A very common saying that most middle-aged people don’t want to be associated with is the “midlife spread,” a term that refers to the image of fat deposits that form around the section average body when we reach the midlife mark. It is not a desired look that some want to reveal without the shirt. Years ago, this was believed to be a normal indicator of the sedentary phase of midlife that is accompanied by a more stable career and relaxed family lifestyle. However, this is now a flawed theory, as we now have a better understanding of how excessive storage of belly fat can cause all sorts of health problems as a person ages.

Extensive medical research concludes that there are definite links to excess abdominal fat and diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes (type 2) and even various forms of cancer along with various types of internal organ function problems.

So with all this in mind, we should use the above as very good motivators for improving appearance when it comes to reducing body fat. There are two types of abdominal fat: subcutaneous, the type of fat that can be grabbed around the waist (love handles) just below the skin line, and the type called visceral: the fat that surrounds the intestines and abdominal organs. Visceral is much more harmful to your body and causes many diseases like the ones listed above. So excess fat around the waist is usually a good indicator of excess internal fat – Visceral.

Fortunately, fat loss in both of these types can be achieved quite easily with a proper diet and a good fitness program. By simply changing what we eat and how much we eat, our bodies will begin to make a transformation to burn excess stored fat.

Adding to this exercise will do two things by increasing belly fat burning: 1. Speed ​​up our metabolism (i.e. start using more fat to burn as energy) and 2. Build, grow more muscle tissue which also needs more energy to function. , which triggers more fat. fire. As you can see, exercise plays an important role in losing both types of belly fat.

Diet to lose belly fat

One of the things that many people mistakenly do is follow a diet plan that is excessively reduced in calories, thinking that this is the fastest way to lose weight and keep it off forever. This is not the case, it is actually counterproductive. What happens when we eat much less than normal is that the body responds to this reduction by going into a state commonly known among dieters as ‘starvation mode’. So what this means is that our body goes into a response state that reduces calorie expenditure by slowing down the body’s metabolism and then stores more fat because total starvation may be very close. Think of it as “support” for the body.

Given the above, it’s a much smarter approach to reduce your calories to just below maintenance levels. On average this calorie reduction is normal between 1,800 and 2,000 calories. It is essential that you keep a diet log or journal to keep track of what you eat; it is the only sure way to keep an accurate record to see the measure of calorie intake. To prepare for this, make a log, say a week into your fat loss diet, then cut calories to a level just below the minimum needed for your own personal maintenance level.

Another important habit to start developing is not eating ‘bad’ carbs or oils. Simple carbohydrates, such as refined or processed sugars, starches, and grains, will hinder your dietary plans and delay weight loss. Avoid flour-based bread, pasta, and processed white rice. Avoid eating prepared/processed foods, that is, those foods that can be reheated or heated before eating. These types of foods are 9 times out of 10 filled with artificial preservatives, which in many cases contain corn syrup, which is a major blocker of fat burning.

A fat burning diet plan should contain plenty of fruits and vegetables (both fresh), unprocessed meats, poultry, and fish. Alcohol consumption should be kept to a minimum and if you really want to lose body fat, cut out alcohol completely. At the end of the day, alcohol is just empty calories turned into sugar by our metabolism, so any chance of burning fat while consuming alcohol is slim to none.

Limit your carbohydrate intake when you start dieting to help your body burn fat and start your weight off. The usual safe level is about 50 to 100 grams per day, depending on body weight (to help you buy a calorie and carb counter). Then you should slowly increase your carb intake back up to a point where you stop losing belly fat. Once your weight reaches your goal, you can start eating normal levels of carbohydrates. Reaching this target point is an indicator that you have reached your maintenance point.

Once an exercise regimen begins, protein intake can rise to approximately 25% of total calorie intake. Excellent sources of protein-based foods are: eggs, organ meats, red meat (unprocessed), chicken, turkey, pork, fish (salmon and tuna are best), beans, and other vegetables.

Soy is generally not considered a good source of protein because it doesn’t actually biologically match human muscle tissue. To properly combine it, a massive intake of soy-based food sources would be required to harvest all the essential amino acids required for building muscle tissue and mobilizing fat stores.

Exercise your way to lose belly fat

Weight or resistance training will build muscle and give you the calorie burn you need to start burning more fat. This is because muscle burns much more energy than fat, 3 times more to be precise. Many people are afraid that they will gain too much muscle when they start exercising with weights. They think they will become too bulky or ‘muscular’. Putting on large slabs of muscle requires eating large amounts of food every 3 hours and lifting extremely heavy weights. It takes about 25 pounds of muscle tissue to start looking really muscular or bulky (this may depend on your height or natural build), while all you really need is about 5-10 pounds of muscle to help burn fat. . You’ll get the added benefit of a leaner, more toned athletic appearance with just this amount of muscle growth (which comes once excess body fat is burned).

In general, it’s usually best to join a local gym or fitness center and have a personal trainer design a resistance training program aimed at building enough muscle to enhance fat burning. Avoid cardio while trying to lose body fat, as it won’t help you burn a lot of fat and you’ll end up with injury and loss of valuable muscle tissue. The ideal is a constant walk of about 30-40 minutes every other day (either on a treadmill or outdoors).