One of the biggest complaints I hear from clients is that they are frustrated with added pounds on their belly. And over and over my clients express a deep desire to regain control of the mid-section, but also a confusion as to the best way to go about it. Well, I’m here to ease your frustration by breaking down what works and what doesn’t work. Uncertain about how to address your belly fat? Keep reading!
Losing Belly Fat – Fact vs. Fiction
You can target weight loss in a specific area with exercise
FICTION
This is totally not true. Crunches and other ab exercises WILL help tone your belly. And for that reason, you’ll be thankful that you did them once you start to lose weight. However, the part of the body that is being targeted for exercise won’t determine where your body loses fat first. So you can conceivably be doing lots of ab work, and notice weight loss in your face. I still recommend focusing on your abs in your exercise routine because you’ll be left with toned looking abs once you lose the weight. But don’t expect to be able to achieve weight loss in your belly area just by doing crunches.
You must specifically reduce sugar consumption to reduce belly fat
FACT
Sugar and refined carbohydrates (bread, bagels, pasta, crackers) are the foods to avoid when trying to reduce belly fat. These foods cause a spike in the fat building hormone insulin. When there is too much insulin, fat starts to amass in the stomach area. Reduce these problem foods to get insulin under control and lessen the fat storage in the belly. But don’t get frustrated if this doesn’t happen overnight. There will likely be a waiting period between when you reduce sugar and when you start seeing results. Once insulin is imbalanced, the body takes time to heal and get back into balance. But once it does, you should start seeing results.
Women’s hormones make them more likely to gain belly fat as they age
FACT
Women over a certain age will likely see an increase in belly fat. As women stop producing estrogen in their ovaries, their bodies often redistribute weight away from the hips and thighs and towards the belly. This loss of estrogen can also make the body more likely to pack on the pounds in general. This is because the presence of estrogen in younger women helps the energy from food be converted into muscle. When estrogen dips, less energy from foods is directed to the muscles and a bigger percentage of energy gets converted to belly fat. Additionally, since fat cells are one of the remaining sources of estrogen production for menopausal women, fat stores are likely to increase to help the body produce more estrogen.
Many women become so frustrated during this time that they go on hormone therapy in hopes of losing belly fat. My recommendation is to instead first try some more natural choices. Check with your doctor to see if herbs like Black Cohosh, Dong Quai or Chasteberry might be right for you. And of course, even more focus has to go towards a positive exercise regimen and diet as we age.
Taking pills for bloating and water retention is a good way to combat a big belly
FICTION
Many people feel that water retention or extra gas is a significant contributor to their expanding belly. And while this may be the case, alleviating bloat without understanding the root cause of the problem is like putting a band-aid on an exploding dam. Because, the very imbalances that are causing inflammation, gas and water retention can also be imbalances that lead to extra weight.
There are many reasons that someone could be bloated or retaining water and some are just temporary (like a woman’s monthly cycle). But long-term bloat indicates that there is something physically that needs to be addressed. I would recommend, at the very least, an elimination diet (a temporary elimination of foods like dairy, wheat and eggs to see if there is a relief of symptoms in the body) as well as supplementing with a good probiotic.
Eating fat can lead to a direct increase in belly fat
FICTION
While eating fried foods is not a good choice, there are many good sources of fat that are very helpful when trying to lose belly fat. Examples are coconut, avocado, pumpkin, sesame, chia and hemp seeds, as well as nuts like walnuts, almonds, and cashews. Remember how I mentioned that sugar causes the body to produce too much of the fat building hormone insulin? Well, dietary fat has the opposite impact of sugar on insulin.
When fat is eaten with something more sugary, it will reduce the insulin effect of what is eaten. Fat will also help you feel full after a meal which will keep you from wanting to raid the pantry late at night. I personally lost my last 15 pounds by making only one change. I started reading every label to eliminate sugar from my diet (other than 1 treat a week) while increasing my consumption of healthy fats. Good fats are your weight loss friend.
