How to Get Rid of Excess Belly Fat

It’ll come as no surprise to learn that excess belly fat is bad news. Having been linked to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, extra fat around your middle can be serious, with a large study published in the British Medical Journal, citing a link between an increase in waist size and mortality. Although you can't target your weight loss to specific areas like the belly (reducing overall weight loss is the way to go), there are certain things you can do which will help your excess belly fat to shrink and keep you as healthy as possible.

Try body weight training

If you want to lose your paunch, then you need to work as many muscles as possible. Using your body weight in your training sessions is a great starting point for shifting fat around your middle. Lunges, mountain climbers, squats, planks and crunches will all get your larger muscles working hard and kick start the fat busting process. If you can’t manage any of the above, then brisk walking is a good option. Going at a moderate pace for an hour or two a week will help you see a change.

Give intermittent fasting a go

Eating less will inevitably help you lose overall weight but be sensible about it and try intermittent fasting which sees you eating all your meals within a specific 10 or 12-hour window. As well as cutting out on late night snacking, giving you a shorter window for calorie intake should mean you can control it better. Other bonuses include improved digestion which will help with any excessive bloating and the lethargy that can come from over-eating. You’ll probably also find you have more energy because of that and better sleep quality too.

Eat more fibre

The kind of fibre found in wholegrains like oats and barley has a satiating effect and plays an important part in increasing intestinal bulk. Fibre also slows down the stomach emptying and slows the transit time of food through the GI tract, which stops you feeling so hungry. Insoluble fibre is thought to stimulate receptors on the intestinal wall by increasing a specific the satiety neurotransmitter and reducing ghrelin, otherwise known as the hunger hormone. Workshop's Gut Cleansing Formula is a great source of important fibres which help to keep your gut healthy and you feeling fuller for longer.

Limit your alcohol intake

Not only is it high in calories, with the average pint accounting for around 200 plus calories and a large glass of wine about the same, alcohol can make you hungry and lead to you making poor food choices that you otherwise would have the willpower to steer clear of. Drinks that are high in simple sugars, like beer, also lead to fat accumulation particularly around your abdomen, so that beer belly idea is no myth. Drinking alcohol also prevents you from burning fat, because the body uses it as a fuel source before anything else.