How I lost my stubborn belly fat
Everyone has their own struggles and journey and heres mine on belly fat
My tummy has always been a bit frustrating. I’ve always loved carbs and food in general! Since I’ve been little, fruit salad was my favorite. I thought fruit is super healthy I can have as much as I want! I would also just eat a lot of bread because I worked out everyday. Since I’m super active, my belly has never made sense to me. No matter how much core I had done in, my belly stayed. It was the signature belly. I’d experimented and tried many different things over the years.
I didn’t begin to figure it out until after retiring from elite rowing. The biggest thing I realized was I was partly bloated, but additionally had belly fat. I’ve seen dozens of nutritionists, dietitians, read all the books, listened to all of the podcasts, combed through studies and the scientific literature until I finally found my rhythm. I’ve had nutritionists say it’s fine; it’s genetic. Yes, our genes may have to do with our shape. But having excess belly fat (visceral fat) around organs is not because of my genetics. It’s because I was eating so many carbs, all kinds of carbs, that I was just storing in my belly! You store easy carbs in your belly, because it’s easy for your body to metabolize quickly.
Once I adjusted the amount and timing of my carbs, and a whole host of other things listed below, I saw big improvements. My clothes fit better, I don’t feel uncomfortable moving around. When i eat now, I don’t just blow up like a balloon like i used to. Being an athlete, it was engrained deeply in me that I need to eat every 3-4 hrs. Now I completely disagree. Everyone’s digestive system needs to rest! If it’s working all the time, it won’t ever function optimally.
10 Things you need to do if you are serious about losing belly fat:
Include core workouts at least 3x a week for at least 10’-20’. Your abdominals are meant for endurance, they hold you all day! So work your core hard, minimize rest and maximize burn.
Combine cardio WITH resistance training at least 3x a week. Muscle boosts metabolism, not just cardio.
Buy organic as much as possible (especially off the dirty dozen) link to updated list:
Only eat and use clean oils when cooking (Olive, avocado).
Don’t overthink it- Look at your ingredient labels…if it looks like a house hold cleaning product, don’t eat it. If it’s from the ground, bushes or trees and edible its proabably good. If it’s from a package think twice about it! I’m not saying to only eat real food and never eat processed food…however the majority of your food does need to be REAL FOOD.
Doing it half assed will not work, you will get half assed results. HIRE SOMEONE TO HELP YOU IF YOU NEED TO! Nothing brings me more joy than to be a part of peoples wellness journeys.
Chew and enjoy your food! Eat with people :)
Stress, sleep, how you talk to yourself, who you surround yourself by makes a big difference! Invite positive energy and you will thrive. BE NICE TO YOURSELF.
Sleep- 7-9 hrs! During deep sleep, your hormones regulate, and your body is resting and repairing. Lack of sleep will mess with your appetite, fat storage, hormone regulation, immune system and more. You also can’t expect to make good decisions if you are getting less sleep. It really doesn’t matter and it’s not sustainable. It’s no longer will power at that point.
You are the driver of your bus, so love yourself <3 You only have one vessel to live your life in.
Hippocrates: “All disease starts in the gut”
