Millions of people around the world are carrying too much belly fat. Excessive girth around the belly area increases the risk of many diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. Losing belly fat isn't hard, but it does take a few life changes and commitment.
Some lifestyle changes will be relatively easy, such as using a sauna to relax and reduce stress. While others, such as adjusting your diet, could be a little more challenging. There are three main components to losing belly fat fast, which we will go over in the rest of this article, including:
- Eating only two or three times a day
- Improving your daily nutrition intake
- Getting more sleep
1. Eat a Maximum of Three Times A Day
You should limit your mealtimes to two or three meals a day. Every time you eat, whether it's a biscuit or a substantial lunch, your body produces insulin, a hormone that inhibits weight loss.
Most people are accustomed to eating at least three main meals a day, but the snacks in between are the problem. Eating fewer snacks during the day, even healthy ones, will reduce your insulin production and speed up your results in losing belly fat.
Another strategy you can use to reduce the number of meals you have is called intermittent fasting, which is when you skip meals, so you are not eating for between 16 and 24 hours, depending on what type of fasting you prefer.
Fasting can accelerate fat loss because your body goes into a state called ketosis, which means your body is converting fat into energy rather than glucose.
People who work out regularly may find it difficult to switch to two meals a day, but if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, you shouldn't have too many problems. If you can get by on two meals a day, you will significantly reduce your midsection because insulin is the hormone most responsible for storing fat in this area.
2. Monitor Your Nutrient Intake
Depending on your size, you'll need three to six ounces of protein daily. You may need a little more if you are regularly stressed, but you don't want too much because protein stimulates insulin production.
Increase your daily serving of vegetables to about seven cups. You will need the extra vegetables to help your liver flush out all the fat. All the fat in your body has to get processed through the liver, and ensuring you eat enough vegetables will reduce the chance of fatty liver syndrome.
Additionally, vegetables give your body the necessary amount of potassium, which is 4700 milligrams. If you can’t increase your intake of vegetables, take a supplement to raise your potassium levels, such as potassium citrate.
Another good supplement is apple cider vinegar, because the acetic acid improves insulin resistance and lowers blood sugar. Drink one glass of water with one teaspoon of cider vinegar in the morning, followed by another one at night.
Most people will balk at eating so many vegetables because they're not used to it, but if you eat the vegetables first and have a large salad with a small amount of protein, it shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment.
Reducing your sugar intake will help you control your insulin levels. Make sure you account for all the hidden sugar in bread, pasta, and baked goods because most convenience or packaged foods include a lot of extra sugar.
Healthy fats are critical to losing belly fat because a little extra healthy fat in your meal will help you make it through to the next without getting hungry or experiencing a sugar crash. Fat is one of the few nutrients that won't trigger insulin production.
You can speed up belly fat loss by including more MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides) in your meals. You can get MCTs from foods like coconut oil.
Other supplements you can take to control blood sugar levels and keep insulin in check include chromium, nutritional yeast, and vitamin B.
3. Increase Growth Hormone Production
The third factor that significantly speeds up burning belly fat is increasing growth hormone production.
Adding regular sessions of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) to your week will create a spike in growth hormone. Additionally, short bursts of intense exercise will quicken your metabolism and boost your body's capacity to burn fat.
Interval training can take many forms, such as cycling, running, boxing, and cross fit. This study [*1] revealed that HIIT could reduce hunger pangs and accelerate fat loss over more traditional forms of exercise. Participants doing interval training over four weeks lost an average of 1.58kg, while the control group using regular exercise lost an average of 1.13kg.
While the positive results are not yet fully explainable, Dr. Niels Vollaard says they may be because of increased energy expenditure after exercise due to an accelerated metabolism. [*2]
A portable sauna for home use keeps your body burning calories long after your exercise session is complete. The additional heat also gives your heart rate a moderate boost to improve blood flow and fat-burning ability.
You don't need to go to the gym for three or four sauna sessions a week, which can get expensive. A portable personal steam sauna is a safe and practical method for enjoying the health benefits of a sauna at home whenever it's convenient.
Getting more sleep may seem counterintuitive because you don't burn as many calories while resting. The key, though, is how sleep stimulates growth hormone, which is essential for fat burning. Due to the increased volume of growth hormone, getting an additional hour of sleep could help you lose belly fat much more quickly if you currently get less sleep than is recommended.
Improving sleep quality is another great use for a portable sauna at home. Relaxing in a sauna can relieve aches and pains just before bed to help you sleep more soundly.
If you've been looking for easy ways to increase belly fat loss, the above tips aren't difficult to implement but will significantly improve your fat loss efforts. And don't forget to check out your options for portable saunas, which will help you achieve your weight loss goals and are an excellent and healthy way to relax and reduce stress.
