It is a common belief that in order to lose belly fat, one simply needs to do as many abdominal exercises as possible…
It can be confidently said that this will definitely help to build strong abdominal muscles… which, however, no one will be able to appreciate until you remove the fat from your belly.
Main thoughts:
Abdominal exercises for belly fat loss do not work
Increasing resting metabolic rate is the most correct and effective way to lose weight
The best type of training for weight loss is high-intensity interval training
Strong abdominal muscles not only shape an attractive appearance, improve self-perception and self-esteem. They also stabilize the spine, relieving it of stress and reducing the likelihood of back pain, and act as an internal corset that holds the organs, preventing their free movement.
Overall, a strong muscular framework makes everyday movements and performing any physical actions easier.
I am sure I won’t be far off if I say that most of us are little interested in the useful functions of the abdominal muscles. Right? What matters is… appearance.
Okay. Let’s talk about appearance.
Read on to find out how to get rid of your belly and whether it’s possible through targeted physical exercises.
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Why get rid of your belly?
There are two main types of fat in the human body – subcutaneous and visceral. They are used for different metabolic functions, not all of which are beneficial to health.
Subcutaneous fat is located above the muscles, directly under the skin. When assessing body fat percentage through skinfold thickness, the thickness of this type of fat is measured. It is this fat that “jiggles” when moving and “dents” the skin that has lost elasticity in cases of cellulite.
Visceral fat wraps around the organs and is more metabolically active than subcutaneous fat. This means that it is easier to burn.
Interestingly, even with a normal body mass index and an outwardly slim appearance, a person can have an excess of visceral fat and suffer from internal obesity. Among people with the same body mass index, the amount of visceral fat can vary widely.
Even with a normal body mass index and an outwardly slim appearance, a person can have an excess of visceral fat
Although both visceral and subcutaneous fat are referred to by scientists as factors that increase the risk of health problems1, the harmful effects of visceral fat are recognized as stronger. Researchers call visceral fat “a unique, pathogenic fat depot” 2 and acknowledge it as a factor that increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart diseases, and heart attacks.
Scientists assert that a greater accumulation of fat specifically around the waist (rather than the hips or elsewhere) is associated with a higher risk of diseases: for women, a waist size of less than 89 cm, and for men, less than 102 cm is considered the upper limit of normal 3.
Researchers call visceral fat “a unique pathogenic fat depot” and acknowledge it as a factor that increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart diseases, and heart attacks
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How to get rid of your belly? First, understand why it is growing
Today, there are many weight loss methods that do not pose a risk to health. All of them, without exception, are based on two fundamental principles – calorie restriction through special diets and increasing levels of physical activity.
Why? To create an energy deficit in the body, where stored fat begins to be used for energy.
What is the easier way to do this: through sports or dietary restrictions?
Definitely nutrition. This is confirmed by numerous recent scientific studies.
The more we eat, or rather the more we exceed our necessary daily calories, the more is stored as fat.
The abdomen is one of the energy storage areas provided by nature. Its large size is most often a distinguishing feature of people with poor eating habits who eat too much.
Remember a simple truth: a proper diet is the path to success regardless of the goals you set for yourself (weight loss, health, or muscle mass gain in sports).
The most common mistake in the nutrition of most modern people is too much useless fast food in the diet, quick carbohydrates (sweets, baked goods), and not enough whole natural products.
A proper diet is the path to success regardless of the goals you set for yourself: weight loss, health, or muscle mass gain in sports
Here’s what one of the well-known dietitians, Kate Patton 4, says about this:
“Refined grains, such as white bread, crackers, and chips, as well as refined sugar in sweetened beverages and desserts, stimulate inflammatory processes in the body.
Fat in the abdominal area is directly related to inflammatory processes, so if you eat too many processed foods, it will definitely hinder weight loss and getting rid of belly fat, as well as trigger the development of diseases.”
Interestingly, calories from different nutrients affect the body differently.
It has been scientifically proven that calories from bread, refined sugar, and processed foods contribute to overeating, while whole (unprocessed) vegetables, protein foods, and fiber are “more filling,” reducing the feeling of hunger 5.
Calories from different foods are not equivalent: carbohydrate-rich and processed foods contribute to overeating, while whole natural products contain fewer calories and are more satisfying
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Are spot exercises effective for losing belly fat?
The term “spot exercises” describes the common belief that one can reduce the layer of fat in a specific area of the body by doing exercises targeted at that area. For example, “to lose belly fat” – you need to do crunches, “to lose fat in the thighs” – work on calf muscles, “to lose fat in the arms” – work on the arms. It’s that simple.
Such exercises are definitely ineffective in reducing subcutaneous fat, as they activate the overall metabolism in the body very weakly and very few calories are burned during their performance.
All they can do is create a visual effect of fat reduction, as an increase in muscle mass makes the definition more visible, which creates the visual effect.
So, with the help of ab exercises, you can build strong abdominal muscles, but they will be hidden from your and others’ eyes under layers of fat until you change your eating habits.
To see the “abs,” you need to remove the upper layer of fat.
The arguments and logic of reasoning are confirmed by scientific research. Scientists claim: spot exercises do not affect the distribution of subcutaneous fat in the abdominal area or any other parts of the body 13,14.
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What exercises to do to lose belly fat?
To lose weight, it is not enough just to exercise.
Not all sports are the same. Of course, any type of physical activity is beneficial for health. When we talk about weight loss, the main task is to maximize the speed of internal metabolism (see below).
Could it be running?
