A flatter stomach is one of the most common goals for weight loss. And yet, it’s still so hard to do. Even with diet and exercise, belly fat seems to remain. While fat in the arms, legs, and even face starts to disappear, belly fat remains stubborn.
Today, we’re looking at how you can hack science to get a flat stomach:
Why is it So Hard To Lose Belly Fat?
You often hear that the first place you put fat on is the last place it comes off. But when it comes to belly fat, the explanation is a little more scientific. It has to do with fat types and how they break down.
The process that breaks down fat cell in your body is Lipolysis. Lipolysis mobilizes stored energy (fat) during fasting or exercise.
The fat cells in your body come in two main groups:
- Alpha
- Beta
Alpha fat cells respond faster than Beta cells to Lipolysis. Beta fat cells are in higher concentrations in your stomach. This is, in part, why belly fat is harder to break down.
So the arms, legs, and face (where there are more Alpha cells) show signs of fat loss sooner. To specifically lose belly fat takes more time through traditional methods, and involves a specialized approach.
Know Your Eater Type
To create a diet plan, you need to know what type of eater you are. This allows you to adjust your habits or base your plan around them. There are 4 basic types of eater:
- Gorger: Ex. 3 meals per day.
- Grazer: Eats meals throughout the day.
- Nibbler: Several small meals (~150 calories) during a window of time. Ex. 12-hour window.
- Snacker: Gorger + between-meal snacks.
Gorger is the most traditional approach, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, research suggests that it’s better for your health to eat small portions throughout the day. So, if possible you may want to consider switching to the Nibbler style.
The intermittent fasting trend is helping to make the Nibbler approach more popular.
Diet & Exercise
Diet and exercise is the tried and true method. It’s not a fast route, but it works. If you’re sticking to your routine and notice fat loss in your arms and legs, your belly will eventually follow. The best nutritional and physical plans vary from one body to another. But here are a few basic tips to get started.
Diet
- Minimize calories — but make sure you get enough.
- Increase fibre intake.
- Take probiotics — occurs naturally in yogurt and kombucha.
- Reduce refined carbs — especially sugars.
- Consume good fats (monounsaturated) — avoid trans fats and minimize saturated.
Exercise
- Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
- Hit the gym 3+ per week.
- Use a mix of cardio and weight training
Tracking
For both exercise and diet, tracking can help significantly. It keeps you accountable and gives a clear picture of how you are fitting your program. This makes it easy to make adjustments with aspects that are or are not working for you.
CoolSculpting
It’s frustrating to work hard on your diet and exercise and not see the results you want. That’s where procedures like CoolSculpting excel. CoolSculpting works best with people who are already being active and eating healthy.
Best of all, unlike diet and exercise, which target alpha cells first, CoolSculpting allows you to target and remove belly fat. It uses cryolipolysis, bypassing your body’s natural fat breakdown process to target fat in specific areas. By freezing fat cells, you target both Alpha and Beta cells at once.
Also, since this procedure is applied to the outside of your body. So you can avoid the invasive, riskier approach of traditional weightloss surgery, like liposuction.
Common areas to target with CoolSculpting include:
- Belly fat
- Double chins
- Arms
- Thighs
CoolSculpting is a great way to help you see results faster.
Meditate
An underrated factor in getting a flat stomach is learning to keep calm and carry on. Research shows a connection between stress and weight gain. People with higher stress tend to have higher instances of weight gain.
Stress causes your body to increase cortisol (the “stress hormone”) production. Cortisol increases your appetite, resulting in binge eating, and increases belly fat storage.
Meditation is a great way to reduce stress. It’s worth taking a few extra minutes out of your day, just for yourself. There are many free apps you can use to guide you through a meditation. In addition to decreasing stress, meditating can also improve your sleep.
Sleep
There is an increasing trend of adults not getting enough sleep. Improving your sleeping habits can directly impact your overall health and quality of life. A lack of sleep results in weight gain and higher rates of obesity.
In women, research indicates a direct relation between being underslept and increases in waist-size.
Get A Flatter Stomach With CoolSculpting in Newmarket
The path to a flat stomach is not a fast one. But you can speed up the process by removing belly fat with specialized, non-invasive weight-loss surgeries like CoolSculpting. Our Newmarket CoolSculpting clinic addresses your indivdual goals and body type to get you the best results.
Contact us today to schedule your CoolSculpting consultation.