Belly Fat is notorious for being stubborn, especially for women over forty-five. It just seems to stick around no matter how much you exercise or how many calories you cut out. People struggle with learning how to lose stubborn belly fat when nothing seems to work.
We are told it’s bad for us, so we need to lose the fat, but then we can’t get the weight off. Yes, it does lead to diabetes, heart disease, and many other issues. But the method you have been given to lose fat is flawed. Well over half of Americans are overweight. The weight loss industry is getting bigger every year but people don’t seem to be getting any smaller. There is a disconnect between the need to lose weight and the proper methods to do it. Here are five rules to losing stubborn belly fat that will actually be effective.
#1 Relax, Stop Trying to Lose Belly Fat
It seems contradictory to stop trying to lose fat, in order to lose fat. This is the most important rule because, in the end, it’s about what you are focusing on. Are you obsessing over losing weight, or striving to get healthy? This mindset will change how you approach the problem.
Belly fat is a symptom, not the root cause. You need to treat inflammation and hormone imbalance before your body can begin to release the fat. If you are just focused on losing weight, you will never fix the problem permanently. Diet and strenuous exercise might work for a while but it won’t work long-term and the weight will come back. It becomes harder to lose weight each time because your body is determined to hold onto it as an emergency energy reserve.
#2 How to Lose Lower Belly Fat with Water
Over half of your body is made of water. You need water, regardless of what it does for weight loss. The bonus is that getting enough water helps you burn fat. You aren’t drinking water to trick your body into eating less. Water is actually a key component of the first step in metabolizing fat. You can’t burn fat very well if you don’t have enough water in your system, so drink up.
#3 Stop Exercising to Lose Belly Fat
Exercising for weight loss is counterproductive, especially if you are over forty-five and chronically stressed. The more stress you put on your body during exercise, the more likely it is to hoard fat instead of losing it. Your systems are built to keep you alive in life-threatening situations. To your body, there is no difference between strenuous exercise and running for your life. It will pack on the fat to ensure you have emergency energy stores.
#4 Focus on Provision, not Deprivation
You need to focus on what to eat, not what you shouldn’t eat. Dieting and restriction leave you feeling frustrated. Instead, pay attention to fueling and nourishing your body. That will help you shift your focus from what you shouldn’t eat, to what you should eat. This will help you build better food habits without feeling deprived.
#5 Stop Focusing on the Scale as You Lose Stubborn Belly Fat
While on your weight loss journey, your weight will fluctuate up and down. That is completely normal and to be expected. When fat leaves a cell, your body fills that spot with water as a placeholder until the fat comes back. Once your body realizes the fat is gone for good, it releases the water.
Water weighs more than fat. So even though you have lost fat, you’re going to weigh a little more until the water is lost too. A little bit of weight gain is a step in the right direction. Focusing on the scale every day can dishearten you as you watch the numbers go up and down. Try weighing just once a week. As long as the numbers are trending down, despite the fluctuation, you are making progress.
Lose Stubborn Belly Fat with Metabolism Reboot
If you have tried diet after diet and still feel like you aren’t making progress, contact us today to learn how Metabolism Reboot can help you make a real change.
Learn about sustainable weight loss without extreme dieting or exercise with Metabolism Reboot. We teach you how to reboot your metabolism to promote permanent weight loss. Schedule a call to learn how to rebalance your hormones and reduce inflammation.