How to Lose Belly Fat Fast – 8 Proven Steps

If you’re searching for how to lose belly fat fast and lose it the right way, you’ve come to the right place!

Having belly fat ruins the fit of clothes and makes wearing a swimsuit a very self-conscious experience.

The worst part?

Getting rid of ugly stomach fat can be mind-numbingly frustrating to do.

In fact, when losing weight, it is one of the last places fat seems to budge.

Many people have experienced the frustration of losing a few pounds and still feeling as though their stomach has not made any improvement.

It’s tough to stay motivated when you don’t see results.  That’s why we’re going to teach you some of the basics of how to lose belly fat fast and get the flat sexy stomach you’ve always wanted.

If you really want to understand how to lose belly fat fast, you need first to understand what it is and what causes it.

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What is Belly Fat?

Belly fat is the fat in the abdominal region and is the most dangerous type of fat there is.

If you’re here just for a cosmetic approach, we totally understand and will give you the right tools to get the flat stomach you want.

However, it is important to be aware that belly fat or “visceral fat” is some of the most harmful and dangerous fat there is.

While arm fat or thigh fat is unsightly, it’s belly fat and waist circumference, in particular, that is linked to heart disease, diabetes, increase cortisol release, and a whole bunch of other things you do not want to have.

In other words: It’s very dangerous to have.  So get rid of it not just to look sexy in your clothes, but also for a healthier and more vibrant life!

Once you understand what it is, the next most important question in the quest of how to lose belly fat fast is…

What Causes Belly Fat?

Having lots of visceral fat is caused by a few different factors:

Overeating

This is the problem hidden in plain sight. Obviously, eating too much food leads to weight gain and more stomach fat.

However, don’t get hung up on the ‘calories in, calories out’ methodology just yet.  You will find that if you focus on eating the right foods, eating less is a natural result.

Hormone Imbalances – Specifically Cortisol 

The stress hormone cortisol has been directly linked to higher abdominal fat distribution (1).

It’s important to get your hormones under control and minimize the amount of stress in your life to reduce belly fat.

Bloat  

Often missed in other solutions for how to lose belly fat fast, bloat often causes the stomach to look and feel larger than it should be.

This is usually caused by high sodium intake, excessive carbohydrate intake, and can be a sign of food intolerance.

Aging

Aging doesn’t help with stomach fat.

While this doesn’t mean that you can’t get a flat stomach past a certain age, it should be understood that the older you are, the harder you will likely have to work at it.

If you’re closing in on that AARP discount, don’t get too discouraged.  There are plenty of older people who maintain fit and trim waistlines with the right plan.

Alcohol Intake 

The final contributor to stomach fat is alcohol intake.

Again, studies have shown that alcohol and certain types of alcohol are directly associated with high amounts of belly fat.

As a general rule of thumb, you should cut out alcohol when losing weight.  Only once you’re at the desired weight, should it be reintroduced to the diet.

Biggest Mistakes Most People Make When Trying to Lose Belly Fat

Believing Too Heavily in the “6 Meals/Day” Mantra

There isn’t. There is no metabolic fire that burns hotter with the more time you eat in a day, and that stuff is just hogwash.

A massive meta-analysis on weight loss and body composition proved that there is no relation between the number of meals and calories burned or weight loss (2).

If you like eating 6 healthy meals a day, then that’s great.  However, if you’re eating unnecessary meals/snacks just to “stoke your metabolic fire,” it’s not helping.

Those additional calories are hurting you.  Try intermittent fasting instead.

Trying to Crunch Your Way to a Six-Pack

In one study, 6 weeks of training just the abdominal muscles had no measurable effect on waist circumference or the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity (3).

This makes perfect sense when looking at the anatomy of the stomach.

The irony is that by doing tons of crunches when you’re overweight and not properly dieting, you’re more likely to give yourself a bigger waist by building larger abdominal muscles underneath your fat.

Abs are made in the kitchen.

Crunches will be a waste of time until your body fat is low enough for them to count.

Believing Body Wraps are Going to Fix the Problem

Overnight fixes don’t work, especially if the goal is long-term success.

While body wraps may provide a temporary reduction in waist circumference, it will come right back within a day or two. Put that energy elsewhere.

Alright, now you are finally ready for the main show…

8 Proven Steps to Lose Belly Fat Fast

P.S. Incorporating ALL of these will end up having the biggest impact… especially if you’re trying to drop weight quickly (in a week).

