What is the best fitness and diet routine to lose belly fat?
(Go to the bottom of the page to see the 5 points without the explanation)
Step 1 - Majorly cut down on alcohol. One pint of beer is the equivalent of eating 7 slices of bread (which is a lot of carbs), not to mention the amount of sugar and calories that are packed into one pint. If you want to get serious about losing weight I would suggest you stop drinking completely.
Step 2 - Watch what you eat, diet counts for more than half of losing weight so watch what you eat. Fast food is a no fly zone. Fruit juice and fizzy drinks are also a no go - water works just fine, trust me. Speaking of water, drink lots of it (especially when working out). Drink a glass of water before meals, after meals and throughout the day (2 - 3 litres is a good amount if you're trying to lose weight). Sugar is the killer, in fact eating fatty foods will actually burn fat if you don't eat any sugar (it's called the 'Keto diet', if you want to know how it works or know more about it, you can click here for a YouTube video that explains all you need to know). So what should you eat? Vegetables and low calorie foods - it's not hard to look at that food that has a red colour pasted over the percentage of fat/sugar and ignore it, it's also not hard to look at the food that has low calories, pick it up and put it in your basket. Blending up fruits and/or vegetables and making a drink out of them is a good way to get the goodness you need into your body. However you also need fat, as I said before fat and no sugar will actually burn fat. Here are some foods that are high in fat, but are very nutritious - Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Fish, Eggs, Cheese, Yogurt, Berries, green tea, chocolate skim milk and citrus. Surely you like at least 1 of these items. The importance of fats lies in which fats to eat and how often you should eat them - consume good fats regularly, eat them daily but spread it out over the course of the day. Find good recipes to make - eating healthy food doesn't have to be boring at all, find some recipes for meals online and try some out - see what you like and what you don't like. And remember, NO SUGAR.
Step 3 - Work out. Probably the most obvious out of the three, go to a gym. A gym membership costs no more than £20 a month. They're everywhere, and unless you live in an extremely remote area a gym is probably no more than a 15 minute car journey. If you could tell me the reason you're unable to join a gym I could tell you how to stupid the excuse is. There is literally no excuse to not join a gym and if you are persistent in thinking the opposite then there's really no point in reading this. So, now you're in a gym what do you need to do? For weight loss the best thing to do is cardio. If you want to primarily lose weight, the best thing to do is ignore all of the 'lose your belly fat quick' programs, and just go on runs, go to the gym and use the cardio machines. Weight loss in the gym is super straight forward, it's not easy but it's straight forward. For the first 6 - 12 months run on treadmills and other machines based around cardio. This type of exercise along with the diet and other steps in this blog, will make you lose a large bulk of the fat in the first year. Set a one year goal and do everything in your power to hit that goal. Once the first portion of fat is gone, start using machines that focus on weight loss and cardio, but also include muscle building as well, for example a rowing machine. Speak a gym instructor about which machines are good for both. Once your fat has gone, you can focus on building muscle (which we will talk about in the next topic).
Step 4 - Sleep. Definitely an overlooked topic when it comes to any form of exercise, sleep is one of the most important things when it comes to building muscle and losing weight. There are many scientific reasons why sleep is an integral part of exercise, for example hormone levels, glucose levels and energy levels, however all you need to know is this simple factor... go to sleep before 12 pm and wake up naturally. If waking up naturally isn't possible due to a job or school, go to sleep at least 8 hours before your alarm goes off. 8-1o of sleep is perfect, however some people need more and some people need less, it's all about knowing how much you need. Sleep will lose you more weight and gain you more muscle. Simple. If you're tired at home, take a nap. Finally, don't stay up late binge watching Netflix or on your phone if you're tired. Rest. Is. Vital.
Step 5 - This is the final step and certainly the most simple. Be patient, anything good that comes to your life takes time. Don't give up and more importantly be motivated. Watch motivational videos on YouTube, add motivational speeches to your gym playlist, do what you have to do to get out the house and get moving. Every day counts. I can guarantee you will see results soon, giving up when you don't see results will drain you, however you have to push through that. The more you do it the easier it gets, you will gain more knowledge and lose more weight as time goes on. It is all worth it in the end.
So there it is, 5 simple steps you can take on board today to lose weight. Here is a recap of all the points.
- No alcohol
- Diet
- Exercise
- Sleep
- Patience