Overweight does not necessarily equal unhealthy.
There are actually plenty of overweight people who are in
excellent health (1 ).
Conversely, many normal weight people have the metabolic
problems associated with obesity ( 2 ).
That's because the fat under the skin is actually not that big of
a problem (at least not from a health standpoint, it's more of a
cosmetic problem).
It's the fat in the abdominal cavity, the belly fat, that causes
the biggest issues ( 3 ).
If you have a lot of excess fat around your waistline, even if
you're not very heavy, then you should take some steps to get
rid of it.
Belly fat is usually estimated by measuring the circumference
around your waist. This can easily be done at home with a
simple tape measure.
Anything above 40 inches (102 cm) in men and 35 inches (88
cm) in women, is known as abdominal obesity.
There are actually a few proven strategies that have been
shown to target the fat in the belly area more than other areas
of the body.
Here are 6 evidence-based ways to lose belly fat.
Added sugar is very unhealthy.
Studies show that it has uniquely harmful effects on metabolic
health (4 ).
Sugar is half glucose, half fructose, and fructose can only be
metabolized by the liver in any significant amount (5 ).
When you eat a lot of refined sugar, the liver gets overloaded
with fructose, and is forced to turn it all into fat ( 6 ).
Numerous studies have shown that excess sugar, mostly due
to the large amounts of fructose , can lead to increased
accumulation of fat in the belly (7 ).
Some believe that this is the primary mechanism behind
sugar's harmful effects on health. It increases belly fat and
liver fat, which leads to insulin resistance and a host of
metabolic problems (8 ).
Liquid sugar is even worse in this regard. Liquid calories don't
get "registered" by the brain in the same way as solid calories,
so when you drink sugar-sweetened beverages, you end up
eating more total calories ( 9 , 10 ).
Studies show that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a
60% increased risk of obesity in children, per each daily
serving (11 ).
Make a decision to minimize the amount of sugar in your diet,
and consider completely eliminating sugary drinks.
This includes sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices and
various high-sugar sports drinks.
Keep in mind that none of this applies to whole fruit , which are
extremely healthy and have plenty of fiber that mitigates the
negative effects of fructose.
The amount of fructose you get from fruit is negligible
compared to what you get from a diet high in refined sugar.
If you want to cut back on refined sugar, then you must start
reading labels. Even foods marketed as health foods can
contain huge amounts of sugar.
BOTTOM LINE:
Excess sugar consumption may be the primary driver
of belly fat accumulation, especially sugary beverages
like soft drinks.
Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to
losing weight (12 ).
It has been shown to reduce cravings by 60%, boost
metabolism by 80-100 calories per day and help you eat up to
441 fewer calories per day (13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ).
If weight loss is your goal, then adding protein is perhaps the
single most effective change you can do to your diet.
Not only will it help you lose, it can also help you avoid re-
gaining weight if you ever decide to abandon your weight loss
efforts ( 17 , 18 ).
There is also some evidence that protein is particularly
effective against belly fat.
One study showed that the amount and quality of protein
consumed was inversely related to fat in the belly. That is,
people who ate more and better protein had much less belly
fat ( 19 ).
Another study in Denmark showed that protein was linked to
significantly reduced risk of belly fat gain over a period of 5
years (20 ).
This study also showed that refined carbs and oils were linked
to increased amounts of belly fat, but fruits and vegetables
linked to reduced amounts.
Many of the studies showing protein to be effective had
protein at 25-30% of calories. That's what you should aim for.
So make an effort to increase your intake of high-protein
foods such as whole eggs , fish, seafood, legumes, nuts, meat ,
dairy products and some whole grains. These are the best
protein sources in the diet.
If you struggle with getting enough protein in your diet, then a
quality protein supplement (like whey protein ) is a healthy and
convenient way to boost your total intake.
If you're a vegetarian or vegan, then check out this article on
how to increase your protein intake.
Bonus tip: Consider cooking your foods in coconut oil . Some
studies have shown that 30 mL (about 2 tablespoons) of
coconut oil per day reduces belly fat slightly (21 , 22 ).
BOTTOM LINE:
Eating enough protein is a very effective way to lose
weight. Some studies suggest that protein is
particularly effective against belly fat accumulation.
Carb restriction is a very effective way to lose fat.
This is supported by numerous studies. When people cut
carbs, their appetite goes down and they lose weight ( 23 ).
Over 20 randomized controlled trials have now shown that
low-carb diets lead to 2-3 times more weight loss than low-fat
diets ( 24 , 25 , 26 ).
This is true even when the low-carb groups are allowed to eat
as much as they want, while the low-fat groups are calorie
restricted and hungry.
