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How to lose that belly fat

Many people find that they have problem areas where they just cannot get fat to budge.  Hand’s up if you’re one of the millions who find themselves with a stubborn layer of fat around their waist?
It’s frustrating that, although you may be making an effort with your diet and trying to exercise more, sometimes it feels impossible to reduce fat around your belly. With an active lifestyle there are several steps you can take to help you become or remain trim all over.
I’m sorry to say that there is no such thing as spot reduction, we just don’t get to choose where our body stores fat and we can’t remove it from particular places when we decide we don’t want it.  It’s a disheartening fact but hundreds of sit-ups and stomach crunches on their own won’t immediately help you lose that spare tire. The good news is that with diet and exercise together, you can burn your excess fat and by following my  three belly fat busting tips that spare tire will soon deflate.

Three Simple Tips to Reduce Your Belly

 1:  Make time to be active 

Although you can’t spot reduce and only target a flabby tummy, you shouldn’t discount the benefits of general exercise.  If you can find time for a physical activity every day, then you’ll soon find yourself firming up all over.

I know you’ve heard it before but being active and becoming physically fit is also wonderful way to cut through the stress in your life.  Spending time exercising can give you a time out and help you reprioritize.   Even better, the time you spend exercising is time when you can’t be eating!

 2:  Take a deep breath
Practice conscious breathing by inhaling through your nose and letting the air expand into your tummy, then breathe out through your mouth. Stopping work and taking 5-10 conscious breaths can calm your mind and give you a rejuvenating time out. Don’t let stress creep up and leave you feeling frazzled by the end of the day, that way may lead to comfort eating.  Try this breathing technique as often as  you remember (you may even want to stick up a post-it note to yourself).  Take the time to think about your body and how you want it to look.  This mindful technique may help you avoid a donut or re-prioritize a trip to the gym.

3:  Pull your shoulders back and your tummy in

Schedule a stretching break instead of a coffee break. You can do simple stretches and exercises from the comfort of your office chair or while you’re on the phone.  Try pulling in your tummy when your sitting or standing for 30 seconds at a time and you’ll be strengthening your core stomach muscles. And, if you have a minute, then take a moment to stand up straight, pull your shoulders back and walk tall. Improving your posture can help make you feel more alert and in better shape.

Although there are no quick-fix solutions, you’ll instantly feel better if you begin to exercise, take control of your figure and make the time to think about you.  Whatever your problem area – be it a wobbly belly, thunder thighs or a double chin – with a consistent exercise routine and patience you can improve your physique.

Can fat burners help you lose weight?

Can fat burners help you lose weight? MF investigates thermogenics and their alternatives

If you’re looking to shed weight fast, fat burners are becoming an increasingly popular option. From the promises that most adverts make, you’d be forgiven for thinking fat burners are magic pills that melt away excess fat as you sit at your desk. In fact, they’re designed to speed up the rate you can lose weight when combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Going off course on your diet is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for people who are trying to lose weight, especially thanks to the increased appetite that comes with frequent exercise. Though you’ll still need a healthy dose of willpower to combat bad food decisions, fat burners can help by suppressing your appetite and keeping up your energy levels even on a calorie-restricted diet – making it much easier to make healthier food choices.

Fat burners (or thermogenics as they’re otherwise known) aren’t for everyone, though. Their high caffeine content can play havoc with your sleep patterns, while some of the ingredients can have more serious, unwanted side effects if they’re not taken properly. Here, MF takes a closer look at the benefits and disadvantages of fat burners and how to use them safely, as well as offering some alternative fat-torching supplements for you to consider.

What are they?

Fat burners are blends of herbs and stimulants that slightly increase your body temperature, which can help you to burn more calories during exercise. Ephedrine, a synthetic version of the Chinese herb ephedra, used to be a key ingredient, but it’s now only available on prescription in the UK because of its harmful side effects and addictive qualities.

What do they do?