1. Eat Fiber-Rich Foods

Studies have shown that there is a direct link to adding more fiber to your diet and the reduction of abdominal fat (4).

But not all fiber is made equal.

The type of fiber you want to focus on is viscous fiber.  These are the types of fibers that bind to water and slow down the digestion process. This process has been shown to reduce appetite and increase the satisfaction the body has from any meal.

If you want to reduce belly fat, eat lots of fiber-rich foods.  They are found in beans, vegetables, and fruits.

2. Stop Eating Sugar and Cut Carbohydrates

Plenty of studies show exactly how sugar is directly turned into belly fat (5).

This comes through the process of sugar turning into fructose which is then turned into fat.  Doing a sugar detox is one of the quickest ways to shed a few pounds quickly.

But sugar is not the only type of carbohydrate you should cut out. It’s also beneficial to minimize all carbohydrate intake.  This sort of carbohydrate detox has been shown to be the fastest way to lose weight quickly, safely, and effectively.

This is one of the core principles behind our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge and why it works so well to help our clients lose 7-10 pounds in their first WEEK with the diet!

It’s also been proven to be more effective than low-fat diets.  When the body is cut off from sugars and carbohydrates, weight loss and a drop in belly fat will occur simultaneously.

3. Add Apple Cider Vinegar to Your Diet

Apple cider vinegar is uniquely effective for weight loss and eliminating stomach fat.

Its abilities to lower blood sugar and curb appetite are particularly effective for those looking to lose weight.

Studies have also shown that those who consume 1 -2 tablespoons daily have a significant decrease in visceral fat (6).

4. Do Yoga.

As discussed before, high cortisol levels lead to more abdominal obesity.

Exercises like long-distance running create a place for chronic cortisol levels to flourish. Try yoga instead.

It’s the only form of exercise proven to lower resting cortisol levels and burn fat at the same time.

Get started by checking out the 13 Yoga Asanas for Weight Loss.

5. Regulate Your Sleep Patterns

For every hour of sleep the body gets that is fewer than 8, the chances of visceral fat increase.

If you’re only getting in 6 hours a night, you’ll likely have a 22% increase in the gain of visceral fat (7). These a reason lack of sleep is associated with cravings, high cortisol levels, poor skin, and other health issues.

Get 8 hours of high-quality sleep every night.

6. Eat More Protein

Most people understand that protein is essential for a slimmer, sexier you. If you really want to know how to lose belly fat fast, it’s all about how much protein you are consuming.

People put on high protein diets lose significantly more fat and visceral belly fat than when placed on lower protein diets (8).

Get serious about your protein intake. Consume no less than 25% of daily calories from protein.

7. Drink Green Tea or Coffee Before You Workout

Studies have shown that those who load up on green tea or coffee before exercising lose more belly fat than those that don’t.

This is because of the caffeine and catechins found in these drinks.

For an especially effective belly fat burning workout, don’t eat 2 hours before working out. Drink either black coffee or green tea, and then exercise.

This will give you the most powerful belly fat burning effects.

8. Eat More Healthy Fat

A study done by Swedish scientists showed a strange result.

Those who ate lots of polyunsaturated fats lost more visceral fat, lost more weight, and gained more lean muscle than those that ate other fats (9).

Polyunsaturated fats can be found in fish, nuts, and seeds.

Lastly, it’s important that you remember to measure your stomach. Your numbers on the scale are not always reliable when it comes to reducing belly fat.

Use a simple measuring tape, and track your numbers every week.  This will help to ensure you’re getting the results you want without all the hassle.

If you liked this article on losing belly fat and are ready to make the dietary changes necessary to lose finally knock it for good, our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge is the best place to start!

Our clients lose an average of 10-21 pounds in 21 days and absolutely love it!  But even better than the weight loss is the feedback we get from our clients about how the program has taught them how to change their eating habits and find a diet that truly works for them in the long-term.

We have over 1,000 clients in our private support group going through the Challenge together, and every day they are sharing experiences, results, motivation, and lots of recipes!

If you are ready to make some changes in your life, this is the ONLY place you should start.  We will teach you exactly how to make the necessary changes in your diet and your lifestyle and how to keep them “beyond the diet.”

Click here to start YOUR 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge today!

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