Weight Loss Tips: 5 Things To Know Before Trying To Lose Belly Fat

If you are on a weight loss journey, you’d know that belly fat is the most difficult to lose. You may be losing fat from your face, arms and other parts of your body but the belly fat is too stubborn to go. But why are you not able to lose fat from your belly?Also Read - Do You Really Lose Weight by Not Eating After 8 pm? Here’s What we Know

According to a report in Eat This, Not That– Our stomach has a higher concentration of beta fat cells which usually don’t respond to the fat-breakdown process. Genetics, stress hormone cortisol and high levels of insulin are also the reason behind belly fat. Also Read - Will Covid-19 Pandemic Eventually Turn Into An Endemic Stage? Watch Video To Find Out

If you are struggling to lose that belly fat, then follow these 5 ways to reach your weight loss goals. Also Read - 5 Easy Lifestyle Tips To Deal With Hernia

Crunches don’t necessarily burn belly fat: As per a report in Eat This, Not That crunches and sit-ups are good for toning and building abdominal strength but they do not necessarily eliminate belly fat. One can try to reduce their calories and increase their physical activities.

Include more fibre in your diet: Fiber can help you maintain and even lose weight. Fiber can help you keep fuller for a long time, it is good for your digestive system and gives you ample energy. You can get fiber from oats, barley, quinoa, whole wheat bread.

Do not go overboard with alcohol: Do not go overboard with alcohol beverages as it can make it difficult to lose belly fat.

Sleep well: Take at least 7 hours of sleep every day, sleep can help you lose weight. According to a report, when we don’t sleep enough, our hormones that regulate hunger get thrown off, and we crave simple energy which comes in the form of sweets, treats, and sugary beverages. We are more likely to crave and reach for a quick pick me up of a sweetened latte, or cookie or potato chips. We know these foods are typically high in calories, sugars, fat and don’t provide us with much nutrition, making it difficult to lose belly fat.

Include protein in your diet: It is important to eat protein throughout the day. Protein is good for you, it is easy to digest, keeps a tab on your blood sugar levels, and keeps you full for a long time. You can include good source of protein in your diet. Include Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, nuts, seeds, eggs, tofu, beans, chicken etc.

Most importantly, drink at least 8 cups of water a day.

16 Simple Low-calorie Food Swaps That Helped Me Lose 35 Pounds And Keep It Off

Rachel Hosie in October 2018 and July 2020.Rachel Hosie

Losing weight requires being in a calorie deficit, whether you count calories or not.

When I lost 35 pounds three years ago, I made simple adjustments to how I ate that didn't leave me feeling deprived.

Losing weight requires eating in a calorie deficit, which means consuming less energy than you burn through your daily life and exercise.

Rachel Hosie in 2018 (left) and 2021.Rachel Hosie

You don't need to count calories, but it worked for me when I lost 35 pounds three years ago, and have kept it off since.

Losing fat doesn't require cutting out any specific foods, it's about managing your overall food intake.

Experts don't recommend restricting your diet either by eating too little or cutting out your favorite foods altogether.

"It is important that you don't drastically drop your calories too low so you can sustain this while feeling energetic and remaining healthy with a strong immune system," personal trainer Hayley Madigan previously told Insider.

Fat loss coach Jordan Syatt previously told Insider he suggests aiming for 2-6 lbs a month.

When I want to lose weight, I make simple food swaps that help me reduce my calories while still keeping me satisfied.

1. Greek yogurt for sour cream

Add some Greek yogurt to your fajitas.Getty

Next time you make fajitas, swap out the sour cream for fat-free Greek yogurt: The former is 187 calories per 100ml, compared to 54 calories for the yogurt.

2. Bagel thins for bagels

A bagel and yogurt bowl is a staple breakfast.Rachel Hosie

Bagel thins are exactly what they sound like: thinner bagels, and they're still delicious. While an average bagel is usually 230-300 calories, bagel thins usually come in at around 130, saving you at least 100 calories.

Some people recommend swapping out bread for rice cakes, but I personally find rice cakes not very tasty, and thinner slices of bread are more satisfying to me.

3. Powdered peanut butter for regular

Spiced apple baked oats with peanut butter.Rachel Hosie

Powdered peanut butter is essentially peanut butter with the oil removed. You simply mix it with a little water until you reach your desired consistency.

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It doesn't have the same texture as regular peanut butter, and so it isn't quite as delicious to me. But it's a swap I make sometimes because I still enjoy powdered peanut butter, and the choice aligns with my goals.

Normal peanut butter is around 188 cals per 2 tsp serving, but powdered, however, is about 60 calories for the same amount.

4. Turkey sausages for pork

Eating lots of different veggies is a great way to make a low-calorie meal filling.Rachel Hosie

Turkey (or chicken) sausages are leaner than pork, coming in at around 160 calories rather than about 340 for two.

