Things You'll Need:
- Treadmill
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Step 1
Shop for healthier food. Fruits and vegetables are a great exchange for your traditional chips and dip. Stock up on low-fat soups, whole wheat pasta and pretzels. You'll want to buy a variety of fruits and vegetables, all different shapes and sizes to prevent your diet from becoming "boring". Foods that are high in fiber keep hunger pangs away. In a recent study, people who ate high-fiber items lost more inches from their waist than those who did not. Beans, salmon, cashews and walnuts are all healthy foods that can help to reduce belly fat.
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Step 2
Devise an exercise plan. Cardio is the most effective way to lose weight. However, you will want to start out slowly to prevent exhaustion and injury. Start with 10 minutes on a treadmill at a brisk pace. Continue to add five minutes at each workout session until you reach a goal of 45 minutes. Complete at least three 45-minute cardio sessions a week for the best results. A Duke University study indicates that people who walked six times per week for six months had no increase in belly fat. People who did not walk in those six months had a 9 percent increase in belly fat.
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Step 3
Enlist a weight-loss buddy for both moral support and motivation. You can trade tips with your workout buddy and also have someone to join you at the gym. A workout buddy is a great idea because he is going through the same emotions that you are. He knows how you feel when you lose or gain a pound, and you can help each other through cravings and other discouragements.
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Step 4
Decrease the stress in your life. When a person becomes stressed, their body releases cortisol, which causes belly fat. A Yale University study found that the more stressed a person was, the more fat she had around her belly. Go ahead and schedule that massage. Not only will it do wonders for how you feel, but it will also help decrease cortisol production.
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Step 5
Do crunches, but only when you've lost that excess belly weight. You can do all the crunches in the world, but you will never see the muscles unless the layer of fat is gone. Once you have done enough cardio and have a flatter stomach, start abdominal work. It may be a good idea to hire a personal trainer to create a specialized plan for you to achieve the abs you desire.