Some fat burners simply burn calories as heat. Others also claim to stimulate the release of adrenaline, increase your metabolic rate or act as appetite suppressants. The evidence for them working is limited, though. ‘A careful calorie intake and exercise are likely to produce better weight-loss results in the long term,’ says nutrition expert Anita Bean.

Who should take them?

‘Fat burners raise cortisol – a stress hormone – so if you suffer from anxiety it could make things worse,’ says strength coach Gregg Marsh. ‘If you think you need them, consult your doctor first.’

How much should I take?

Follow the instructions on the bottle, but be careful if you’re planning to use them over a long period of time. ‘Take them on a rotation cycle of 14 days on 14 days off for only two cycles every eight weeks,’ advises Marsh.

When should I take them?

Most fat burners contain caffeine and will make you jittery, so taking them in the morning is probably best. ‘Never take fat burners after 2pm because they affect sleep patterns,’ says Marsh. Other than that, go with the recommendation on the bottle.

Do they have any side effects?

‘Taking high doses of ephedrine can have serious effects, including palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, vomiting and dizziness,’ says Bean. ‘While herbal alternatives are generally safer, you may get side effects with high doses – some can raise blood pressure or cause heart disturbances.’

What are the alternatives?

If thermogenics aren't right for you, here are some of the best alternative fat-burning supplements on the market…

L-carnitine

If burning fat during a workout is your priority, first you need to mobilise it. L-carnitine is an amino acid that transports fatty acids into the mitochondria – our internal power plants – to produce energy. Take a single dose of 500-3000mg before your workout to ensure that you transport the maximum amount of available fat for fuel during exercise. It’s especially useful if you’re training fasted or on a low-carb diet where fat oxidation is already maximised.

Green tea

One of the best natural fat-burners around, green tea can give your metabolism a jolt. It’s also packed full of antioxidants and has been linked to the prevention of everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s. Drink it instead of regular tea or diet soft drinks for a huge variety of health benefits.

Phosphatidylserine

Anyone training intensely is likely to be under some serious stress. The stress hormone cortisol, which is responsible for fat storage, is secreted in high amounts as a result, but phosphatidylserine blocks its secretion. This allows you to recover quicker, burn more fat and build more muscle. Take it after your workout or in the evening, especially if you’re training at high intensity or particularly prone to elevated stress levels.

5 of the best natural fat burners

Grapefruit

How they help to burn fat: Researchers at Scripps Clinic in California found that eating just half a grapefruit before each meal can help you to lose weight, up to half a KG per week, even if you keep your diet exactly how it is now (assuming that you don’t eat junk food 3 meals a day). The author of the study Ken Fujioka, says that there is a key compound in grapefruits that helps to regulate insulin, a fat-storage hormone. “Anything that helps lower insulin can help people lose weight,” he explains. “Grapefruit seems to be one of those foods.”

How to work them into your diet: Peeling and segmenting is the most obvious way to get the goodness out of a grapefruit. Try cutting it into chunks and adding to a spinach salad or simply grab a spoon and eat as is, if you can handle the bitterness.

Almonds

How they help to burn fat: Eating a handful of almonds each day, alongside a healthy diet plan is quick and simple way to burn fat according to research published in the US International Journal of Obesity. Participants in the study who ate almonds on a daily basis for a period of six months found that they lost 18% of their body fat. Those who followed a diet with the exact same amount of calories and protein but swapped out almonds for an equal number of calories in complex carbohydrates (like bread) only lost 11% of their body fat.

How to work them into your diet: The perfect at-your-desk snack, grab a handful of these if you fancy a little nibble, they can be quite addictive. Alternatively, chop them up and add them to your morning porridge.

Pears 

How they help to burn fat: A bit of a forgotten fruit. A study by the University of Rio de Janeiro revealed that people who ate three pears per day consumed less calories each day and also lost more weight than those who didn’t. They’re very rich in fibre (with one pear packing in 15% of your daily recommended amount), pears will help you to feel fuller for longer thus keeping you from overeating.