Substituting sugar with artificial sweeteners will help reduce belly fat
Fiction
Here’s the crazy thing. They’ve done many studies that show that even though artificial sweeteners don’t have calories, the brain still interprets their sweetness as sugar. So when you eat something that is artificially sweetened, the brain directs the body to secrete insulin in the same exact way as when sugar is eaten.
So even though you are technically saving calories, the savings are lost because the insulin effect is putting your body in fat storing mode. And of course, just like with sugar, the more artificial sweeteners that are consumed, the more fat will gather in the belly area. I spoke a couple weeks ago about my preferred choice in sweeteners. There are better ways to enjoy something sweet. But substituting sugar with artificial sweeteners won’t help you with your belly fat loss goals.
Fish oil can be helpful for belly fat reduction
FACT
Fish are a good source of health promoting omega-3 fatty acids. And while there are multiple studies demonstrating the positive effects of omega-3s for the heart, newer research demonstrates that they may also help the body burn fat. Fish oil helps improve insulin levels by making the body more insulin sensitive. And as we’ve already talked about, better insulin levels will lead to less belly fat.
One study gave subjects either fish oil or safflower oil during trials. The group that was given fish oil both lost weight and gained muscle while the safflower group saw no improvements. So while I don’t believe that consuming omega-3s on their own will solve your belly problems, eating fish or supplementing with fish oil can be a good addition to your weight loss regimen. Just make sure to choose low-mercury options!
If you’ve been struggling with belly fat, there aren’t any magical fixes.
If someone promises you one, you should run the other way. A reduction of sugar and refined carbohydrates, a healthy exercise routine, supplementation when needed and a slow transformation of habits is the way to go. Just because you’ve struggled for years with extra belly weight doesn’t mean that hope is lost. It’s simply a question of separating fact from fiction to get the most out of your weight loss efforts.
Want even more tips for reducing belly fat and slimming down? Get my free weight loss tips e-booklet which you can download by clicking here! In this booklet, I separate more weight loss truths from fiction. Plus you’ll also get a sugar cheat sheet to help you get rid of the fat building hidden sugar that is found in many healthy sounding foods.
Thankfully I didn’t inherit daddy’ genes and hence don’t have a weight problem. You are so right that good fat doesn’t creat fat anywhere on your body. I consume a lot of olive oil, coconut oil and walnut oil on a daily basis and it is absolutely fantastic health wise. Fat would actually make it easier for people with belly fat to get rid of it because fat makes your stomach work really well.
I agree Catarina. Food companies worked to make people scared of fat and then raked in the money by selling low-fat products. Unfortunately, many people became so scared of eating fat in the proccess.
Oh good! Your article confirms what I thought I knew were facts or fiction. There is so much false advertising about these things and it’s good to find a post like yours to set things straight.
You are right about the false advertising, Beth. It really is a shame.
OMG! I can’t believe I read this today. I’m skinny, honestly. And I work out but do the same amount of ab work as usual. It’s been perfect in the past, but in the last few months I’ve noticed a little bitty pooch emerging! WHaat?? I don’t automatically go to the age thing, because that just makes me sad or mad or those things you feel when you go to the age thing. I never have had artificial sweeteners as I always suspected something nefarious from the beginning. But I’vs just started taking a high-quality Fish Oil (Carlson’s). Think that might help? It should be noted, however, that even my trainer laughs when I try to show her my pooch! Hahahaha! I think vanity is a sin, yes?
I would say you’re not alone in feeling self-conscious about growing the tiniest of pooches. We women are so hard on ourselves and women complain to me all the time about the tiniest of pooches. I can’t really judge because I can be pretty self-conscious at times too, but I agree…vanity is no good.
I have a little pouch despite being slim. I have cut carbs too!
I am eating healthily and walking as exercise. Pleased with the results.
Just don’t cut the good carbs out like fruit and vegetables, but cutting out the refined stuff is a great step. Glad to hear your efforts are paying off.