Running is the traditional answer to the question of the best exercises for weight loss. However, scientists say that traditional cardiovascular exercises (running, cycling) are NOT very effective for weight loss and getting rid of fat in the abdominal area.
Traditional cardiovascular exercises (running, cycling) are among the least effective for losing belly fat
Many researchers agree that the best exercises for weight loss are high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which burns more fat than performing regular exercises at a moderate pace 15,16.
Moreover, they require significantly less time to perform, which is important in our age of haste and chronic time constraints.
When performing these exercises, a large number of muscles are engaged, and significantly more oxygen is circulated through the lungs and the body.
In muscles after training at rest, three to five times more energy is burned than in fat tissue. In other words, the resting metabolic rate increases (the energy required to support the body’s internal functions when it is completely at rest).
What does this mean?
The article What to do to lose weight or Why a proper diet is more important than exercise showed that the resting metabolic rate is several times greater than the energy expended on physical activity (approximately 70% of daily energy expenditure is attributed to internal metabolism and only ~20% to physical activity).
Therefore, increasing the resting metabolic rate is the most correct and effective way to lose weight, including in the abdominal area.
Increasing the resting metabolic rate is the most correct and effective way to lose weight, including in the abdominal area
High-intensity interval training allows you to burn more calories and fat in less time spent on workouts. To perform it, you only need 20 minutes a day, two to three times a week. The key principle of these workouts is intensity. This type of training is described in detail here.
The best type of exercise for weight loss is high-intensity interval training
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How to eat properly to lose belly fat: fewer carbohydrates, more… fats
A diet high in fast carbohydrates (sugars) leads to a disruption in the production of insulin and leptin.
Insulin is a transport hormone that directly regulates the storage of excess calories in fat reserves, including the abdomen.
Leptin also manages energy metabolism: a decrease in its concentration in the body leads to obesity. It plays an equally important role as insulin in the development of diabetes and other chronic diseases. Our body can stop responding to leptin just as it does to insulin.
Why is this dangerous?
An increase in leptin concentration in the blood is a signal for the body to stop eating (satiety) and start burning fat. When insensitivity to this hormone develops, the feeling of hunger is not satisfied, which manifests as an uncontrollable desire to eat, including sweets. More calories mean a bigger belly.
What to do?
Maximally limit the amount of carbohydrates in the diet, especially sweets.
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy in the body. When you reduce the amount of “bad” carbohydrates in your diet, you need to replace them with healthy fats: plant oils (olive, coconut), avocado, raw nuts, eggs.
Healthy fats, when entering the body, signal to initiate the fat-burning mechanism. When the body adapts to using fats as the primary source of energy, it will become very efficient at burning them.
This is the principle of the ketogenic diet, which is recognized as one of the most effective for weight loss and beneficial for health.
To lose belly fat, it is recommended to reduce the amount of “bad” carbohydrates in the diet (primarily sweets), replacing them with healthy fats: plant oils (olive, coconut), avocado, raw nuts, eggs.
If your body is currently primarily using fast carbohydrates (sugar) as its main source of energy, then a sudden and significant increase in healthy fats in the diet may not be beneficial and, on the contrary, may lead to weight gain. The body is simply not adapted to burning such a large amount of fat, which is very high in calories.
Act gradually and remember that the key point of such a metabolic shift is a significant reduction in sugar in the diet: as long as you provide the body with sugar, it will use it first.
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5 Healthy Habits for Weight Loss
In addition to the recommendations above, consider the following tips that are important for normalizing weight:
- Avoid stress
During stress, the adrenal cortex releases cortisol – the “stress hormone.” It is responsible for preparing the body for emergency situations. With chronic stress, constantly elevated cortisol levels contribute to fat deposition, including in the abdominal area 6.
- Drink enough water
Water is one of the simplest ways to reduce stress and physical strain on the body. More than 60% of our body consists of fluid. Our kidneys need water to eliminate toxins from the body. All our organs, including the brain, require water for normal functioning.
Researchers have found that dehydration triggers a “surge” of cortisol, which, as mentioned above, prepares the body for extreme situations.
Sufficient hydration increases the body’s ability to cope with daily stress 7.
Important
It is very simple to determine whether you are drinking enough water by the color of your urine: it should be clear and light in color.
- A full 8-hour sleep
Getting adequate sleep every night can help you manage stress. Lack of sleep affects hormone production and cortisol levels in particular, reducing your ability to cope with daily stress. During sleep, cortisol levels in the blood drop, allowing the body to recover and recharge.
Insufficient sleep leads to a significant 45% increase in cortisol levels 8, which jeopardizes your immune function, disrupts metabolism, cognitive function, and can lead to obesity 9.
- Control your blood insulin levels
The body produces insulin in response to carbohydrates. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels by delivering sugar into cells for use as fuel and into fat stores when there is an excess of sugar and low cellular demand.
Thus, high sugar levels and elevated insulin levels create ideal conditions for fat storage.
Cortisol also affects insulin levels: an increase in cortisol levels leads to decreased insulin sensitivity, increasing the risk of diabetes 10,11.
Avoid stress and eat less sugar – this will lower insulin levels and, consequently, the amount of subcutaneous and visceral fat.
- Consume enough vitamin C
A high level of vitamin C in the body makes it more resilient to stress 12.
Vitamin C also helps stabilize blood sugar levels and, accordingly, cortisol levels.
If you consume a variety of vegetables and fruits every day, you are likely getting enough vitamin C. Remember that fresh and raw fruits and vegetables contain more vitamin C.
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