Diet Alone May Not Be Enough to Lose Fat

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If you’ve decided that it’s time to shed the belly fat, a menu plan that eliminates empty calories and incorporates an exercise regimen with cardiovascular and resistance training will help burn fat, increase muscle mass, and reduce belly bulge.

Eating a healthy diet, consisting of lean proteins, healthy unsaturated fats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help you reverse fat gain. However, diet alone is not enough so plan on adding some cardio and resistance training as well.

You can lose two pounds a week without having to make any drastic dietary changes. Although a couple pounds may not seem like a huge amount of weight but two pounds of visceral fat can make a noticeable difference to your waistline. But, be smart and avoid fad diets that allow you to drop weight fast only to put it back on once the diet is over. It is important to adopt a sustainable approach to managing fat loss.

Strategies for Managing Belly Fat

Although having belly fat is normal and necessary, having too much belly fat is not good for your health and increases your risk for disease because visceral fat is active fat. Listed below are some helpful strategies to get you started:

Increase Fiber Intake – You should add sources of high fiber foods to your personalized menu plan. Soluble fiber increases fullness as well as reduces calorie absorption.

Reduce Refined Carbs – Just as you should select foods that are not processed or less processed, you should also limit your intake of refined carbohydrates that are stripped of their bran and germ. Foods that are artificially low in fiber and nutrients are high on the glycemic scale.

Probiotics & Supplements – Taking a probiotic supplement or eating probiotic foods may help to promote weight loss by boosting you digestive system. These beneficial bacterial strains can support gut bacteria.

Add Resistance Training – Resistance training, which can include weight lifting, is important for preserving muscle mass. Since muscles burn calories even at rest, strength training is important for burning belly fat.

Try Fasting – Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that cycles between consuming food and periods of avoiding food. There is evidence that intermittent fasting can be beneficial for fat loss.

Learn More About MRC Weight Loss for Men

Men often hear the extra pounds around their midsection are bad for heart health, and it is. Nonetheless, a recent study cited by Harvard Health warned that having a spare tire may be even worse for a woman’s heart than it is for a man’s. Abdominal fat cells are biologically active and can produce hormones and other substances that can have ill effects on your health and well-being. Visceral fat increases inflammation and your risk for acquiring metabolic syndrome.

Since visceral fat has a higher amount of fat cells, belly fat does not respond easily to your body’s efforts for fat-breakdown. This means stomach fat releases more slowly than fat from other areas of your body. Although there is no fountain of youth, consuming a diet of healing foods and exercising more can help to restore balance and aid in healing some of the broken links. Contact Metabolic Research Center to learn more about our approach to weight loss for men.