Belly fat, pooch, beer belly, love handles—by whatever name you call it, that expanding waistline between pecs and lower half is a serious problem for both men and women. However, it’s more common in men and causes many health complications like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

Getting rid of belly fat can be challenging because it tends to be the most stubborn when it comes to weight loss.

As most of you know, the best program to slim down your belly involves clean, balanced eating & consistent workouts. Does it not sound simple? Yes, it is – but with today’s busy lifestyle it has become harder and harder to shed unwanted belly fat and get down to a healthier weight. Read on here the best ways to lose belly fat for men:

How To Lose Belly Fat For Men?

Studies largely show that it is not possible to reduce fat in one particular part by exercising that body area alone. Instead, fat is lost from the whole body as a result of diet and regular exercise.

While it’s very difficult and rather impossible (according to some) to spot-reduce fat, many experts claim that being on a caloric deficit along with from the best fat-burning workouts to the top food picks for fat loss can possibly help reduce abdominal fat.

# 1

Calorie Deficit

The optimal weight-loss method calls for you to create a calorie deficit. This occurs when you burn more calories than you intake – resulting in fat loss all over, including your stomach fat.

Prune your calories intake and also do exercises to support your diet-induced calorie deficit. This is the best way to lose belly fat. The calorie deficit should be enough so that you begin to lose weight but it should not be so aggressive that you disturb your fat-loss hormonal balance. According to MedlinePlus, a fat-loss goal of 1 to 2 lbs. a week is healthy and reasonable.

For a 1-lb. weekly weight loss, you need to create a daily calorie-deficit of about 500 calories through diet, exercise or a combination of both. For a 2-lb. weekly weight loss, you need to aim for a deficit of about 1,000 calories every day.

Note: Never reduce your calories intake less than 1200 calories if you are a woman or 1800 if you are a man. Trimming calories aggressively will stop you from shedding belly fat, or will cause you to gain the weight back once you stop your dieting.

# 2

Tops Workout For Fat Loss

High-Intensity Interval Training

Whereas it’s true that you can’t spot reduce, many studies have reported that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) provides better results as compared to traditional cardio for shedding stubborn belly fat.

Not only is high intensity interval training workout one of the fastest ways to shed pounds and increase your endurance, it also keeps your body working up to 24-48 hours after you finish your workout – meaning burning calories and fat even during off hours via a phenomenon called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, aka EPOC.

Running

Running is an efficient exercise for burning fat throughout your body, including around your mid section. Although, it’s not possible to target just your stomach, but any fat loss helps you get a slimmer tummy.

As per the American Council of Exercise: While lower-intensity exercises consume fat for energy, the higher-intensity exercises burn more calories. So, I recommend you run with alternate intensities like you run with high pace for 1 to 5 minutes and then run with lower intensity for 1 to 5 minutes and then repeat. This way you will burn more calories and fat.

Notes:

(i) You can adjust high intensity and low intensity time durations according to your physical fitness and medical conditions.

(ii) You can also choose to go up hills or do sprints. Going out in the heat you also burn more calories.“

Cycling

Cycling is an effective form of cardio. Not only does it get your heart rate up, but it skyrockets your fat burns as well. Depending on your size, an hour of moderate cycling can burn between 590 and 930 calories. The high calorie burn will help you start burning off fat stores all over your body, including your belly fat, provided you are eating sensibly.

A very efficient way for burning body fat and improving lean muscle is to use your bike to do interval training. It means working at a very high intensity for a short period of time then taking a break or doing it at lower intensity and repeating. You can add this effective fat loss technique to your regular cycle training.

Doing interval training two times in a week will boost up your fat loss, allowing you to achieve a reduction in your abdominal fat sooner. An effective way to perform intervals is to cycle as fast as you can for 20-30 seconds, then do it slowly or take a break for 10-20 seconds, repeating this sequence 8-10 times.

# 3

Diet A Critical Factor For Men To Lose Belly

Reducing abdomen fat is about eighty per cent healthy diet. Cut back your calories intake by eating more protein, whole grains, and switching your bad snacks habit with good ones. Follow these diet guidelines to lose weight and shed belly fat.

Don’t Eat Sugar. Avoid Sugar-Sweetened Products And Drinks

Several studies have shown a link between high sugar intake and increased belly fat.

A group of researchers carried out a study in 2009. They examined the participants who drank sugar-laden drinks along with their meals over an 8-week period.

Their diets remain the same otherwise. It was observed they gain on an average 3 pounds. Moreover, this wasn’t all, it was also found that the participants’ belly fat had also increased considerably.

Consuming sugar, particularly refined sugars mixed with sweeten food and beverages, is a chief contributing factor to accumulation of visceral fat. The glucose and fructose contained in sugar are simple carbohydrates. They get swiftly absorbed into the bloodstream and metabolized to produce instant energy. When there’s excessive intake, they get transformed in to glycogen that get deposited in fat tissues. Consuming more sugar also increases your blood sugar, which encourages insulin to be released in higher amounts, which is likely to result in to a condition known as insulin resistance that’s linked with metabolic syndrome.

Keeping away from all sugary foods and drinks, including fruit juices, is one of the best ways to lose abdomen fat fast. Instead enjoy small amounts of natural sweeteners like dates, raw honey, fresh juices, and coconut crystals.

Eating More Protein Is A Great Long-Term Strategy To Reduce Belly Fat

Protein is one macronutrient that actually can help reduce belly fat. When you eat more protein, it keeps you fuller longer and control the hunger hormone ghrelin, helping you cut back the total calories you intake per day. Protein-rich meals, with 25 to 30 grams of protein per each meal, can also help you burn more calories by improving your body’s metabolic rate.

Eat up to 3 high protein meals per day to control your appetite and cravings. Poultry, lean meat, eggs, fresh-caught fish & other seafood, yogurt and cottage cheese are high in protein. Make sure to include one or more of these in every meal.

Here are top foods that will help you shed pounds from your mid-section.

Cut Back Carbs From Your Diet – Include Foods Rich In Fiber, Particularly Soluble Fiber

Cut Back The Carbohydrates: Steer clear of refined carbs such as white bread, bagels, rice, pasta, candy, cookies and chips. Include in your diet nutrient- and fiber-rich carbohydrates like vegetables, and low-glycemic fruits to reduce abdominal fat as they causes your body to burn fat for fuel.

Eating Enough Fiber Is Essential For Losing Stomach Fat: Fiber is broadly of two types, namely,soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber, as the name implies, does not mix with water and works generally as a bulking agent to help form stool and pass it through the gut. This can help you get rid of constipation.

Soluble fiber like glucomannan & beta-glucan, mixes with water to convert in to a viscous, gel-like matter that slows down how fast the stomach releases digested food into the gut. (Source)

Getting more fiber into your diet, particularly soluble fiber fcontained in oats, chia seeds, legumes, vegetables, & fruits, can help reduce fat accumulation in the mid-section area. Psyllium husk is another great source of fiber—and has zero calories. One study found that an increase in daily soluble fiber intake by just 10-gram can lead to a 3.7% lower risk of gaining belly fat.

Fiber is believed to help people shed – or at least not gain fat, especially abdominal fat. As per a study in the October 2009 issue of “The Journal of Nutrition”, it was found  that those who consumed more fiber from whole grains and cereals had less belly fat & overall body fat as compared to those who didn’t intake much fiber. So, you should keep away from any products that are made with refined grains and focus on those made with whole grains to lose weight.