, then I am ok afterward.. It's not so much the lbs I look at but rather the inches. I have gone easily from a size 14 to a 12 and 12 to 10..
Don't get me wrong, I will still a lot of yummy things, but for me, white flour is a huge belly fat culprit.. I just know with my body chemistry makeup, it's a no no... others will be different... you have to pick and choose what is best for you.. also, when and if I do eat white flour, it triggers cravings.. in which case, I never leave off at just the white flour, I end up eating other starchy carbs and then the whole vicious cycle is back..
start small by cutting out what you think might be a HUGE food culprit for you..
I should also add that I joined OA.. which isn't about losing weight, but rather getting down to why a person eats compulsively.. once I learned more about my triggers (white flour being one of them) I began to understand that it's not just about what I am eating but what's eating me...
you can do it... start small.. go day by day, if that's too overwhelming, then moment to moment..
good luck

1. Replace all of your liquid intake with water.

2. Eat nothing processed, no sweets, no wheat.

3. Only eat your nutrition (no smoothies), chew your fruit and veggies.

4. Portion control. Use a salad plate instead of a big dinner plate. A serving of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand. Fill the rest with veggies.

5. Walk at least 10,000 steps per day. Ger yourself a fitbit or pedometer and track it.

If you do nothing but the above, you'll lose weight. Good luck!!

ETA: If you have any health concerns, please do talk with your doctor about your plans to lose weight.

Hi Tadpole,

Belly Fat is hard to get off because it is caused by toxicity. Think about the skinny little cheerleader type that hangs out at the mall that has a muffin top. It's processed foods and the chemicals contained in them.

My husband lost 150 pounds simply by absorbing nutrition, like the body needs. He wanted to diet and I told him I wasn't cooking to a diet again because he would always lose weight and gain it back with a vengeance. I told him I would help him get healthy. I put him on a vitamin that was guaranteed to absorb and that was that. He has kept His weight off since 2005... And he feels great. He now takes a good fiber supplement that keeps his body clean. He looks and feels great.

If you want details, PM me. It was much easier than dieting and i don't have to cook to a diet!

M. ;)

I went from 190 lbs to 150 lbs just counting calories, and then continued doing that and now I'm at 146 lbs.
Its hard because my live-in boyfriend LOVES to cook and he does it very well ! so its a juggling act for me to not over-eat at meals.
But I have felt awesome since losing all that weight....and plan on never going back to those days.
Good luck! You can do it!

Robin Anthony's Renu Herbs Detox Trio. Two of the three products in this trio tastes horrible. The colon cleanse capsule has no flavor but they do work.

However it would be best if you while using these products, increase your cardio fitness and alter your diet to be more balanced and perhaps lower portions.