Fat loss is not selective. You can't choose where the fat comes off. The good news is that the first place you lose fat is often just where you need to lose it most. So if you really need to lose belly fat, chances are pretty good that is where you will see results first. The following tips should help in your overall quest to burn fat, and for burning belly fat in particular.
Tip #1: Set goals for yourself. Do you want to lose 10 or 20 pounds? Do you want to burn belly fat so you can see your 6-pack? Decide what you want to achieve, and make sure your goal is healthy for your height, age, and weight.
Next, start a food journal and write down everything you eat for a week including its calorie content. At the end of the week, calculate your average daily caloric intake.
Compare this to what you should be consuming. More specifically, calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories you burn through your regular daily activities. The following formulas may be used:
Male Formula for BMR
BMR = 66 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in yrs)
Female Formula for BMR
BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in yrs)
Multiply the result by:
* 11 if you do little or no exercise at all
* 13 if you do light exercise (1 to 2 hours per week) (most of us)
* 15 if you do moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours per week)
* 17 if you do heavy exercise (6 or more hours per week)
The resulting number will be how many calories you should be eating.
Tip #2: Watch your diet and eat in a way that is generally conducive to fat burning. This means eating plenty of lean protein, healthful carbohydrates including fruits and vegetables, good fats such as found in olive oil and nuts, and low-fat dairy. Avoid packaged and processed foods as much as possible.
Cut your calorie intake. It takes about 3500 calories to burn one pound of fat. The safe rate for burning belly fat is about one pound per week. So you want to reduce your intake of calories each day by about 500 below what you need (7 days x 500 calories per day is 3500 per week).
Trying to drop your intake by more then that will make your body feel like it's starving itself; this won't burn stomach fat, but actually make your body store it for survival.
You don't have to go on a crash diet to burn fat. Just make healthier choices the best you can, and they will add up.
Tip #3: Get some exercise, including cardio as well as resistance training. This will help build lean muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so just by increasing your overall percentage of muscle, you will burn fat at a faster rate. If it's your mid-section you want to target, exercises for the abs such as crunches and twists will also help.
Tip #4: Devise a workable plan to reach your goals. You can write down when you will exercise, and plan out your meals and recipes for the week. By breaking down your goal into smaller steps and having everything written down, you will get positive reinforcement all along your fat burning quest as you meet your smaller objectives.
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