#HEALTHTALK 06: Practical Ways to Get Rid of Belly Fat

One thing about weight reduction is that it shouldn't be drastic but gradual, as I said in the earlier edition. You really can't get rid of belly fat without losing weight also. Both of them are achieved simultaneously.

They are goals, not sudden events; and their effectiveness depends on the methods used to achieved them. Weight loss is good when one looses 0.5kg per week and 2-3kg per month not loosing about 3-7kg or more in a week. 

Personal nutrition is a key factor in getting rid of belly fat. But, we can't forget the place of exercise too. People often like to exercise as a weight reduction technique, but exercising alone won't cut it. It should be accompanied with a weight reduction diet.

Cardiovascular exercises help to flatten the tummy. (These are different from strength-training or muscle-training exercises) 

They include:

1.   The use of eliptical trainers: Elliptical trainers are exercise machines that are stationary, but aid walking and running, and without causing wear and tear in the joints. 

2. Common exercises like jogging, running and walking: You can start taking walks/jogs or making runs routinely around your neighborhood. Both exercises help to burn calories. 

3. Bicycling: You loose calories when you ride a bicycle for at least 30 minutes. The world manufactures around 100 million bikes every year. You can get yourself one for this purpose or visit the gym to make use of the stationary cycles.

See also: #HEALTHTALK 05: GETTING RID OF BELLY FAT

4. Yoga: A regular yoga exercise can assist in burning belly fats.

5. Captain's chair leg raise: The Captain's chair has a padded back and arm rest with grips. It can be found in most gyms. However, please the video below shows you how you can do it at home without the Captain's chair itself. 

6. Reverse crunch: This is a different kind of leg raising exercise. Steps on how to do it:

a. Lie flat on the floor with your arms at the sides

b. Cross your feet and lift them off the floor such that your knees create a 90-degree angle

c. Contract the muscles of your abdomen and lift head and shoulders off the ground

d. Exhale when you contract; and inhale when you lower your back down

e. You can do it 1-4 sets with 12-16 repetitions. 

See a practice video below. 

7. Exercise ball crunch

How to practise

a. Lie on the ball in a way that your lower back is supported and feet are firmly planted on the ground

b. Place your hands across your chest or behind the head

c. Contract the muscles of your abdomen and lift your torso up and forward

d. Lower back down

e. Ensure the ball is stable during each crunch

d . Exhale when you crunch; inhale when you lower your back down

e. You can do 1-3 sets with 12-16 repetitions.

7. Other exercises includes: Vertical leg crunch, bicycle exercise, skipping,etc.

Note: The combination of two or more of the above listed exercises can help alot in getting rid of belly fat. Another helpful exercise is reverse sit-ups. 

Diets for Weight Reduction

You might ask why it should be weight reduction; but the more you reduce in weight, the more your belly fat and waist line decrease.

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Calories are the energy which the body needs in order to function. Food is a primary source of calories for the body. When we use a diet plan, we're actually being more deliberate about the calorie levels we have in our body per time. 

Weight reduction diets are formulated by a dietitian based on the patient's ideal body weight and energy needs.

After knowing the ideal body weight and energy need, they will know how best to subtract a specific amount of calories from all your energy needs.

Although you need to consult your nutritionist to do this for you, here are some pointers on how you can do it for yourself:

Step 1: Find out your body weight and height. Let's assume that you weigh 80kg and are 5 feet tall.

Step 2: Visit this link and provide your personal details including age, height and weight in order to calculate what is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the rate at which your body expends energy (or burns calories) per unit time when you are at rest. When you have done the calculations, you'll see how many calories your body needs to burn in a day. If you're a 25-year-old man, let's assume that you're 180cum tall, so your ideal BMR = 1805 calories per day. This means that everyday, you normally have to eat food with a total number of calories that equals or exceeds this number on order to be comfortable and not feel hungry. 

Step 3: Reduce your actual calorie levels per day to a total number that is less than 1805 calories. This means that you have to meticulously check everything you take into your body daily to ensure that by the end of the day, the total calories you would have taken in will be less than 1805 calories. However, be conservative about this choice; don't pick a number that is too low. For example, you can choose to start with making sure that you eat only 1300 calories per day (as a standard, 500-550 calories should be deducted). When you do this everyday, this means that your body will be taking the remaining 505 calories that you didn't supply to it from the excess stored fat in your body, including your belly fat. So, you'll effectively be burning 505 calories everyday from your body. That's belly fat being removed from you through negative energy balance. Overtime, you'll begin to visibly lose weight. 