Really interesting Erica. I hadn’t heard about the fish oil in this regard but it makes perfect sense the way you explain it. I do use artificial sweetener but only one or two packs a day with my coffee in the morning so I’m not going to stress myself over that. Great advice and definitely food for thought – no pun intended. 🙂
Love the pun, Marquita…even if you didn’t mean it!
OMG! So needed to read this! I have been researching to find effective ways to lose belly fat. I have bloating issues so this is definitely a timely, great read! Thanks!
I hope this is helpful to you, Mahal. You are certainly not alone in searching for answers.
I really had some of these wrong. Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
I hope this has helped clarify things for you!
I had to go to the Emergency Dept. not too long ago and happened to get a young doctor from Montreal – have no idea why he was here but wished he practiced here. Anyway, to make a long story short, he recommended I take Omega-First Super Strength Fish Oil Concentrate, CoQ10 Supreme in a base of Organic Sunflower Oil plus Niacinamide to metabolize the fats. Made a huge difference in how I look and feel.
I think you make a good point Lenie. It wasn’t just the fish oil but the Niacinamide and we need a multitude of vitamins and minerals so everything can be digested and metabolized appropriately.
Thanks for the great info. I have to fully agree with the sugar causing belly fat. I’ve lost 70lbs and am still losing, but I notice that when I cheat with junk food (sugar is my weakness), I don’t feel as thin and my jeans don’t fit as well. When I’m eating clean, I feel much thinner and the clothes fit better. Thanks for the great post!
Congratulations on the 70 pound weight loss. That is amazing!
Great article with true facts for how to lose belly fat. Fat is not the culprit after all, although it is very important to choose the healthy fats. Thank you for your post. I often say, the best exercise is to push yourself away from the table.
I know. It is iso sad that fat has been vilified for so long. And it is important for people to understand not that they should eat fat, but the right fats.
I’ve been losing belly fat.
FICTION
Too cute, Ken!
Thanks for sharing these. There is so much out there it’s hard to know what fact and what fiction, it’s nice that your article actually explains why something is fact or fiction. I take fish oil because my body doesn’t naturally produce the right amount of good cholesterol so it along with other supplements help, I wasn’t aware that it helped with belly fat. One major help for weight loss I’ve found is fiber
Fish oil is helpful in a lot of ways. Glad to hear it is helping with your balance of cholesterol.
Thank you for this post.
It is very important we remove the fiction when it comes to trying to get into shape. There is so many rumors out there, even by people so called experts.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
The thing that makes me craziest, Wiliam, is that lobbyists from food companies pay to have their foods promoted as healthy, even when they are obviously not and that really builds into the confusion.
I tend to gain weight all over so the belly stays in proportion, though I do have a few family members that put weight on in their belly. This fact or fiction style of post is definitely a keeper. It’s engaging and educational.
Thanks for the feedback on the fact or fiction style. I’ll have to make a note of that!
I started taking Cod Liver Oil. I read i was a good source of source Omega-e fatty acids.Would I still take the fish oils or is one better than the other?
Pamela, they are both good. If you’re having positive results with the cod liver oil, I say stick with it.
Thanks Erica!
This post is meant for me.Great article with true facts for those of us who wants to lose belly fat. I have a little pouch despite being slim. I have cut carbs too! Trying to eating healthy and started walking as exercise. Pleased with the little results so far.
Thanks for sharing Erica x
You did it again, I feel educated, I will be taking my water pills (super bloated) will be replacing sugars. QQuestionwhat do you recommend for the arms that’s my biggest problem.
So far this is the most frustrating thing I’ve experienced about aging. I have worked out since 1992 and have a lot of energy. My diet is in pretty good shape. But I turned 60 in June and noticed around March that I was getting that muffin top I’d heard other women talk about. It is sheer aggravation to feel like you’re doing things right but that your body is fighting against you! Love coming to your site to find some answers & possible solutions! Thank you!
Yes, we do get more belly fat as we get older – once menopause hits, our belly fat produces most of our estrogen. Working on things that create hormone balance become just as important as conventional weight loss methods – be we also can’t compare our bodies to the way they looked at 18