How to work them into your diet: Be sure to keep the skin on them as it holds most of the beneficial fibres. Pears make a great addition to a leafy salad, especially when combined with a bit of blue cheese.

Navy beans

How they help to burn fat: Loaded with resistant starch, the relatively unheard of navy beans are a very powerful fat burner (half a serving contains nearly 10 grams of resistant starch). Researchers at the University of Colorado found that if you eat navy beans or similar foods high in resistant starch levels just once per day you could burn 25% more fat than you would without them.

How to work them into your diet: Try sautéing some shallots and garlic in olive oil, throw in a couple of cans of drained navy beans, mixed it all up in a blender to puree and serve.

Chocolate

How they help to burn fat: Yes, chocolate. Hear us out. Dark chocolate, and other foods that are high in antioxidants have been proven to help prevent the build up of fat cells in the body, a precursor to obesity and heart disease, this is according to new research from the Taiwanese Journal of Food Chemistry and Agriculture.

How to work them into your diet: It’s chocolate. Do we need to tell you? Just try not to eat too much of it, kind of defeats the object.

Raspberry Ketones: Natural Weight Loss Support!

If you're a Dr. Oz fan, you've likely heard him discussing the health benefits of raspberry ketone. This supplement trend has spread quickly -- much like fascination with acai a few years ago. Raspberry ketone, however, isn't just a flash-in-the-pan movement. It seems to have enough science behind it to give it the official stamp of awesome.

Razzle-Dazzle

You like raspberries. And ketone sounds scientific and healthy. What more is there to know about raspberry ketone? A lot, as it turns out!

As the name suggests, raspberry ketone comes from the fruit and is, in fact, the primary compound responsible for a raspberry's sweet smell. In addition, raspberry ketone contains a substance that is very similar to synephrine. Synephrine is often marketed as a powerful weight loss support supplement; it brings the sword and shield to the battle of the bulge.

Synephrine has stimulatory effects that may help: promote increased metabolic rate, support a normal, healthy appetite, and support energy enhacement. With all three of these benefits working, you may eat less and burn more calories with regular exercise and a healthy, low-calorie diet.

Because raspberry ketone resembles synephrine, it has been suggested that it may help support a similar weight-loss effect. It's also natural, and may help your weight-loss progression without the harsh side effects of synthetic diet compounds.

Where Are You?

Raspberry Ketone, also known in scientific circles as 4-(4-hydroxylphenyl) butan-2-one, has already made its way onto the market.

As this ingredient becomes more popular, you can expect to see it in a number of fat-burning formulas.

How Does It Help?

In a recent study using mice, scientists suggested that raspberry ketone increased noradrenaline-induced fat-loss.

The researchers concluded that this weight-loss support substance works through the enzyme lipase, which is responsible for freeing fatty acids from the fat cell during the process of fat utilization. When raspberry ketone is present in your system, it has been surmised that levels of this enzyme increase and therefore ups the rate of fatty acid release.

For those who are already following a solid nutrition and training program, adding a raspberry ketone supplement may help because it can help your cells release fatty acid.

Another study noted that raspberry ketone is similar in structure to capsaicin. Capsaicin, which can help boost metabolism, is found in chilli peppers and cayenne peppers. Some people find that capsaicin doesn't react well in their systems, so raspberry ketone might be a good alternative.

Should you lose weight fast?

When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s tempting to want results as fast as possible. But remember, very rapid weight loss is unlikely to help you to maintain a healthy weight long-term. And it comes with health risks.

f you’re trying to lose weight, you’re probably keen to see, and feel, a difference quickly.

It can be tempting to put your trust in one of the countless schemes that promise rapid, easy weight loss.

Unfortunately, even if these fad diets do help you to lose weight, you’re unlikely to maintain a healthy weight in the months and years afterwards.

If you’re visualising a future in which you’ve shed your excess weight, the best choice is to make healthy changes to your diet and levels of physical activity that lead to a safe, steady rate of weight loss, and that last a lifetime.

