How do I get rid of belly fat?
Ariane,
I have a belly fat question: Is there anything specific I should be eating - or not – to get rid of the belly fat? I don’t eat soy, which I know causes bloating. Luckily I’ve never been a fan of soy products – and corn, which I know is another food that causes bloating/puffiness. I’ve actually been eating pretty cleanly. The NutriBullet helped, which is awesome. I’m getting a bit bored with my typical mixes, so if you have any yummy NutriBullet concoctions, I’ll take them.
Granted, I have to seriously worked on my ab strength but where I can see changes is my legs and my butt but I’m not seeing much change in my mid-section. Even with my clean eating the belly is still there. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Tamara
Tamara,
This blog post will help answer your question partially. Additionally, belly fat is in large part hormonally driven. That means once you clean up your diet (no sugar, no alcohol, no starch or grains) you also need to control your stress levels. Negative stress forces your body into cortisol production, which initially helps you lose fat, but if it’s ongoing, your body goes into protective mode and you gain belly fat. Stress levels can be increased due to lack of sleep, life stressors and emotional stress.
Estrogen can also be to blame for belly fat. If you work out in the second part of your menstrual cycle, you’re more likely to drop body fat than in the first part because estrogen levels drop. Lower estrogen levels in post-menopausal women can also promote belly fat storage, especially if it’s not balanced by progesterone.
In order to control body fat, your best bet is to prevent insulin spikes. Insulin tells your body to store fat and is prompted by a diet high in carbs from sugar and starches. Then, focus on stress control (meditation, yoga, walking, exercise). You can control estrogen levels by avoiding using plastics and pesticides and keeping your caffeine intake at bay. You should also eat lots of fiber as that binds with excess estrogen and removes it from your body.
The disappointing news is that a flat stomach is not the result of doing 100 sit-ups a day, but the result of proper clean eating, stress control, effective exercise and hormone balancing.
We are all born with a six-pack but the reason we don’t see it is that it is covered by body fat, so unless you drop your body fat below 22-20% as a woman and about 17-15% as a guy, you’re not going to see those rockstar abs.
Lastly, check out my Pinterest page with loads of NutriBullet Detox Recipes.