Despite including an ample amount of exercise and a proper diet, belly fat (visceral fat) can be stubborn enough to come in the way of you trying hard to achieve the desirable body. An excessive amount of belly fat is not only a concern for people who aim to look ‘presentable’, but also it is a greater health concern – regardless the gender.
However, if there is a problem, there must be some solution to the same as well!
Belly fat can be one stubborn feat, but if you put your mind to shed it – two weeks are enough!
Read on to know how.
Is it possible to shed belly fat in two weeks?
That is the most common question that must arise in your mind. If the answer is yes, the second question is – is it even healthy and sustainable? Now that needs a more explained answer.
Now, while it is next to impossible to lose *all of your belly fat* in 2 weeks, you can lose some of it quickly by losing weight and body fat all over. All you have to do is eat the right foods (cutting calories in the process), amp up your exercise routine, and make a few lifestyle changes for the next 2 weeks. However, in order to do so, it is important to be realistic about your goals:
Track your calories: The most basic approach to weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. For instance, since 3,500 calories equals one pound of fat, a weight loss app—or even just a pen and paper—can help you decide how many calories you need to cut from your diet or burn at the gym in order to meet your goals.
Eat more fibre: Foods that are high in refined carbs and sugar don’t actually tame your hunger, so you end up reaching for more. Instead, eat more fibrous foods like whole grain breads, oats, vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, and chia seeds.
Load up on protein: Not only does protein help keep you full, but it’s also responsible for repairing the tiny tears caused by strength training in your muscles. This helps them grow bigger and stronger, nudging out body fat in the process. As a general rule of thumb, aim to get at least 70 grams of protein throughout the day. This is especially important before you exercise. We’re all guilty of going hard at the gym, and then heading straight to Chipotle afterward because we’re super hungry. The result? You eat more calories than you burn and end up with excess belly fat.
Work out every day: If you don’t have an established exercise routine, walking is a pretty good ‘beginners’ plan for people. Aerobic exercise, like walking, running, swimming, or dancing, can help. You can also try strength training, Pilates, or yoga. If you sit most of the day for work, try to move around as much as possible. You can take breaks to walk, use the stairs, or do stretching exercises at your desk. Aerobic exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, biking, swimming, and playing sports. For best results, aim for 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardio exercise. Weight training can help you build lean muscle mass and increase your metabolism.
Begin strength training: It’s important to do full-body strength training if you want to lose belly fat—especially if you’re trying to keep it off for the long haul. Strength training should be a part of just about everybody’s exercise plan, as it helps you build muscle, which will replace body fat. And because muscle is metabolically active, you’ll continue to burn calories after working out, thereby, reducing overall body fat. So, when your metabolic rate becomes faster due to muscle growth, you’ll have a little more wiggle room in your diet if that’s something you struggle with. To get started, lift weights at least two days per week and work up from there.
Embrace healthy fats: If you want to lose fat, you have to eat the healthy kind of fat. Adding healthy fats, in the form of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, can help you feel more satisfied with your meals. You can increase your intake of healthy fats by adding some chopped avocado to your salads, enjoying wild salmon twice a week, and having a little peanut butter with your post-workout snack or smoothie.
Limit your stress: Stress can mess with every part of your body—but how you deal with it can make or break your weight loss goals. Stress-eating is no myth and the truth is, eating food to make yourself feel better is usually a whole lot easier than actually facing the stress head-on. Stress-eating can only lead to one thing: growing your belly rather than whittling it. If you find yourself stress eating, take a step back and think: What’s causing my stress, and what can I do about it? Find a way to remedy the solution or talk through it with a therapist rather than turning to a bag of junk food.
Prioritize quality sleep: Sleep is huge when it comes to your weight loss success—and that’s both if you sleep too much or too little. If you’re only getting a minimal amount of sleep each night, that leaves more time for you to snack and make otherwise unhealthy decisions that could affect your weight loss. Although it will vary from person to person on how much sleep you actually need to be most effective (and therefore make progress toward your weight loss goals), the ideal number is typically seven or eight hours.
Drink less soda and alcohol: To lose weight, you simply have to consume fewer calories—but that can be tough when feelings of hunger start creeping in. One good plan of attack? Ditch the empty calories that don’t serve your goals so you can make more room for the foods that do. This includes all sugary drinks, like soda, but alcohol is a big one.
Avoid sugary foods: Added sugar is a very large contributor to excess calories. If you’re not replacing it with other sources of calories, it can help contribute to a healthy calorie deficit—and that will help you lose weight. Having too much sugar can also cause spikes and crashes in your blood glucose levels, Cording says. And, when you have those crashes, it can make you feel tired and hungry, raising the risk that you’ll overeat.
Quit ultra-processed foods: Processed foods cause a lot of the same issues with weight loss as sugar in that they can lead to excess calories. A lot of packaged foods have been shown to contribute to bodily inflammation, which is a big driver of belly fat.
Weight-loss, made sustainable:
Although the above-mentioned ways are going to be your best friend in case you want to shed belly fat faster, the CDC says that a safe and achievable weight loss goal is to lose 1–2 pounds per week, which means you could lose 2–4 pounds in two weeks. However, the amount you can lose depends on your current weight, diet, and activity level.
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