Weight loss tends to plateau after a while and you may need to make further changes. If after six to nine months you haven’t achieved a healthy weight, talk to your GP for advice on the next steps.

Safe rates of weight loss

If you’re trying to lose weight, the safe weekly rate of weight loss is between 0.5kg and 1kg. That’s between around 1lb and 2lb a week.

Lose weight faster than this, and you are at risk of health problems that include malnutrition and gallstones, as well as feeling tired and unwell.

Fad diets (that involve simply changing your diet for a few weeks) associated with very rapid weight loss are also unlikely to lead you to a healthy weight in the long-term.

Take action

You can learn more about the diet and physical activity changes that can lead you to a healthy weight future in Lose Weight.

Remember: the goal is not overnight success. The secret is sticking to the changes you’ve made, and you can find useful tips from real-life slimmers in Weight loss motivation.

You can monitor your progress using our Healthy weight calculator. This interactive tool calculates your body mass index (BMI), which is a measure of whether you are a healthy weight for your height.

The Key to Automatic Weight Loss!

What if everything you ever learned about weight loss was wrong? What if losing weight has nothing to do with calories -- counting them or cutting them out by sheer willpower? What if, in fact, most health professionals (including doctors and dietitians), our own government and especially the food industry are giving us weight loss advice guaranteed to make us fat?

Here's their mantra: "Eat less and exercise more. The secret to weight loss is energy balance. There are no good or bad calories. It's all about moderation."

If you doubt that this advice could be wrong, just look around. We have tripled our obesity rates since 1960, and in the last decade, cases of Type 2 diabetes in children have increased by over 30 percent. In 1980, there were no children with Type 2 diabetes (formerly known as adult onset diabetes), and now, there are over 50,000. Seven out of 10 Americans are overweight. The advice is not working. Could it be the wrong advice?

Nobody wakes up in the morning saying, "Hey, I want to gain weight today. I am going to overeat. I want to be fat."

Rather, we have a $60 billion weight loss industry. It specializes in helping people count calories, eat less and exercise more. When are we going to realize that that our approach -- as a scientific community and as policy makers -- is failing miserably at stemming the tsunami of obesity and related health, social and economic costs?

Could it be we have it all wrong? Could it be the world is round, not flat, even though it looks flat, just as it seems that if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight?

The answer is yes. Our focus on calories has missed the mark entirely. Even if you held the Guinness world record for calorie counting, you could easily be off by 100 calories a day. Do that for 30 years, and you will be 20 to 30 pounds overweight.

The End of Counting Calories

David Ludwig and Mark Friedman published the most important scientific paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association since the Watson and Cricks paper on DNA in 1953, which changed our whole way of thinking about genes. They also explained their findings in the New York Times piece, "Always Hungry? Here's Why."

It's not that Isaac Newton and his first law of thermodynamics was wrong. It's right -- energy is conserved in a system. This is the whole foundation of our calories in/calories out, energy balance concept of weight loss. Just eat less and exercise more, and all the pounds will melt off.

But there is one fatal flaw in that thinking. The law states that energy is conserved in a "system." It is true that, in a vacuum, all calories are the same. A thousand calories of Coke and a thousand calories of broccoli burned in a laboratory will release the same amount of energy.

But all bets are off when you eat the Coke or the broccoli. These foods have to be processed by your metabolism (not a closed system). Coke and broccoli trigger very different biochemical responses in the body -- different hormones, neurotransmitters and immune messengers.

The Coke will spike blood sugar and insulin and disrupt neurotransmitters, leading to increased hunger and fat storage, while the thousand calories of broccoli will balance blood sugar and make you feel full, cut your appetite and increase fat burning.

Same calories -- profoundly different effects on your body.

Is Your Fat Hungry?

Dr. Ludwig, for the first time, explains why. It's not overeating that makes you fat. It's being fat that makes you overeat. Once you start to consume refined carbs, such as bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and any form of sugar, you start making a certain kind of fat cells called VAT or visceral adipose tissue.

