Want to have a slim waist free of fat? To get rid of waist fat, try these surefire ways! Losing waist fat is more than just how many sit-ups you do. It requires changes in diet and lifestyle. If you are no longer comfortable with the fat deposits around your waist, don’t worry, there are several ways to get rid of the excess fat.
Talking about waist fat, belly fat is also inseparable. Waist fat and belly fat are a “unit” that must both be eliminated.
Fat in this area of the body is known to not “respond” as quickly as other fats even after diet and lifestyle changes. This is because the fat in the waist is located deeper and closer to vital organs in the abdominal cavity.
Having fat around the waist, when should you be alert? Regardless of height or body mass index, you should lose weight if your waist circumference has reached 94 cm in men or 80 cm or more in women.
If the waist circumference has reached 102 cm or more in men and 88 cm or more in women, there is a higher risk of experiencing several health problems. For example, heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer, and stroke.
How to Lose Fat on the Waist
To get rid of waist fat, there are three main things you need to do, namely:
1. Consistent Diet
Do these steps:
- Reduce foods or drinks with added sugar, such as candy, sports drinks, soda, etc. This reduction does not apply to natural sugars found in fruits.
- Increase your consumption of good fats, for example from avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish.
- Increase your fiber intake from beans, oats, fruits, and vegetables, which can also keep you feeling full longer.
- Increase your protein intake from egg whites, nuts, seafood, chicken, and lean meats. These can also help you feel full, reducing your desire to snack.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water. This is important to reduce the consumption of drinks with high sugar content, which can ultimately add fat to the stomach and waist.
- Choose complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, oats, and brown rice which are high in fiber and take longer to digest, so you will feel full longer.
2. Exercise Regularly
In addition to making changes to your diet, maximize your results by exercising regularly.
- Do resistance training to build lean muscle and burn calories while you rest. Combine it with aerobic exercise that has been proven to burn belly fat. Examples of resistance training include using suspension training ropes (TRX), relying on your own body weight, using barbells, or with resistance bands.
- Don’t just focus on your abs, move your whole body. For example, by doing burpees which will burn more calories.
- Increase your cardio or aerobic exercise that increases your heart rate, such as swimming, brisk walking, or cycling. If you are not used to exercising 150 minutes a week, divide your exercise into several sessions according to the time you have.
- Do HIIT ( high-intensity interval training ) exercises that can burn a lot of calories when you have finished exercising, and still burn calories for the next 24 hours while resting.
- Also add pilates exercise which has been proven to reduce weight and reduce belly and waist fat. Pilates can be adjusted to the sports ability of even beginners.
3. Lifestyle Changes
Once you have planned your diet and scheduled physical activity, make some lifestyle changes including:
- Reduce stress. Not only does it affect physical and mental health, stress also triggers an increase in belly fat because of the hormone cortisol which is produced when someone is under pressure. Do yoga or meditation to reduce the levels of these stress hormones.
- Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep will increase cortisol levels and result in weight gain. Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
- Practice mindful eating. Avoid distractions while eating, such as not eating while watching television or using gadgets. By paying close attention to what you eat, you will know when you are full, thus preventing overeating.
- Reduce alcohol consumption. Not only does it add fat to the stomach, alcohol also increases hunger by stimulating brain cells that regulate appetite. Be wise in consuming it.
- Reduce your consumption of fast food. People who eat home-cooked foods have less belly fat than those who eat fast food.
Removing waist fat does require a combination of various methods. Make dietary changes, exercise regularly, and make healthier lifestyle changes. If you experience problems, you should consult a doctor to evaluate your overall health, and/or a nutritionist to plan the right diet according to your body condition.