Low-carb diets also lead to quick reductions in water weight,
which gives people near instant results. A major difference on
the scale is often seen within a few days.
There are also studies comparing low-carb and low-fat diets,
showing that low-carb diets specifically target the fat in the
belly, and around the organs and liver ( 27 , 28 ).
What this means is that a particularly high proportion of the fat
lost on a low-carb diet is the dangerous and disease
promoting abdominal fat.
Just avoiding the refined carbs (white breads, pastas, etc)
should be sufficient, especially if you keep your protein high.
However, if you need to lose weight fast , then consider
dropping your carbs down to 50 grams per day . This will put
your body into ketosis, killing your appetite and making your
body start burning primarily fats for fuel.
Of course, low-carb diets have many other health benefits
besides just weight loss. They can have life-saving effects in
type 2 diabetics, for example (29 , 30 ).
BOTTOM LINE:
Studies have shown that low-carb diets are
particularly effective at getting rid of the fat in the
belly area, around the organs and in the liver.
Dietary fiber is mostly indigestible plant matter.
It is often claimed that eating plenty of fiber can help with
weight loss.
This is true, but it's important to keep in mind that not all fiber
is created equal.
It seems to be mostly the soluble and viscous fibers that have
an effect on your weight.
These are fibers that bind water and form a thick gel that "sits"
in the gut (31 ).
This gel can dramatically slow the movement of food through
your stomach and small bowel, and slow down the digestion
and absorption of nutrients. The end result is a prolonged
feeling of fullness and reduced appetite ( 32 ).
One review study found that an additional 14 grams of fiber
per day were linked to a 10% decrease in calorie intake and
weight loss of 2 kg (4.5 lbs) over 4 months (33 ).
In one 5-year study, eating 10 grams of soluble fiber per day
was linked to a 3.7% reduction in the amount of fat in the
abdominal cavity, but it had no effect on the amount of fat
under the skin ( 34 ).
What this implies, is that soluble fiber may be particularly
effective at reducing the harmful belly fat.
The best way to get more fiber is to eat a lot of plant foods
like vegetables and fruit. Legumes are also a good source, as
well as some cereals like oats.
Then you could also try taking a fiber supplement like
glucomannan . This is one of the most viscous dietary fibers in
existence, and has been shown to cause weight loss in many
studies (35 , 36 ).
BOTTOM LINE:
There is some evidence that soluble dietary fiber may
lead to reduced amounts of belly fat, which should
cause major improvements in metabolic health.
Exercise is important for various reasons.
It is among the best things you can do if you want to live a
long, healthy life and avoid disease.
Getting into all of the amazing health benefits of exercise is
beyond the scope of this article, but exercise does appear to
be effective at reducing belly fat.
However, keep in mind that I'm not talking about abdominal
exercises here. Spot reduction (losing fat in one spot) is not
possible, and doing endless amounts of crunches will not
make you lose fat from the belly.
In one study, 6 weeks of training just the abdominal muscles
had no measurable effect on waist circumference or the
amount of fat in the abdominal cavity ( 37 ).
That being said, other types of exercise can be very effective.
Aerobic exercise (like walking, running, swimming, etc) has
been shown to cause major reductions in belly fat in numerous
studies (38 , 39 ).
Another study found that exercise completely prevented
people from re-gaining abdominal fat after weight loss,
implying that exercise is particularly important during weight
maintenance (40 ).
Exercise also leads to reduced inflammation, blood sugar
levels and all the other metabolic abnormalities that are
associated with central obesity (41 ).
BOTTOM LINE:
Exercise can be very effective if you are trying to lose
belly fat. Exercise also has a number of other health
benefits.
What you eat is important. Pretty much everyone knows this.
However, surprisingly, most people actually don't have a clue
what they are really eating.
People think they're eating "high protein," "low-carb" or
whatever, but tend to drastically over- or underestimate.
I think that for anyone who truly wants to optimize their diet,
tracking things for a while is absolutely essential.
It doesn't mean you need to weigh and measure everything for
the rest of your life, but doing it every now and then for a few
days in a row can help you realize where you need to make
changes.
If you want to boost your protein intake to 25-30% of calories,
as recommended above, just eating more protein rich foods
won't cut it. You need to actually measure and fine tune in
order to reach that goal.
Check out these articles here for a calorie calculator and a list
of free online tools and apps to track what you are eating.
I personally do this every few months. I weigh and measure
everything I eat to see what my current diet is looking like.
Then I know exactly where to make adjustments in order to
get closer to my goals.
An evidence-based nutrition article from our
experts at Authority Nutrition
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