Maintaining a trim midsection does more than just improve your appearance; it can also help you live longer. Larger waistlines are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Losing weight, particularly abdominal fat, enhances blood vessel function and increases sleep quality.
It is hard to target abdominal fat directly when dieting. However, losing weight will help shrink your waistline; more importantly, it will help reduce the dangerous layer of visceral fat, a type of fat within the abdominal cavity that you cannot see but that increases health risks, according to Kerry Stewart, Ed.D., director of clinical and research physiology at Johns Hopkins.
Try limiting carbohydrates rather than fats.
When Johns Hopkins researchers compared the effects on the heart of losing weight through a low-carbohydrate diet versus a low-fat diet for six months—both containing the same number of calories—those on the low-carb diet lost an average of 10 pounds more than those on the low-fat diet—28.9 pounds versus 18.7 pounds. According to Stewart, another advantage of the low-carb diet is that it results in higher-quality weight reduction. Weight reduction reduces fat, but it also typically results in the loss of lean tissue (muscle), which is undesirable. On both diets, there was a loss of around 2 to 3 pounds of healthy lean tissue along with the fat, suggesting that the fat loss percentage was considerably higher on the low-carb diet.
Consider eating plans, not diets.
Finally, Stewart recommends choosing a healthy eating plan that you can stick to. A low-carb strategy has the advantage of requiring no calorie counting—it simply includes learning to make better eating choices. In general, a low-carb diet steers you away from problem foods—those heavy in carbohydrates and sugar with little fiber, such as bread, bagels, and sodas—and toward high-fiber or high-protein options, such as vegetables, legumes, and lean meats.
Maintain your momentum.
Physical exercise promotes the loss of abdominal fat. “One of the biggest benefits of exercise is that you get a lot of bang for your buck on body composition,” Stewart said. Exercise appears to take off belly fat in particular because it lowers circulating insulin levels—which would otherwise tell the body to store fat—and stimulates the liver to use up fatty acids, particularly those found near visceral fat deposits, he claims.
The quantity of activity required for weight reduction varies depending on your goals. For most adults, this translates to 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-to-strength activity almost every day.
Perform weightlifting exercises.
Even modest strength training combined with aerobic exercise helps grow lean muscle mass, causing you to burn more calories throughout the day, both at rest and when exercising.
Learn to read labels.
Compare and contrast the different brands. Stewart argues that while some yogurts claim to be low in fat, they are higher in carbohydrates and added sugars than others. Gravy, mayonnaise, sauces, and salad dressings are common sources of high fat and calorie intake.
Avoid processed meals.
Packaged products and snack meals frequently include high levels of trans fats, added sugar, and added salt or sodium—all of which make weight loss harder.
Instead of using a scale, pay attention to how your clothes fit.
The number on your bathroom scale may not vary much as you gain muscle mass and shed fat, but your jeans will become tighter. That is a more accurate measure of progress. To lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes, your waistline should be less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches for men.
Hang out with health-conscious buddies.
According to research, if your friends and family are eating healthier and exercising more, you are more likely to do so as well.
Iqra Khan