This may sound easy, but sticking to a meal routine can really test your level of discipline. But, with a strong commitment to succeed in removing belly fat, you can make it.

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These notwithstanding, to ensure weight loss, you'll need to be careful with the way you take in the following foods:

1.   Meat: Lean cut meats are the best for weight reduction. Examples are cartilaginous fish, egg white, skinned poultry, lean cut red meats, etc.

2.   Fat intake should be sparingly but not less than one table spoon to avoid deficiency of essential fatty acids. 

3.   Eat as much vegetables as you can. 

4.   None sugary fruits and vegetables can be taken as much as you can. Examples include lemons, water melons, strawberries, grapes, avocado pears, cucumbers, lettuce, etc. 

5.   Avoid starchy foods like akpụ (cassava fufu), spagheti, semovita and the likes because negative energy balance is needed in weight reduction and losing belly fat. 

6.   Avoid the intake of alcohols and soft drinks. It will interest you to know that a single bottle of coke contains about 240 calories! So, if your target for the day is to take 1300 calories, and you take a bottle of coke at any time, remember that you now have a balance of only 1060 calories to take for the rest of the day. So, you should choose what you take wisely. Soft drinks and alcohol have high calories, but deliver lower energy to the body than real food. They are immediately satisfying when you take them, but not for long. So, it's better to avoid them entirely if possible. 

7.   Avoid foods that contains transfat. 

8.   Take skimmed milk to avoid increase in fat to worsen the condition. 

9.   Take sugary foods sparingly or avoid them completely because negative energy balance is needed to effect weight loss. 

Note: Adequate diet is necessary in weight reduction. Any meal deficient in one or more nutrients is not an adequate diet. Reduce the quantity of nutrients, but don't eliminate. While on a meal plan, a weekly check of your weight is important to ensure that you're not losing too much weight at a time. 

Alternatively, belly fat when in excess can also be eradicated through an abdominal wall surgery or the use of drugs (best known and done by the doctor). You should see your doctor for these.

On a final note, please remember that exercises alone aren't effective, neither is a weight loss meal plan. You need to combine both to get efficient results.

Easy Effective Formula for Burning Belly Fat

Ginger
The local herb ginger which is available in most markets is a powerful tool for belly fat loss with no side effects.

Ginger water (boil the ginger and seive the water) helps in reducing belly fat, aids in digestion, reduces hunger pangs, and thus prevents overeating which causes increase in body weight.

Consuming this drinking daily helps in burning fat.

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Lemon
Lemon is another local fruit in the citrus family. Lemon is one fruit that works wonders as regards weight loss and skin care. When our bodies have high toxins, our organs deplete and function less effectively. This includes the organ which helps burn fat.

Lemon helps in cleansing our bodies from toxins, improves the liver functions, boosts our immune system, helps digestion and prevents bloating.

Cucumber
This is an amazing fruit. I totally recommend this to everyone. You can never go wrong with cucumber. The saying goes "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Well, to me, its "A cucumber a day keeps the doctor away".

Cucumber provides plenty essential nutrients and has nutritional properties for weight loss. Cucumber has low calorie and is a fat free fruit. It can be added to weight loss diets. Taking cucumber before eating helps to surpress appetite. Its quite a filling fruit.

A cucumber juice before you start your day is perfect if you want to loose weight.

If there's a cool fruit that leads to weight loss, its cucumber!!!

Finally, in every weight loss/belly fat burning program, consistency is key. Its a process; it won't happen overnight. Only the persistent and consistent persons will achieve their desired result.

Lilian Uchechi Eze is a Nutritionist-Dietitian in Lagos, Nigeria. She is a teacher, writer and content developer at The Paul Anunaso Blog, and can be reached at lilian.thepaulanunasoblog@gmail.com

Chisom Deborah Ogbonna is a Biologist in Lagos, Nigeria, and is a lead contributor to the #HealthTalk series.