Sample Content Preview
Introduction
When it comes to losing weight, many of us have tried more than once to shed those extra pounds only to be unsuccessful. In fact, many of us have spent most of our lives being unhappy about our bodies, wishing we had a flat stomach or a stronger core, but not knowing how to get started.
If every year, your New Year’s Resolution has been to ‘finally lose my stomach pooch’, ‘knock off the baby weight’ or ‘lose 20 pounds.” you are certainly not alone! According to Forbes, only 25% of people stick to their resolutions after the first month.
Dig a little deeper and after the first month, you’ll see a staggering drop-off with only 8% of people continuing to follow their resolution.
So, the question is: how can you come up with a plan that is realistic and that you can stick to so you can finally lose that stubborn belly fat?
Rather than focusing on long-term goals, one of the most successful ways to stick to your weight loss and flat tummy aspirations is through proper planning and creating small, achievable milestones that keep you on track.
It’ll require some drastic changes to your diet and overall lifestyle, but the strategies featured within this guide are proven to work.
First, we are going to go over many ways of achieving a flatter stomach. Then, we will explore the top fat burning foods that aim to destroy stubborn fat that is usually difficult to lose.
Then we’ll take things a step further by taking a closer look at the foods that you should absolutely avoid (or at the very least, eat in moderation) while on your belly fat burning journey.
Finally, I’ll give you some powerful exercise tips will keep you on the right track while turbo-charging your fat burning progress.
Before we dive in however, please keep in mind that your goals of losing that stubborn belly fat, getting a toned body and living a healthier life won’t happen overnight. Your goal should be to make a lifestyle change that will eliminate and keep off the fat once for the rest of your life.
Losing weight, and toning up your body will require consistency and determination. A few minutes each day is all it takes but you need to be persistent in your goals and stay focused. Reward yourself for the milestones you reach and then set new goals. That’s the key to a flatter, toned stomach.
Are you ready to get started?
Let’s begin.
How to Get a Flat Stomach
Losing belly fat and getting rid of bloating can be such a struggle. In fact, for many of us, our belly is the last place that ‘goes’ as we begin to lose weight. We could be losing inches from our thighs, arms and shed weight around our neck and face before we see the inches begin to shrink around our waistline.
Not seeing instant results can lead to frustration, so you need to keep in mind that just because you may not see the inches go from your waistline, it doesn’t mean you are failing in your weight-loss goals. Weight will come off evenly, for the most part, meaning that you’ll see a reduction in overall weight all over your body rather than just in one place.
You’ve likely heard the term “spot reduction” right? This is when someone focuses on exercises that aim to eliminate fat from specific areas of the body. The truth is, spot reduction doesn’t work. If you focus only on one area of the body, you’ll still end up losing weight from head-to-toe! This is a great thing because you’ll end up with an even weight loss and a better, more leaner frame.
That being said, incorporating core-based exercises into your weight-loss routine that specifically focuses on the major groups of muscles will definitely help you burn more fat. The bigger those muscle groups are, the more fuel they need (fuel being calories), which will lead to rapid weight loss.
Make sense?
Let’s take a look at a few things you’ll want to avoid when focusing on getting that flatter, toned stomach:
Tip #1: You Booze, You Lose!
You may enjoy a few glasses of wine with dinner every night not realizing that these sugary calories can stack up, throwing your system off balancing and knocking you off track in your weight loss journey.
Our livers process alcohol before they work on breaking down protein and carbs, which means that alcohol itself slows down your body’s overall fat burning ability.
But hold on! Don’t panic and start pouring that bottle of chardonnay down the drain just yet.
You can still enjoy one glass a day without an adverse effect on your fat burning process. To be safe, stick with 12 ounces of beer, a single wine (5 oz.) or some spirits (1 oz.) with a low-calorie mixer. Red wine also contains fewer carbs and sugar content than white wine so enjoy that glass of Pinot Noir!
Tip #2: Muscles, Metabolism, Calories and Cardio
The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will work. Muscle beats fat when it comes to overall metabolic activity.
This also means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you can eat and burn all day.
For example, a woman that is 5’4”, 150lbs, has 22% body fat, lifts weights and does cardio 4-5 days a week can eat 2,500+calories per day.
That's more than a woman who is 150lbs, 30% body fat and sedentary 7 days a week. The second woman can only eat around 1,600+ calories.
Each woman requires a different caloric intake due to their size, activity and body fat percentage. The woman with less body fat and more muscle needs more energy (calories) to maintain her body. Resistance training can be your friend in building lean muscle.