The Natural Path to Losing Belly Fat
By: Vince DelMonte
When I ask people to share their fitness goals, more often than not,
they tell me they want to lose their belly fat. I think that's partly
because a lot of people equate fitness with tight abs. But another part
is that belly fat is just harder to shed. Even folks that work out
strenuously and diet conscientiously will often find that the last
couple of pounds of fat around their belly is the toughest to trim off.
Why is belly fat harder to get rid of? Blame in on hormones!
Culprits like estrogen, insulin, leptin and ghrelin, for instance, all
make it tougher, but estrogen and cortisol both prompt fat buildup in
the lower body, with cortisol being the largest stumbling block when it
comes to losing belly fat.
Blame the Hormones!
Cortisol is released when the body feels stress. Whether it's
mental, physical or emotional stress makes no difference. So it's
important to realize that when you stress your body physically, you're
allowing cortisol to trigger fat storage.
There are ways to manage your cortisol level, though, which will
make it easier to shed your belly fat. Here are a few tips to help you
keep your insulin level under control, manage your hormone levels and
reduce your caloric intake from carbs.
Let's talk first about reducing your estrogen and cortisol levels.
Reduce estrogen by increasing testosterone
You may be one of the many people that thinks that estrogen is a
woman's hormone. You may want to sit down for this shock, guys - you
produce estrogen, too! Women just have an estrogen level that is higher
than their testosterone level, while you and I are the reverse.
Estrogen encourages the storage of fat, so reducing its production even
more than usual will make losing your belly fat easier. And the easiest
way to push your estrogen level down is by drowning it in testosterone.
That's why some bodybuilders resort to steroids (even though they do
terrible things to their systems).
Since a natural method is much better, your way to boost your
testosterone level should be by increasing your workout's intensity
level. You can follow a quicker tempo or just push yourself harder -
both will do the job.
Reduce your cortisol production
Reducing your mental and emotional stress can help too, but limiting
your physical stress is probably going to be the easiest way for you to
control the release of cortisol into your system. Studies have shown
that during a workout, cortisol production is boosted. The shorter the
duration of the workout, the less cortisol is produced.
Your body feels stress because of insufficient rest, too, so it's
very important that you get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
Studies show that people who habitually get less will have a higher
level of body fat and especially more belly fat.
In addition, growth hormone is produced while you sleep, and it
greatly lessens the effects of cortisol. So there's a double benefit in
getting plenty of sleep.
Okay, that covers cortisol and estrogen - now let's talk about how nutrition can help you peel off belly fat.
Proper nutrition for losing belly fat
Carbs = insulin spikes = more fat storage. Got that? That means that
cutting carbs can stop insulin spikes. And insulin is what triggers fat
storage. What you should be doing is eating low-glycemic vegetables,
grains and low-glycemic fruits like berries, with a high protein diet.
Your amounts will be determined by your workout intensity, how much fat
you're targeting and your metabolism.
High quality meat, nuts, leafy greens and healthy fats are perfect,
as are olive and coconut oils. They leave you feeling full, but don't
mess with your energy level or insulin production.
Timing is everything
It's important to know what to eat, but it's just as important to
know when to eat it. When you're out to lose belly fat, get your carbs
in the morning. That way, you'll have plenty of energy, but you'll burn
it off instead of storing it. You can get your healthy fats and protein
later in the day.
I've said it many times, and I'll keep saying it - know how your
body works and how it responds, and you'll be able to get it to do what
you want. Burning belly fat isn't hard when you work with your body
instead of against it. Control your hormones and your diet, and it's a
lot easier.
Author Resource:-> Vince Del Monte is the skinny guy savior.
A former skinny guy myself, I developed the No Nonsense Muscle Building
techniques that turned me from a skinny guy to a national champion
fitness model. I share my
ways to build muscle secrets, diets and inspirations on my blog, Vince Del Monte Fitness, and on sites such as
AskMen.com and
AskTheTrainer.Com.
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