Oct
8
The Quick Guide to Losing Belly Fat
Filed Under Health, Motivation, Weight Loss
I get a lot of questions from readers. Most tend to fall into one of several common categories. There are questions from readers concerned about how much or how little they eat. There are questions about physical exercise and how it should be done. There are also questions about general topics like nutrition. However, the question I keep getting over and over is a variation of “I have one area of my body which is fat, how do I fix this?” The area in question varies, sometimes it’s the thighs, other times it’s the rear end. Usually though, it’s the belly.
Battle of the Bulge
For those of you who have sent in questions like these, I want you to know that I understand where you’re coming from. I remember those mornings, standing in front of the mirror and staring at my gut. I remember how disheartening it was to see a side view of my body and realize how that belly bulged out. It was a terrible and constant and very visible reminder of how overweight I was. I think that’s why reducing my pants size felt like such a victory, because it had become a personal struggle between me and my fat gut. So I want you to know that I understand and I sympathize. However, there’s no such thing as a quick guide to losing belly fat.
“Send This Cottage Cheese Directly To My Thighs!”
In fact, there’s no such thing as a quick guide to losing fat from any specific area. It’s just not possible. Our bodies do not work that way. Think back over the last few years of overeating and low physical activity. Were you doing something specific to direct fat towards a specific area? When you were eating that cheesecake, were you specifically instructing your body to deposit the fat in your belly? Were you giving silent instructions to your digestion to take the fat from that triple cheeseburger and put it in your rear end? The answer is no.
Basic Biology
So if you didn’t do anything specific to make those areas fat, if they were just the byproduct of an unhealthy life, why do you think you can do something that will specifically address these areas now? Why do you think a thousand crunches will do anything? These areas are simply the places our bodies choose to deposit extra fat. That’s not a conscious choice you made, that’s your biology. Our bodies need somewhere to deposit fat. They will deposit some of it all over, but they will also deposit large reserves of it in specific areas. For men, that means a big belly. For women, it usually means more fat around the ass and thighs.
The Slow Guide to Losing Belly Fat
So no, there isn’t quick guide to losing fat from a specific area. You can do a thousand crunches and you still won’t burn away the fat from your belly. You might tone up your abdominal muscles but they’ll still be covered by fat. If you want to lose fat from your belly or your thighs or your ass or where ever it is you think you have too much of it, you’ll have to do it the slow way. That means living a healthy life, it means controlling your calories and it means being physically active. Do all of these things and the fat will slowly melt away. It will start disappearing from your entire body and you may not notice it, but you will notice it melting away from those problem areas. Because those are the areas you have the most of it and therefore the areas where the change will be most noticeable.
My first year of living healthy was filled with successes. I was able to hike Mission Peak again for the first time in six years. I was able to jog. I was able to climb the stairs to my bedroom without going out of breath. But the success that sticks with the most is putting on my old pair of jeans and noticing how loose they had gotten around the waist. Everything else was a success but this, this was a sign of victory.
Summary
There’s no quick and easy solution to belly fat. There’s no miracle cure like those TV commercials promise you for fat in your thighs. There’s just a lifetime filled with healthy habits. Get used to it.
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2 Responses to “The Quick Guide to Losing Belly Fat”
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oh, I so have the muffin top problem. One thing I did find that helped me drop weight faster overall was cutting out diet coke. I’ve been drinking that stuff for years, and since cutting it out, I have noticed that it’s much easier for my body to shed weight.
I would like to lose my belly.Because it’s about 4″ out.It’s so hard to lose.I had a heart attack 7 years ago and no one can help me lose it,I take to doctors no help.All they what is to keep you on pills.