'I'm a Registered Dietitian—This Is the One Belly Fat-Related Habit I Beg My Clients to Stop Doing'

Bemoaning belly fat? You’re not alone. Fat in your tummy area is easy to put on and often very difficult to lose.

Belly fat has multiple causes including genetics, menopause, lack of exercise and overeating, to name just a few. While there are many diets and products that claim to "blast belly fat," the reality is we can’t target specific regions of the body for weight loss. Still, there are ways to lose weight overall and, in the process, you’re likely to trim your tummy fat as well. Here's what you need to know about them.

The One Belly Fat-Related Habit I Beg My Clients to Stop Doing

Is there one thing I always tell clients to stop doing if they are serious about losing belly fat? You bet. I tell them to start by cutting (or at the very least limiting) high-calorie, sugary foods. These include doughnuts, cakes, cookies, candy and, yes, ice cream too.

Research suggests that consuming too many calories from very flavorful, processed foods (called hyper-palatable foods) leads to excess belly fat. In fact, the study found that hyper-palatable foods were the most likely foods to result in abdominal weight.

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If sugary, processed foods are a mainstay of your diet, going cold-turkey might not be easy. The key is making them only a small part of what you eat. For most healthy people, the occasional (i.e. once per week) sweet treat is fine, as long as your diet consists mainly of whole foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, lean protein (poultry, fish, tofu, beans and legumes), and fats like olive oil and avocado.

Not only are these foods loaded with essential vitamins and minerals your body needs, but a diet like this is rich in protein and fiber will help keep you fuller for longer, making it less likely you’ll overeat. If you’re having trouble managing your sweet tooth, choose fresh and dried fruits—prunes, berries, pears, pineapple—to satisfy your cravings for sweets instead of processed sweets.

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Other Ways to Get Rid of Belly Fat

Slashing high-calorie sweets is just one change you can make to shrink belly fat. There are many other steps you can (and should) take for overall weight loss and good health. Here are other strategies you can use to help you lose belly fat for good:

Make it yourself

The quality of foods that you eat certainly matters, but it’s also essential to be mindful of the quantity of what you’re eating.

Particularly if you eat out often, it’s common to be served double or even triple portions. Research shows that people who eat out often are more likely to consume more calories—particularly in the form of fat and sugar.

They’re also more apt to have a lower quality diet than people who eat at home more frequently. Save money and your waistline by cooking more meals at home. The added bonus is that you’ll also know exactly what you are eating. When you eat out, consider sharing entrees or ordering a few small appetizers instead of a large main meal.

Stick with low calorie (or calorie free) sips

One simple way to cut overall calories is to skip high calorie beverages like soda, sugary coffee drinks and alcohol. Opt instead for lower calorie drinks like seltzer with a splash of fruit juice or lemon, plain water, or unsweetened tea or coffee.

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Get moving

If you’re serious about losing belly fat, exercise is a must. One study that looked at people who reduced calories vs. those who reduced calories and exercised, found that while both groups lost weight, only those who cut calories and exercised showed a statistically significant loss of belly fat.

Focus on toning and strengthening muscles with weight training, pilates, or other resistance exercise at least two to three times per week. And don’t forget cardio exercise! Running, walking, swimming, dancing or other aerobic exercises that bring you joy and elevate your heart rate are all great options. Aim to exercise a minimum of 30 minutes most days of the week.

Get enough sleep

Prioritizing sleep can go a long way to helping you lose belly fat and weight overall. While you might not expect a link between getting your zzz’s and whittling your middle, a solid sleep can be a big help in controlling appetite and maintaining a healthy weight. In fact, studies show that inadequate sleep (less than 7 or 8 hours) disrupts the balance of hormones that regulate appetite. This can lead to increased hunger and cravings, particularly for the high-calorie, sugar laden processed foods that are a leading cause of belly fat.

Other studies show that missing sleep boosts the stress hormone cortisol, which can promote abdominal fat accumulation. Create an optimal sleep environment by keeping our room cool and dark. Eliminate distractions by keeping TVs and phones outside of your sleep area. Use earplugs or a white noise machine to block out unwanted noise.

With these tweaks, you'll likely find losing belly fat to be a result. And remember, you don't need to completely deprive yourself; just be mindful of what you're consuming, especially when it comes to high-calorie, processed foods.

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Sources

• Variety, Palatability, and Obesity, Advances in Nutrition. 

• Eating out of Home: Influence on Nutrition, Health, and Policies: A Scoping Review, Nutrients. 

• Sleep Deprivation and Central Appetite Regulation, Nutrients. 

• Effect of diet with or without exercise on abdominal fat in postmenopausal women – a randomised trial, BMC Public Health.