Diet and Exercise Effectively Help In Reducing Belly Fat

     Made the decision to lose some weight? If you're like most people you might be wondering "what is the best way to lose belly fat"? That's the area of your body where it's the easiest to put on the weight and the most noticeable. That belly fat hanging over your gut is just plain unsightly to some folks and lowers a person's self-confidence and self-esteem. However, don't be in such a rush to get results and use a diet plan or exercise program that's too extreme.

Set reasonable goals when it comes to losing weight. Many over weight individuals are unsuccessful at losing weight because they set their weight loss goals too high, they try to lose the weight too fast. This often results in setting themselves up for failure. When trying to lose the weight too quickly and not getting the desired results they'd like the tendency is to get discouraged, frustrated, lose motivation and give up in their weight loss efforts. And you're also not giving your body the time it needs to adjust itself to the changes in weight and is much less likely to become permanent.

It's recommended that you consult with your doctor so that he or she can suggest the best program for you. You should also consult with a dietitian to make sure that you're getting the daily recommended amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrition.

Stay Hydrated By Drinking Enough Water

The minimum daily recommended amount is 8 glasses of water per day, and even more if it's hot, humid or you sweat a lot. It not only helps to suppress your appetite, but it also helps your body metabolize fats better and burn off more calories. A body that's well hydrated has lower concentrations of sodium and ions that discourages the buildup of excess fats in your body. And as you drink more fluids your body won't retain as much excess water which results in a lower weight when you weigh yourself.

Sugary beverages such as fruit juices with added sugar and soft drinks should be avoided as much as possible because they contain excess sugars, instead substitute plain water whenever you can and you'll be cutting down on hundreds of calories per day.

Also try drinking a glass of water before and during meals. It will help you to feel fuller and help you to keep from overeating. Excess calories are much more likely to be stored by the body as fat.

Eat More.... Consistently

That's right, actually lose weight by eating more often. I don't mean to consume more calories, but just to provide your body with a more consistent stream of fuel. Eat 6 to 8 smaller sized meals and healthy snacks evenly need spaced throughout the day as opposed to the traditional three large meals a day if your schedule allows it. By keeping your body's metabolism more consistent your body will burn off fat much more efficiently and your blood sugar and energy levels will be much better off. By spreading the calories more evenly throughout the day excess calories will be much less likely to be stored by the body as fat. And also try to avoid eating late into the night, your body won't have the chance to work off the calories.

Another great tip for losing weight is to eat before you get ravenously hungry or the tendency will be to over eat. And keep in mind that your belly sends a signal to your brain when it's satisfied and it's had enough to eat, but that the signal is delayed. In other words the food that you eat isn't immediately the digested by your body, it takes a few minutes for that satisfied feeling to reach your brain. So push yourself away from the table before you get stuffed, you can always go back for more later on.

Increase Your Physical Activity

Changing your dietary habits alone will have positive effects on your weight, but only to a certain extent, the results will slowly begin to diminish as your body adapts to the diet and eventually you have to go to extremes to keep losing weight. You can counteract that by increasing your physical activity by working out and exercising more. Combining dieting and exercise has proven to be a very effective combination when it comes to weight loss. And exercising also helps to counteract some of the negative effects of going on a diet such as a slowed metabolism and lack of energy.

Set Easily Reachable Weight Loss Goals - Don't Go To Fast

This is where a lot of overweight people are setting themselves up for failure when it comes to taking off the weight. They set unrealistic weight loss goals and when they aren't met they get frustrated, discouraged, lose their motivation and wind up giving up in their efforts to lose weight. By setting easily reachable goals and not going to fast you're giving your body the chance to slowly adjust itself to the changes in your dietary habits and weight, thus making it much more likely that losing the weight will become permanent. Many people are successful at taking off the weight, but in the long run slowly start to regain the weight when they return to "normal eating" again.

1. Prev:Losing Weight By Adjusting Your Perspective and Behavior
2. Next:8 Weight Loss Tips - Their Reality Checks