Tired of having too much belly fat? For many people stubborn abdominal fat is a big problem. Not only is it an ugly turnoff but studies have shown that deep belly fat -- AKA "intra-abdominal" fat -- is probably the most dangerous type of body fat. The best way to lose stomach fat as quickly and healthily as possible is a combination of smart eating and regular exercise. Follow the proven diet tips below and you'll soon be watching your ugly belly fat melt off (while feeling a lot better at the same time)...
1. Eat some form of protein at every meal - Lean protein is a "fat burning" food because speeds up your metabolism, stabilizes blood sugar and insulin levels, helps to build muscle tissue, and keeps you feeling full. Lean meats, eggs, low-fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, and whey protein powder are all great forms of healthy, high quality protein.
2. Eliminate most grain products from your diet - For the most part, eating large amounts of grain foods is going to make losing stomach fat much more difficult. Try eliminating all foods containing wheat, corn and rice and see if you don't feel better, have more energy, and lose more weight in less time.
3. Eat lots of veggies and a couple servings of fresh fruit each day - Fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits are the best carbohydrates to eat when you're trying to burn belly fat and get leaner. They're high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and other healthy nutrients but low in calories. Raw is best but steamed veggies are a good choice as well. Avoid high-calorie dried fruits and fruit juices.
4. Watch for sugar - Sugar comes in many forms and it can definitely ruin your weight loss efforts, sometimes without you even noticing. Learn to read labels and try to avoid anything that contains more than a gram or two of sugar per serving. Obviously avoid all soft drinks and juices that contain sugar, corn syrup, etc. Even things like canned tomato sauces often contain high levels of sugar so you must be on the lookout at all times!
5. Limit processed foods - In general, the less a food has been processed or touched by other humans the healthier it is for you. Processed snack foods -- including many of the so-called "diet" foods -- aren't going to help you lose your abdominal fat. Eating foods like lean meats, raw fruits, fresh or steamed vegetables, raw nuts, and raw seeds on a regular basis -- and avoiding highly processed foods as much as possible -- is going to get you to your weight loss goals faster than just about anything else.
6. Eat one portion of "starchy" food per day - For many reasons, eating high-starch foods like breads, cereals, and pastas is counterproductive when trying to lose body fat. You'll get a leaner, better-looking body in less time by only eating one serving of starchy food per day. The healthiest choices are sweet potatoes, oatmeal (no sugar added), quinoa (a very unique and healthy grain you can find in many health food stores), and beans (no fat or low fat).
7. Limit alcohol consumption - If you regularly drink alcohol you're really shooting yourself in the foot in terms of your weight loss progress. It's called a "beer belly" for a reason and you'll never lose it if you're downing more than one drink (12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine) per day.
8. Eat more "good" fats each day - Avoid eating foods containing or cooked in vegetable oils made from corn, sunflower, and safflower. Also, avoid all partially hydrogenated oils -- the main source of dangerous trans fats. At the same time, don't try to completely cut fat out of your diet because it will hurt your overall health and make losing weight much more difficult. Focus on getting more good fats into your diet by cooking with olive oil and eating foods rich in healthy omega-3 fats like fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts.
9. Drink a lot of pure water - Drinking lots of water throughout the day is definitely one of the best ways to lose stomach fat. When you drink large amounts of water you help to curb your appetite, control food cravings, speed up your metabolism, and flush toxins out of your body. For an added fat burning "boost" make the water ice-cold so that your body has to burn more calories to warm it up.
By the way, if you're looking for an extremely effective and easy-to-understand guide to losing stomach fat, building muscle, and looking better fast I highly recommend the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program located here:
http://www.fat-burning-guide.com/
