Knowing how to lose weight in your lower stomach can be a little tricky. There are many methods that can help you eliminate the extra pounds hanging down there. But the tricky part is implementing these ways to fit you and sticking to it.
It would be best if you had both physical and mental action to achieve your desired and ideal body shape, which benefits your physical appearance and helps avoid diseases that might arise from obesity.
In addition to helping you lose the harmful layer of visceral fat, a form of fat in your abdominal wall that you can’t see but raises health risks, decreasing weight overall will also help you trim your waistline.
The development of lower belly fat is similar to that of fat elsewhere in your body. The excess calories your body regularly receives that it cannot utilize for energy are stored as fat for later use.
When dieting, it is impossible to target belly fat specifically. This is particularly difficult for women after menopause since women typically accumulate more abdominal fat because of the hormones1.
If you are having trouble losing belly fat, the following advice will likely help you succeed in getting rid of it:
How To Lose Weight In Your Lower Stomach?
Forget the notion that you can “spot-treat” your body’s problem areas. You can perform countless repetitions of toning exercises to trim your waist without losing weight.
The only way to reduce belly fat is to reduce your weight. This includes:
1. Monitoring your calories.
Burning more calories than you consume will help you lose weight. This would imply that less food is to be consumed. That excludes extreme dieting or meal skipping.
You must reduce your calorie intake if you’re struggling to get rid of belly fat.
You can do this by tracking your food intake and watching your diet to decrease lower belly fat. If you don’t keep track, you can eat too much or too little, both can have undesirable outcomes.
You do not have to record every meal you eat. You can get a good idea of the areas you should focus on the most if you track it consistently for a few days.
Utilize calorie calculators, otter-tracking applications, and online tools to track your daily calorie consumption.
You might want to step back from consuming too many foods high in calories, such as sugar, refined flour, frozen foods, canned foods, and fast food.
2. Consume fewer carbs.
Don’t eliminate carbohydrates from your diet because many fruits and vegetables contain them.
Although it won’t be simple, your best chance of losing belly fat is to reduce your overall carbohydrate intake (without cutting out all carbohydrates entirely).
It may also help you lose weight by reducing your intake of simple carbohydrates like pasta and bread and switching them out for healthier options like courgette.
In a 2014 study, participants who followed a low-carb diet lost more weight than those who followed a low-fat diet2.
Combining a low-carb diet with all the necessary meals could help you lose that stubborn lower belly fat in weeks.
3. Consume foods high in fiber.
Fiber helps with motility and regularity, which reduces bloating, gas, and constipation, and is crucial for digestive health3.
You need soluble and viscous fiber if you want to lose weight. Water in the gut is bound by soluble and viscous fiber to produce a thick gel.
By delaying the passage of food through the digestive tract, the gel ultimately slows down food digestion and nutrient absorption in the gut. This lessens your desires and appetite while making you feel fuller for longer.
Combine your lower belly fat workout with vegetables, whole oats, and legumes for optimum results. You can also take fiber supplements, but you should speak with your doctor first.
Broccoli, kale, and cauliflower are cruciferous veggies that are high in fiber and have fewer calories.
4. Eat enough protein.
Protein is an excellent way to lose weight.
It can increase the calories you burn while also aiding in developing and preserving lean muscle tissue. You feel satisfied for longer thanks to this excellent energy source, which makes you less likely to feel like snacking4.
Proteins have been shown to increase metabolism by 80–100 calories daily and decrease cravings by 60%.
Adding more lean proteins to your diet may be one of the most effective dietary modifications you can make if your goal is to lose lower belly fat.
Some protein sources include:
- fish
- dairy products
- Greek yogurt
- beans and legumes
- lean meats
- whole eggs
5. Reduce your alcohol intake.
It’s acceptable to drink occasionally, but if you want to get rid of belly fat, you must stop regularly consuming beer and sweet alcohol.
Drinking too much alcohol, stresses the liver, which then has to work excessively to detoxify the body by getting rid of toxins5.
Additionally, excessive alcohol consumption causes the liver to burn alcohol instead of fat, which over time, can cause fat accumulation.
Daily beer consumption can change the form of your body and make it look like a pear. This may hamper your intention to reduce lower abdominal fat.
6. Try lifting weights.
It’s no secret that working out can aid in weight loss. Even little strength training combined with aerobic exercise promotes the growth of lean muscle mass, increasing calorie expenditure throughout the day, both at rest and during exercise.
7. Obtain enough sleep.
Lack of sleep can increase your hunger hormones, make you seek calorie-dense foods, and decrease your energy to exercise6.
