How to get Rid of that Not-So-Yummy Muffin Top
So, you want to get rid of that muffin top or belly fat. You can do that by making a few tweaks in your daily life. Many diets woo you by promising weight loss. They do, however help you loose weight but keeping it off is another thing and who wants to stay on a keto diet forever? Definitely not me The Keto diet is one of the least popular exactly because of that. I typed “muffin top” into a google search and came up with over one million results, so it seems many people are concerned.
What is that Stupid Muffin Top, that Mass of Belly Hanging over your Belt
First it is what is known as subcutaneous fat, this is the padding you feel at your waist, the part that disgusts you. But what about the part you don’t see?This is the visceral fat- the fat that lays in between the organs like your heart and liver. The fat that causes heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol. This is the fat that scares the crap out of me most, as maybe it should you too?
Ways to Help Get Rid of that Muffin Top
Diet
- Please, not dieting again. How to lose it? Eat lots of soluble fibre. Soluble fibre dissolves in water and forms a gel that making you feel full, therefore you eat less. Soluble fibre is in apples, lima beans, black beans, psyllium husks and flax seeds.
- Avoid trans fats (read the labels) also called partially hydrogenated fats. Check out first three ingredients, should not be refined grains, a type of sugar or hydrogenated oils. Long lists of ingredients point to the fact the product is highly processed. Fast food restaurants use trans fats to deep fry food, the fat reusable and it is cheap. Speaking of reading labels, the food serving sizes listed on packaging is usually smaller than what many people actually eat so the calories consumed would be higher suggested by the labels. An example of this, half a chocolate (candy) bar or half a can of pop (soda)
- Avoid fruit juice. Even unsweetened juice contains tons of fructose, it is naturally occurring sugar, — remember that, sugar is sugar no matter what form it is. Abetter choice would be to grab an orange which still has the sugar, –but also has the benefit of fibre.
High Protein, Less sugar
- Eat a high protein diet. Studies show that a high protein diet works to increase production of the satiety hormones. These are the hormones that make you feel full. The high protein diet also decreases the hormones that make you feel hungry. It also takes energy to burn energy.
- Cut your sugar intake, don’t be fooled by natural sugar, sugar is sugar. I saw natural sugar cubes, they were brown like brown sugar, they are less refined but they were still sugar. Doing all these diet tips can also ward off heart disease and diabetes. More on that on my diabetes blog.
- Track your food intake, this is a psychological thing, (write it down so you can see it) if you add that cupcake to a list of what you ate….. you may prefer not to write that down but instead choose to eat and write down an apple.
Watch What You Drink
- Water makes you feel full. Make sure you drink enough water for that fibre or you may become constipated. Most experts say eight glasses a day, this is just a guideline. Consider your own body. If your pee is colourless, you may be drinking too much water and you could be losing electrolytes. Also it is hard on the kidneys if you work them too much. If your pee is dark yellow or orange, drink more, you are dehydrated.
- Don’t drink too much alcohol. First of all alcohol will damage your liver and make it less able to break down fat. The body finds it easier to burn alcohol than fat so it uses the alcohol as energy and stores the fats from food. When a person drinks a lot, the body has a big surplus of calories. A study in the U.K. suggests alcohol also stimulates appetite, then the person drinking tends to choose high calorie foods that are easily available such as pizza.
Exercise, Stress and Sleep
- Did you know that stress produces cortisol? Cortisol makes the cells resistant to insulin and causes weight gain. Reduce your stress levels by allowing yourself to have fun, try yoga or meditation.
- Add cardio (aerobic) and strength training exercises to your regime. It increases muscle mass, muscle burns more calories than fat. I don’t mean you should go to the gym to pump iron, I certainly don’t. Use resistance bands.
- Get plenty of sleep. I use a Fit-bit to track my sleep and my walking so I know where I stand. With more sleep it is easier to prepare a healthy meal and to exercise longer.
With a few tweaks in your daily life you may lose that bit of belly fat, you will definitely feel better and improve your health.