5. Turkey meatballs for beef

Turkey meatballs or chicken sausages with pasta and vegetables is a staple meal.Rachel Hosie

Turkey meatballs are just like sausages, but have less calories than their beef counterpart: Three beef meatballs contain around 190 calories, whereas turkey ones are about 125 for three.

6. Turkey bacon for pork bacon

Avocado on toast, scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon.Rachel Hosie

For me, not all swaps are worth it. While some people recommend replacing spaghetti with zucchini noodles and burger buns with lettuce leaves, I personally prefer to still have the carbs— just in smaller quantities.

Turkey bacon instead of pork bacon is a swap I'm happy to make as I enjoy both equally, and a slice of turkey bacon is 34 calories each, compared to 50-70 for an average slice of bacon.

7. Replacing some eggs for egg whites in omelettes and scrambles

A vegetable frittata with feta and egg whites.Rachel Hosie

Egg whites are very low calorie, but instead of making frittatas, omelettes, scrambles and pancakes with them alone, I like to do a mix of whites and whole eggs for the best of both worlds.

3 tbsp or 45g of egg whites is 22 calories, equivalent to one medium egg which is about 70 calories.

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8. Diet drinks instead of regular ones

Drinking water would be the healthiest choice, but I love Diet Coke.Rachel Hosie/Insider

An obvious one, but swapping regular soda for a diet version can cut out 139 calories per serving.

When I want an alcoholic drink, opting for gin and slimline tonic keeps the calories down (and is also delicious, in my opinion).

9. Skimmed milk in coffees

A flat white and cappuccino.Christina Felschen/Getty Images

If you're a fan of milky drinks like lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos, opting for skimmed rather than whole milk can take your drink's calorie count from 228 to 128, roughly.

10. Salted popcorn over chips (or lower calorie chips)

Popcorn is low calorie and high volume and if you skip on added butter it can be a healthy choice.Olesia Valentain / EyeEm/ Getty Images

Popcorn is actually very low calorie when it's not covered in sugar, syrup, or butter. Next time you get a craving for chips, try some lightly salted popcorn.

A 17g individual bag of salted popcorn is around 84 calories, compared to 123 calories for a 25g individual packet of salted chips. Popcorn is a high volume, light food, so a portion is typically lighter in weight for the same size.

One of the simplest ways to reduce calories is to choose smaller portions — a small tub of popcorn rather than a large, for example.

"One thing that can be done is to try and half portion sizes of these particular items that you have labeled as 'guilty pleasures,'" registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert previously told Insider. "Of course, there's no reason to feel guilty, but instead of having three scoops of ice cream, have two, instead of having a whole dessert, share half with a partner."

11. Fresh fruit over dried fruit

Fresh fruit keeps you fuller than dried.Getty

A 40g serving of dried apricots, which is a small bag, is 72 calories. One fresh apricot is around 35g, and only 34 calories.

Dried fruit is a lot smaller than fresh, so it's easier to eat more. The higher water content of fresh fruit makes it more filling.

12. Low fat over full fat yogurt

Greek yogurt whipped up with vanilla protein powder and topped with strawberries.Rachel Hosie

While fat-free yogurt doesn't have quite the same creaminess of higher fat yogurt, it's still delicious and a lot lower in calories. Fat-free Greek yogurt is 54 calories per 100g, while the 5% fat yogurt equivalent is 93 calories for the same amount.

13. Cooking spray instead of oil or butter

Using a little less oil for cooking can cut calories in your meals.Getty

An easy way to drastically reduce the calories in your meals is to use smaller amounts of cooking oil or butter.

15ml of sunflower oil is 124 calories, so you can make your meals lighter by using less or low calorie cooking sprays instead.

14. Ground turkey instead of beef

A ground turkey burger is usually lighter than beef.Getty

Ground turkey and chicken is leaner than beef and pork, so swapping out those meats can be a good way to lighten a bolognese or homemade burgers. Of course, you can also choose lower fat versions of other meats — I still eat beef and pork when losing weight, I just work them into my calories.

2% fat ground turkey breast is about 136 calories per 100g, meanwhile 20% fat ground beef is 273 calories for the same quantity.

15. Chicken breasts over thighs

Chicken breasts are delicious on the barbecue.Douglas Sacha/Getty images

Chicken breasts are a lower calorie choice than thigh or wing meat: 100g of breast is 165 calories, compared to 209 for thigh and 203 for wing.

16. Low calorie ice cream instead of regular

Halo Top ice cream.Leena Robinson/Shutterstock

There are tons of low calorie ice creams on the market these days. Halo Top sea salt caramel ice cream, for example, is only 300 calories per pint. Ben & Jerry's triple caramel chunk ice cream is 1,100 calories per pint.

Losing weight doesn't mean never having Ben & Jerry's, it might just mean having it a bit less often, or in smaller quantities. And lower calorie alternatives can help you hit your goals without feeling deprived.

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