A common thing that most people want is to lose fat in certain places. Unfortunately, that is not the case because when we lose fat we lose it all over our body. So all the gimmicks and tricks out there promising you to lose belly and all other bad certain places are unfortunately misleading you.
On the other hand, it’s all of the simple things we’ve been told to lose how are love handles and belly fat. If you follow these four steps it’s almost certain that you will lose your excess fat.
- Improving your nutrition
- Getting at least 7 hours of sleep
- The Right Type of Exercise
- Drink enough Water
- Manage your Stress
Getting the Right Mind Set
Most of us have been there looking at ourselves in the mirror even if we work out while being in denial that we have a little extra belly fat and love handles than we would like to admit.
Especially for us busy dads, it could seem impossible to get back to that once ripped body or to get a ripped body at an older age. The good news is that doesn’t have to be the case! There are many studies that show that men can build muscle well into their older ages in life. And accomplishing all this isn’t complicated, yes it’s not sexy and boring but it works.
That’s why it’s important to make this a lifestyle and most importantly to be consistent. It’s a waste of time for us to do crash diets or trying to kill ourselves in the gym when trying to accomplish these goals.
I’ve been there and this leads to frustrations and old behaviors. Even if you only started out with two or three of these just try to be consistent with them. It is better to start out slow at the beginning than fast and burn out quickly.
So start with what you’re capable of out of this list and just work your way from there and try to add more Into it. You know the drill, before taking any advice from Wellneos always consult with your doctor before starting.
The Two Types of Fat
I bet you’re thinking all great two types of fat I was only worried about losing only one type of fat.
Visceral Fat-Is the more of the most dangerous of the two while they are both bad for your health. This type of fat sits on in between your organs and can affect the nutrients that are supposed to go to your organs and their functions.
Subcutaneous Fat– This type is the lesser of the two evils while it is still bad for you. This kind of fat is found just under your skin and is what can give your belly and love handles the extra fat.
Since we know what types of fat there are, let’s talk about losing it. There was a 14-year study done that showed that people who are mostly Slim but also had more fat around their midsection and love handles were 50% more likely to die than those who have an equal amount of fat on their body.
Focusing on Nutrition and Not a Diet
This is a pretty big, mistake most people to think that they should go on a crash diet to lose their love handles and belly. Unfortunately, this is just a recipe for disaster and will cause a yo-yo effect with diets.
While it is tempting and you may see some results with a crash diet at some point you won’t be able to sustain that way of living and will put the weight back on and probably then some.
Which can leave you back in the same place that started in. That’s why I want to preach nutrition over diet. You want to make this part of your lifestyle and not just a one month or short term way of loving.
When it comes to losing your belly and love handles, nutrition will be key. A very popular quote that is true is” you can’t out-exercise a bad diet”. It is especially truer the older we get.
This statement just means if you’re eating junk it’s going to be almost impossible to see results. That’s why this is a key part of the process is nutrition. You need to be in a caloric deficit if you want to lose your love handles and your belly. On average you want to be anywhere from 250 to 500 calories in a deficit.
While this is just an estimate of what kind of deficit you should be in everyone is different. So you may have to massage numbers and kind of play with them till you find what works for you. A great free app is myfitnesspal.com
A good rule of thumb is when you are looking at your plate to have 40% of the plates being protein, 40% of the plate being high-fiber carbs(green leafy vegetables) and the remaining 20% being high starchy carbs.
Make Sure to Eat Enough Protein
- Energy Expenditure is increased
- Help with curbing appetite
- Improve muscle Repair and Recovery
A huge advantage is making sure you are eating enough protein as it is satiating which means it keeps you full. Not only that if you are in a caloric deficit it is extremely important to make sure you are getting enough protein in to help preserve and rebuild your muscles.
More muscle equals fewer love handles and belly fat. Because if you start losing the fat along with the muscle we won’t become healthy Buff Daddy’s, which is the end goal.
It can be tough to always make sure you are eating enough protein, which is anywhere from .7-1 gram per pound of bodyweight is plenty. I also like to make a shake every day with protein powder and is a quick easy way to help meet your requirements.
Getting Enough Rest
I know getting enough rest can be hectic with our busy schedules and social obligations, but it’s crucial. There is a lot that goes on during sleep, such as hormone production and muscle repair just to name a few.
For any of the mentioned above to happen, you need to get at least 7 hours of sleep minimum. If you are not getting enough sleep this could be a reason why you are not losing your love he knows for belly fat.
Here are the big three hormones that play a role in weight loss.
- Cortisol
- Ghrelin
- leptin
Cortisol is affected by stress, therefore, it is called the stress hormone. If your cortisol levels are cranks up in your always stressed, you will have a more difficult time losing your love handles and belly.
