Losing weight can be a difficult task, although crash diets and other weight loss products suggest otherwise. In order to lose weight in a healthy manner, one needs to make a number of changes to his/her diet, exercise regime and lifestyle. You mentioned that you have lost weight, which is a sign that you are on the road to recovery and better health. Your decision to stay healthy will definitely prove beneficial to your overall health and well being. Today's modern lifestyle and sedentary work culture are the main causes that have led to people becoming overweight.
It is very important to understand a problem in order to solve it. Our body requires nutrition in the form of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, in order to provide us with energy to go about our daily chores. When these are not fully utilized, the body stores the excess unutilized energy in the form of fats for future use. However, over a period of time the accumulated fat when left unused tends to pile up. Fat in men, accumulates around the stomach and in women around the waist, hips and buttocks.
When a person loses weight, the fatty deposits that are stored around the arms and legs are the first to disappear. However, it takes a long time for the fat around the stomach to dissolve. This is because the energy that is stored up around this area needs to be fully utilized, in order for the stomach to firm up. Most people would recommend stomach exercises for burning the fat that is stored in the stomach region. But the truth is that this alone would not help you at all. People have done hundreds of stomach crunches and sit ups, but have not been able to reduce the fat around their waist or stomach.
An effective method to get rid of the fat is by consuming fewer calories than you can burn. This would mean that you would need to change your diet, and exercise regularly. Some important changes in your diet would be to avoid the consumption of saturated fats like red meat, peanut oils and the likes. Instead you would need to shift to healthier unsaturated fats like olive oil. Lean meats and vegetables in moderate consumption would help your cause. Starch and sugar would also need to be omitted from your diet.
Another great option to lose your belly fat however, is through exercise. It would not be enough to just perform stomach exercises and crunches, as they are not very effective when it comes to burning fats. For the purpose of burning fats, you would need to incorporate cardio as well as strength training alternately, for quicker and better results. You could take up pilates, yoga or aerobics, as these are known to facilitate weight loss. If you have any kind of injury and are unable to lift heavy weights, you could take up brisk walking for around 20 minutes a day. Additionally swimming would also help strengthen the upper and lower body muscles. Swimming is also known to be a very good form of exercise for people suffering from cardio related problems.
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