Get enough sleep and combine diet and exercise to lose lower belly fat. You should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
8. Avoid too much stress.
Stress may affect your weight, similar to how sleep deprivation affects it.
Unmanaged stress or anxiety might make you eat more. You might even lean to eating more high-calorie comfort foods (i.e., french fries).
According to research, high amounts of the stress hormone cortisol may cause your body to retain fat around your midsection7.
9. Reduce sugar intake.
According to studies, adding sugar has particularly detrimental effects on metabolic health8.
A study has shown that too much sugar consumption, primarily because of the high fructose content, can cause fat to accumulate around your liver and lower abdomen (referred to as tummy pooch), resulting in weight gain9.
It will make losing weight difficult if your diet is high in sports drinks, sweetened beverages, or sugary foods like chocolate and cakes.
You can take energy drinks with no added sugar or drink green tea.
10. Consume the right amount of fats.
It would be best to consume unsaturated fats like those found in nuts, fish, oils, nut oils, seed oils, and avocados.
You should stay away from any trans fats, which are found in baked goods, margarine, cookies, and fried foods.
Limit your intake of full-fat dairy products, lard, palm oil, and other saturated fat.
11. Remember that hormones can affect health.
As you age, a decrease in estrogen and testosterone can cause fat to redistribute to the stomach10.
The two leading causes of stubborn belly fat are high cortisol levels and estrogen dominance.
Hormone imbalances may cause you to struggle to eliminate lower belly fat.
Furthermore, some hormonal disorders, such as PCOS, might raise the risk of insulin resistance, which can promote the growth of fat cells.
A diet high in alcohol, sugar, and refined carbs can raise insulin levels, which encourage the storage of fat and increase the risk of fatty liver, all of which lead to a higher incidence of weight gain around the stomach.
Exercises To Lose Belly Fat
It can be challenging to pinpoint precisely which exercises are the most effective if your goal is losing lower belly fat.
Exercise improves other metabolic issues linked to excess lower belly fat by reducing inflammation, lowering blood sugar levels, and lowering inflammation.
One of the many amazing health advantages of exercise is that it can help reduce abdominal fat. Cardiovascular training and weightlifting reduce body fat throughout the body.
- High-Intensity Intervals (HIIT)
HIIT, also known as high-intensity interval training, has been associated with fat loss in heavier adults11.
According to one study, adults who performed HIIT workouts three times per week experienced outcomes comparable to those of daily 30-minute moderate cardio sessions12.
Researchers emphasize that sustained adherence to the workout is necessary for positive outcomes.
HIIT training is effective because alternating between easier and harder workouts reduces your body’s insulin levels and is a great way to burn fat.
This encourages the body to use the fat instead of storing it in cells for future use.
HIIT is one way to target lower belly fat combined with a well-balanced diet.
- Strength Training
Strength training is another method for you to lose belly fat. One to three days of non-consecutive strength training per week can help you increase your metabolism and lose lower belly fat13.
Additionally, weightlifting can help with the growth of lean muscle mass.
Make sure your lower back muscles do not suffer a significant injury if you lift heavier weights.
- Cardio Exercises
Cardio is the greatest exercise to lose abdominal fat since it targets the heart rate zone14.
It is advised to start with two to three days of cardio if you are new to lower tummy exercises.
However, if you have prior experience with cardiovascular exercise, you should opt for cardio for anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes most days of the week.
Some effective cardio exercises are running, cycling, swimming, skipping, and walking.
To efficiently reduce belly fat, include one HIIT session weekly.
Keep in mind that consistency is the key; therefore, if you’re serious about learning how to lose belly fat, you must be constant and adhere to your routine.
Additional Tips
- Quit the crash diet.
While drastic calorie reductions may initially help you lose a few pounds, they are challenging to maintain and won’t help you keep the weight off.
Although it might seem simple and quick, eating too few calories might be detrimental.
Aim for gradual and steady weight loss to reduce excess fat and prevent it from re-accumulating.
- Stop overdoing your workout.
Your body needs a proper mix of rest and exercise. Overexertion stops the body from removing extra fat.
It’s challenging to maintain motivation all the time, particularly if you’ve stumbled along the way.
But it would be best if you didn’t allow this to detract from your end goal, which is weight loss.
- Be patient.
One of the biggest misconceptions when trying to lose lower stomach fat is that a flat stomach or any form of ab definition is necessary.
You should see a change if you continue your workout routine and healthy eating habits for at least eight weeks.
Realistically speaking, results won’t appear immediately.
