Having trouble getting rid of stubborn belly fat?
So many of us have been there in the struggle and many continue with the struggle every day. You can have a lean muscle in every other area of your body, but if you have so much as an inch to pinch off your belly you may find yourself feeling at a loss. I know because I too am one of the many who struggle. But I tell you a little secret. I got through the better part of that struggle by understanding that not all fat is equal. Some you must attack and others believe it or not are very beneficial to you. Lets take a look at the different types of fat you should consume and the ones you should avoid.
DIETARY FATS
On the road to understanding how to lose belly fat a good place to start is the fat you eat. When I first wandered down this path I thought all fat was the same and the less fat you ate the better. I couldn’t have been more wrong. First lets take a look at the harmful dietary fats.
DIETARY FATS TO AVOID
- Trans Fats – The fasted way to get to cardiovascular disease is by consuming these fats. Now something to consider is that trans fats are the result of a food processing called hydrogenation. How many times have you seen that on a label for some snack? A little note about cholesterol there is good cholesterol (HDL or High-density lipoprotein) which acts as police and janitor in that they patrol for unhealthy and damaging cholesterol and they keep the walls of our arteries clean and healthy. Then there is the bad cholesterol (LDL or Low-Density Lipoprotein) which obstructs the blood vessels and causes atherosclerosis which is a plaque that hardens and becomes inflexable. This sounds pretty bad for your heart but also consider your organs that need vital oxygen sent to them via the blood. Lastly trans fats redistribute fat tissue into the abdomen which leads to a higher body weight. So disregard what you ahve heard about calories in calories out. Doesn’t matter if you are within control of your total dietary calories. Tip: If you see the word Hydrogenated oil in the label of any food you are about to consume, throw it in the trash. You do not need it that bad. This is very important if you want to know how to lose belly fat.
- Long Chain Saturated fats – The primary culprits of where these fats dwell is in red meat, poultry and full fat dairy products. Same as in trans fats these will also cause a spike in your LDL levels and can also lead to type 2 diabetes. Now I am going to add a caveat to this that may seem a little double standard. But hang in there with me and I will explain. I am first going to speak to the meat eaters out there, you know who you are. I am one of such and I am in no rush to discontinue eating red meat or poultry. The full fat dairy products I can do without. So meat eaters here is the solution. When picking out your meat products find the leanest you can. I know if you own a grill your thinking, the marbled steaks taste the best. True, but they also a fast ride to heart disease. Now the vegetarians. I have many vegetarian friends and they love their coconut oils. Coconut is a saturated fat. But here is the good news, its still good for you. I told you there would be a double standard. Well here it is. Naturally occurring saturated fats like those in coconut oils are still very healthy for you and you do not have to avoid them. If this has sent your head spinning let me explain. Saturated fats are triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. The easiest way to distinguish a healthy saturated fat and an unhealthy one is by how long the chain of fatty acids are. Mediums stimulate your metabolism because they are easy to break down which results in weight loss and are easy to digest which puts far less strain on your digestive system. Long chains put massive strain on your liver, pancreas and entire digestive system. Are tough to break down and require special enzymes to be digested. They are often stored as fat and they wreak havoc on your arteries.
DIETARY FATS TO CONSUME
- Omega 3 Fatty Acid – I am going to give you the yin and yang here, the good and the bad. So here it is. Omega 3 fatty acid is found in certain types of fatty fish like salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines and herring. It lowers blood pressure, reduces coronary artery disease and protects against irregular heartbeat. If you want a boost of energy prior and during your workout consider consuming Omega 3’s first. This will help improve blood flow to your muscles and stimulate enzymes that transport fat to where it can be stored and used for energy. Now you can consume flaxseed, nuts and seeds to get Omega 3’s however if you are not a vegetarian you will get better results from the fish as your body processes it more efficiently. Now a note on the fish. Fish from the sea contains mercury. Mercury is poison to humans and we certainly don’t want to build that up in our system. Even though I have heard of populations in Japan and Norway who’s diet is primarily fish and have populations that live longer I am not necessary recommending going on a fish binge if you want to lose weight. Moderation is key.
- MONOUNSATURATED FAT – By far my favorite of the fats. Mono’s or Mufas as some refer to them are great fat burners with wonderful benefits that can be found in all sorts of foods and oils. They improve blood cholesterol, benefit insulin levels, blood sugar control and decrease heart disease risk. The most abundant sources of Mufa’s are avocado, nuts and seeds, olives, oils and dark chocolate. Funny, when I was loosing weight my go to was always dark chocolate. When people saw me eating dark chocolate every day I would always hear “you’ll never lose weight if you keep eating those sweets”. Little did they know that dark chocolate was my secret weapon. Tip: Be smart about your oils. Not all are created equal. Vegetable oil is horrible for you and even though olive oil is good for you if you cook with it the heat will turn it carcinogenic.
I hope you found this article on How to Lose Belly Fat helpful
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