If cortisol is high will keep fat around your midsection. This is why rest and stress-reducing techniques are needed in highly effective when used daily.
Grehlin is your hunger hormone is what signals your brain to eat when you’re hungry. Basically the more you have of this ghrelin hormone the hunger year you will be.
Leptin hormones are what tell everybody that you are full and satiated. The more you have of this hormone the better because you will not be as hungry.
As you can see if you’re not getting enough sleep it affects more then just your fatigue levels. Very important hormones affected and still leave you with love handles in a belly even if you are working out consistently and eating descent.
Exercise and What Kind
If you are a busy dad or a man over 30 with a career it can be challenging to be active. Especially with most jobs, these days are office job where we can be sitting for most of the time. I’m sure you’ve heard that claims that sitting is the new smoking for your health.
The main goal is to try to aim for at least 30 minutes a day of daily physical activity that is continuous. This could be as simple as going for a walk, working in the yard, Golfing or any other type of continuous exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
The idea here is to build the behavior and habit of getting some form of physical activity every day. While lifting weights and Cardio are great, we will take any kind of exercise we can get.
Here are some more tips to lose your love handles and belly fat that are proven to work.
Why Increasing Water Intake is Important with Fat Loss
Drinking enough water plays a big role and losing excess weight on your love handles and belly. I know it can be difficult and boring considering just water, but I try to get in my daily amount each day and drink other things as well. You should aim for half your body weight in ounces in water per day. Which really is not all that difficult to do.
Increasing your water intake has been thought to help with weight loss. Most adults while on a weight-loss majority increase there water intake by 30- 59%. There are studies that show that drinking more water can possibly benefit weight loss and make your maintenance weight.
Within 10 minutes of drinking water, you’re resting energy expenditure can increase by 24- 30%. This can last anywhere up to at least 60 minutes. One study has even shown that obese children had a 25% increase in resting energy expenditure after they have drunk cold water.
Another study of women who were overweight we reviewed and by increasing their water 1 liter or 34 ounces per day. So for 12 months the results for an extra 4.4 lb of weight loss. Even though that doesn’t sound like much, that’s a lot of weight when you factor in that there were no other lifestyle changes made.
While modest, drinking more water can help with weight loss.
Stress Management
Stress affects us all and some can be good to help us perform but too much stress and an unhealthy lifestyle can be a recipe for disaster. As mentioned earlier if you are not getting enough sleep there are a lot of stress hormones such as cortisol that can be raised during these times. Starting with getting in sleep can help with Stress Management.
In times when I am not able to get enough sleep, I myself like to take melatonin to help in stressful times when I have a hard time sleeping. There are also other techniques if you are lying in bed and your mind is racing about the next day to come. Such as writing down in a notebook or piece of paper and list of things that you need to do for the next day. It’s supposed to help ease your mind knowing that you already have everything under control.
Meditation
There are also plenty of meditation apps that can help with reducing stress. I think it goes without saying that we all know that meditation works. On the other hand, we also know that it can be difficult if we’re not used to it. that’s why there are some great apps out there that can help guide you and get you used to it such as, www.headspace.com or www.calm.com are a couple of the more popular ones out there. Even if you start out with 5-10 minutes a day you should start to notice the benefits.
Breathing Techniques
Breathing techniques definitely work but it also is something that I’ve noticed to be beneficial when I’ve done it on a more consistent basis. Here are a few to get you started.
Box This technique has been popularized by a Navy SEAL named Mark Divine. Simply close your mouth file slowly breathing in through your nose for a count of four. Then from there hold your breath for four more seconds. Next, slowly exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. then slowly breathe in for four more seconds by doing some rounds of box breathing this can help that you in a more relaxed state.
Sitale Breath-This is another type of relaxation and then I like to use also known as the” cooling breath” I can put you in a state Focus and feeling calm. You don’t have to but it’s best to close your eyes, curl your tongue and inhale through your open mouth. next, close your mouth and exhale through your nose. It’s pretty simple that’s it, I try to perform six of these breaths to help reduce stress.
Alternate nostril breathing- This is another form of Kundalini breathwork And is a potent stress-reducing exercise. You begin this by pressing your right thumb on your right nostril while breathing out gently through your left nostril. Now breathe in gently through your left nostril play press the left nostril closed with a different finger. Now you’ll want to remove your thumb from the right nostril and breathe out the right nostril. lastly, breath in through your right nostril, closing nostril and exhale from the left.
There you have it, the most optimal ways to help lose those love handles and belly fat. My challenge to you is try with just adding a few to your daily routines and add in the others later.