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How to Lose Underbelly Fat
 
Leading an inactive lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet can make you fat. Excess body fat is never a good thing, but when most of the fat settles around your waistline, it's especially dangerous. Belly fat, namely visceral fat around your organs, can't be pinched or seen and is linked to medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and heart disease. Losing weight through diet and exercise can help reduce fat from your entire body. As your body fat reduces, so will the fat around your middle and your health will also improve.


Adjust your diet so you consume fewer calories. To lose 1 pound of fat in one week, you must create a deficit of 3,500 calories. Eat smaller portions, replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods and avoid simple carbohydrates, such as cookies and white bread. Focus on eating filling foods that digest slowly, such as vegetables, whole grains and fruits.


Incorporate exercise into your lifestyle to burn calories. Perform at least 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise every week, and include strength training on two days. During cardio, raise your heart rate so you breathe faster but can still have a conversation, and when strength training, work all major muscle groups including your arms, legs, chest, shoulders and buttocks.


Include abdominal-strengthening exercises in your strength-training routine. Abdominal exercises won't eliminate underbelly fat, but will help create a toned, tight tummy that you'll see once the fat reduces. According to the American Council on Exercise, bicycle crunches, crunches on a stability ball and using the captain's chair apparatus are the most effective abdominal-strengthening exercises.


Manage stress, because when you're stressed, your body's cortisol production goes into overdrive. Cortisol triggers cravings for sugary, fatty foods and is linked to the storage of fat around your middle. Consider meditating or taking a regular yoga class to help keep your stress level low.


Sleep between seven and nine hours each night to keep your hormones in check. Lack of sleep changes the ghrelin and leptin ratio in your body. These hormones tell you whether you're satiated or hungry. When you lack sleep, ghrelin, the hormone that tells you you're hungry, increases, and leptin, the hormone that tells you you're full, decreases. The resulting cravings for unhealthy fare can trigger weight gain.



