Pot belly aka abdominal obesity, stomach fat, spare tyre, belly fat, protruding stomach, “signs of good living”, midriff bulge etc often results from excessive alcohol, food, or sugar. It is possible to have a pot belly without alcohol consumption. High food intake coupled with a sedentary lifestyle (couch potato) predisposes one to getting fat at the middle. Gone are the days when a pot belly would be regarded as a symbol of affluence, wealth or good living. Abdominal obesity is linked to diabetes, dementia, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
Dieting without exercise is not effective in getting rid of your pot belly. You have to burn off the fact through a lifestyle change with exercise being a key component
Here are some steps to get rid of your pot belly:
Give up nighttime snacking and visits to the refrigerator.
During the evening, your metabolism naturally slows down. If you eat right before going to bed, the calories you consumed are likely going to be stored as fat and your pot belly will continue to grow. To reverse this problem, avoid eating
late at night. It is recommended that you close your kitchen for the day by 7PM.
Avoid on the junk food.
Avoid foods that are high in saturated fat, sodium, sugar and are low in fiber. Examples of these are cakes, cookies, doughnuts, meat pies, sausage rolls, fast food, deep fried foods, whole-fat dairy products and commercial baked goods. Eat clean sources of calories instead like lean meats, fruits, vegetables, fish, beans and whole grains.
Drink water instead of high-calorie drinks and beverages.
When you drink beverages that are high in sugar and calories, your brain will not receive a similar message that it does when you eat whole foods. The result is you can drink excess calories and not feel full, especially when you drink them with your meals. Avoid beverages like soda, processed fruit drinks and alcohol. Drink eight to 10 cups of water a day instead. It has zero calories, it helps with hydration, it flushes toxins from your system and it can also keep you feeling full when you drink it with your meals.
Eat multiple small meals a day starting with breakfast.
If you eat a small meal every two to three hours, your metabolism will increase, you will have consistent energy levels and you will be less tempted to overeat. Create meals that are a balance of protein and carbohydrates. Avoid big and heavy meals. It overburdens your digestive system.
Eat less calories a day.
This is where a bit of dieting comes in. To lose weight in your stomach, sides, back, legs, arms or anywhere on your body, you need to take in less calories than you burn. Cut your daily total back by 500 calories and you can lose half a kilogram in a week.
Give your metabolism a boost.
Exercise speeds up your metabolism – the rate at which you burn calories. The best time to exercise is in the morning before you start your day. This revs up your metabolism and keeps it high all day, thus increasing the rate you burn calories. So get moving! Building muscle can increase your metabolism even more, and it should focus on your whole body. Do exercises like bench presses, upright rows, back rows, triceps dips, biceps curls, step-ups and ab crunches. Do weight training three days a week on alternating days and do cardio on the other three alternating days. Perform 30 minutes of light activity on your off day.
The key to success is focus and consistency. You will not get results immediately. It might take two weeks or more before it registers in the scale. This is called lag time. Do not give up. You may notice a lightness in your body and the waist band of your trousers beginning to fall off, before you see a noticeable difference on the scale. You are on the right path. Do not give up or backslide. Keep at it, and you will get the figure, fitness and energy level you desire. Good luck
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