This is no ordinary fat. It is super fat. Hungry fat. Dangerous fat. This fat starts an inexorable cascade that leads to obesity. It's like falling down an icy slope where it's almost impossible to stop yourself. You need a big ice axe and crampons. We ordinary mortals are no match for this hungry fat.

Here's what happens.

Those hungry fat cells suck up all the available fuel in your blood stream (glucose, fats, ketones). Your body then thinks, "Oh, my god, I am starving. I better eat more and slow my metabolism, so I don't die." The problem is, anything you eat gets sucked up into those fat cells around your belly, leading to a vicious cycle of hunger, overeating, fat storage and a slowing down of your metabolism. No wonder we gain weight and can't lose it.

The key trigger for all this is a simple common hormone that we all need (but not too much of).

Insulin.

If we make too much insulin, it drives the fuel in our blood into our fat cells. Too much insulin also does a lot of other bad things like cause heart attacks, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and dementia.

When it comes to causing spikes of insulin that start this miserable chain reaction, not all calories are created equally. Sugar and refined carb calories are the culprits. Americans eat, on average, about 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour a year (almost a pound of sugar and flour per person per day!). These are actually pharmacologic doses of sugar and flour!

Eat More Calories, Weigh Less?

There are many studies showing just how different sugar and fat calories are. Most scientists still hold on to the dogma that fat makes you fat, that fat causes high cholesterol and that low fat is the way to go to live a long healthy life. Plenty ofevidence proves otherwise. What if the fact that this conventional wisdom is completely wrong is what has actually caused our obesity epidemic?

Dr. Ludwig points to studies in which all calories are held to be equal, but those participants kept on a low sugar and refined carb diet burned 325 more calories a daythan those eating a low fat diet. Bottom line: Eating a high carb, low fat diet slows down your metabolism.

Most striking was an animal study (and yes, we are not animals but the results are still very impressive). The study found that animals eating a low fat diet put on 70 percent more body fat even while eating fewer calories than animals eating a low carb diet.

Let me say this again. Animals eating a low fat diet and fewer calories got fatter than those eating more calories and a low sugar and carb diet -- 70 percent fatter.

If you restrict your calories, you will end up triggering very ancient biological adaptions that protect us from starvation. You will slow your metabolism and get a lot hungrier.

You can't voluntarily control your weight over the long term. Willpower is no match for these ancient programmed hormones that make sure you don't starve to death.

The Key to Automatic Weight Loss

Dr. Ludwig proposes a novel, radical but scientifically true way to solve the obesity epidemic once and for all.

Don't worry about how much you eat, because you will never be able to control that. Rather, focus on what you eat, the quality of the food you eat, the composition of the food you eat (high in fiber, good quality protein and fat, low in starch and sugar). Then, you won't be hungry and will shift from fat storage to fat burning. And you will prevent most chronic disease including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and dementia.

10 Take Home Lessons: Forget the Calories, Focus on the Quality of Your Diet

Here are the take-home lessons from Dr. Ludwig's paper:

1. Overeating doesn't make you fat. Your fat cells make you overeat.
2. You make hungry fats cells by eating sugar and refined carbs.
3. Restricting your calories will slow your metabolism, make you hungry and guarantee that your weight loss attempts will fail.
4. Eating a higher fat, higher protein, lower sugar and refined carb diet will speed up your metabolism and cut your hunger.
5. Controlling what you eat is much easier than controlling how much you eat.
6. Forget calorie counting. It's not about the calories but about diet quality and dietary composition. Just try eating 1,000 calories of broccoli.
7. End our scientifically-outdated position that all calories are equal and weight loss is simply a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn.
8. Lower insulin by a sugar detox, and watch your body lose weight effortlessly without hunger or cravings.
9. To learn more, watch the movie Fed Up or read The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet (my medically-designed program to cut insulin and detox from sugar and refined carbs).
10. Stop blaming yourself for lack of willpower, and start empowering yourself by eating real, whole, fresh food that's low in sugar and starch.