Losing Stomach Fat-Beyond The Lies

One of the great lasting myths of fat loss is that we can lose fat in specific spots with specific exercises – while the fat in other areas goes 'undisturbed'. Losing stomach fat is perhaps the most common problem – especially for men – so it is the most vulnerable to such mythologizing.

Why does the myth of losing stomach fat with such ‘spot training’ exist? Because for every common problem there is an ‘entrepreneur’ who declares a solution to make money from it – even if that solution has no basis in reality.

The first thing to know is that there is a genetic component to fat storage. We are all predisposed to gaining fat in certain areas of the body before others. If you’re a female, you may notice your particular trouble spots as being in the thighs, hips, and arms. If you’re a male, you’re most likely having problems in the stomach and the ‘love handles’ (sides of the waist).

The fact is that the first place that you store fat is going to be the last place where the fat will come off. No exercises supposedly designed for losing stomach fat, or popular diet plan, will change that.

The best thing I can do for you is inform you of what's required in terms of losing fat throughout the body, preventing you from futile attempts to lose stomach fat as you mess around with unproven theories. The best thing you can do for yourself is not waste your time (as millions have done) by spending your days doing crunches in a vain attempt to lose fat in your stomach and love handles.

Don’t get me wrong: doing crunches is not a bad thing; it helps build muscle in that area and is one step in burning calories. But those muscles are not going to be visible if you’re not aggressively burning the fat covering them.

Losing stomach fat will require some form of aerobic/cardio exercise. This is because any kind of exercise that you do will burn glycogen (carbohydrates stored in your body) first, before the fat gets burned as energy. This means that you need to exercise for a certain period of time with an adequate level of intensity before the fat starts to burn in your body. You need to be even more persistent to get beyond the ‘easier’ parts of the body towards a spot like the stomach where the fat storages occur first.

This means that if you were willing and able to do crunches continuously for at least 30 minutes each day, 4 or 5 days a week, you might begin losing stomach fat and eventually see the results you’re looking for. But you’re probably neither willing nor able to do this, nor do you need to.

So, what does need to be done towards losing unwanted stomach fat? In order to answer that question, let’s take a look at what those who are most successful at losing fat do to go from dangerously overweight to fabulously lean:

· A schedule of aerobic exercise at least 3 days a week, in at least 30 minute installments;

· A schedule of weight training at least 2 days a week, in at least 20 minute installments;

· A metabolism-boosting, reduced calorie diet that includes adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and unsaturated fats (ideally spread out over 5 or 6 meals a day);

· About 15 – 20% fewer calories consumed than you do right now to maintain your present weight;

· A written plan that keeps you from veering off course or quitting altogether like the vast majority do.

This may seem like a lot. But, as mentioned, stomach fat is the most stubborn of all body fat to lose – meaning that losing stomach fat requires an equally stubborn effort to match it.

Losing stomach fat does not have to be an unpleasant chore, however. You can always find ways to adjust your lifestyle to achieve great results while not feeling completely deprived. Some things you can do for yourself to customize the above steps include:

* Doing effective exercise that you enjoy. There are a wide range of aerobic exercises that you can do towards losing stomach fat, and having several choices allows you to find the best one for you. They include jogging, spinning, elliptical training, rowing, stair-climbing, and using a cross-country ski machine. With weights, you can use barbells and dumbbells for a combination of lunges, presses, squats, rows, etc. Some will challenge and stimulate you, some won’t. The point is that all of these will be effective, so you can find your own combination.
* Discovering healthy foods that also satisfy taste. In order to lose stomach fat, you need to lower calories, period. You also need to minimize intake of saturated fats and simple carbohydrates, and take in lean proteins instead of getting the majority of your protein from such foods as fatty meats. You can substitute high-calorie foods with moderate portions of things like grilled chicken, turkey, broiled fish, nuts, fruit, vegetables, baked chips, yogurt and other low-fat dairy.
* Stack the spice rack. Spices are a great way to add flavor to food without adding calories as you do when you fry it. You can also purchase things like Molly McButter butter and cheese flavored sprinkles to add these flavors to foods without adding fat. Remember that high fat condiments can often turn a healthy food into one that takes you well over your calorie threshold.

The question you need to ask yourself now is whether you’re willing to spend your time doing things the right way (the way people who get real results do, as described above), or follow the myths regarding losing stomach fat, which will bring you little or no results and waste the most precious resource we all have – our time.

I learn from the very best - the most successful 'fat-burners' who win the battle over failure and self-hatred to lose all those unwanted pounds of body fat...