How to lose Belly Fat

Introduction

The first thing to remember about fat loss is that it must be, without exception, specific to your body type and your lifestyle. Simply following a diet that someone has written in a magazine or book will not necessarily give you the same results as the models or people they advertise with. This is in my opinion the main reason why people fail with fat loss. This book is written to guide you with your fat loss program but it’s important that you think outside the box and adapt this to your circumstances and lifestyle.

The human body is a complex system and so must be treated with respect and humility. You must understand your strengths and weaknesses and respect these before embarking on a fat loss program.

I have worked with hundreds of people over the years, some have dropped a stone in a month others it has taken 6 months and this is down to three main factors.

Your Body Type

You are either lucky with your body or not, that’s just the way you are. I myself am not naturally lean and so have to be vigilant around diet and exercise in order to maintain a fit and healthy looking body. Those thin people that eat junk food all the time and never put on weight have naturally conditioned metabolisms. Their bodies are very efficient at burning fat at rest and are not, what I would call ‘sugar burners’.

‘Sugar burners’ find it difficult to burn fat at rest and will predominantly use sugars, which include the obvious sugars and most importantly the so called dreaded carbohydrates. Sugar burners will be the most miserably people in the first few weeks of a new diet/exercise program as it can take up to 4 weeks for your bodies to adjust. Your body will go into withdrawal from carbohydrates as it tries to figure out how to turn fat into energy. Remember if you have been a sugar burner all your life suddenly telling your body to change is going to be met with some resistance. Think of sugar as a bad relationship, whilst it gives you instant gratification it will never for fill you long term and it’s time to move on.

Exercise History

Our bodies have muscle memory, so if you have done regular exercise (3 times a week) over a number of years you will get back into shape faster. Most of the before and after pictures you see in various weight loss publications have used people who have been in shape before. This is because your body will remember how to readjust itself to a previously conditioned state and will not essentially have to start from scratch, thus seeing results much faster than someone who has never trained before.

Commitment

Discipline is the number one factor in a fat loss program. The more disciplined you are the faster you will create a new relationship with your food, exercise and essentially your body. This seems like an obvious statement to make but the fact is, is that most people whilst they say they are committed are not. Time and time again I have clients who use stress, parties, work functions, weekends etc, as an excuse. Here are some useful coaching tools for you to use.

Mind Games

Work

Quite often you will be snowed under at work and food becomes second place. So here are some suggestions for you:

1, Always have healthy snacks such as pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, almond nuts, green grapes, pears and mixed seeds at your desk to use as your mid morning and mid afternoon snacks

2, I suggest getting a good meal replacement shake which you can have for lunch if time restricts you to go out

3, if you need to rush out and get something quickly choose a non pasta based salad or soup and never a sandwich

Eating Out

Eating out is the biggest reason why people slip off their fat loss program, either your boss is pushing you to order a pizza or your friends are ordering a big bowl of pasta. I suggest the following

1. Remind yourself you are not on a diet forever
2. There are always plenty of healthy options that once you have eaten it will leave you feeling full and virtuous
3. Play the movie through think about how you will feel after you have binged out on an unhealthy meal and how it will affect your fat loss goals
4. Ask the wait to serve the meal with no sauce and vegetables instead or carbohydrates and a fatty sauce
5. Order a side salad with your meal to fill you up

Getting Home Late

You have had a long day at work you get home late and there is nothing in the fridge so you order a take away.

1. Always keep your fridge full of pre cooked meats and fish and salad material
2. If you have to get a take away try to go for a fresh meat kebab or a dry curry with no carbs
3. Play the movie through, eating take always or a big bowl of pasta late a night will pile on the ponds and leave you feeling lethargic the following day.

Weekends

Weekends are the hardest times, you want to relax have fun and eat what you want.

Some diets allow you one day off, I don’t think this is the route to go, it’s only for 4 months and one day off often leads to more so best to be strict.

There are plenty of delicious dishes out there for you to choose from and cook so always go healthy

Friends Dinners

You go round to a friend’s house who has cooked a big pasta dish and a lovely cake for desert.

1. Explain you are on a diet and have a small portion and load up on vegetables
2. Don’t eat the pudding, they will still be your friends J

Humility

Accept that your nutrition isn’t going to be perfect, whilst you should stay on track things always come up and sometimes we just want so pig out, or miss an exercise session. Having some acceptance around this is key for staying on track, don’t give yourself a hard time just keep going.