Flat Belly Truths That You Need To Know As You Age

1. A Flat Belly Starts In The Kitchen:

Carving out your abs actually starts in the kitchen. Your belly fat depends on 80% of what you eat and 20% of exercising. You need to make a few simple changes like replacing white bread for whole grains, getting rid of artificial sweeteners, etc.

You can also keep a food journal handy in your kitchen to know the kinds of food that you consumed and should consume.

2. Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal:

Consuming breakfast every day helps in getting rid of that belly fat big time. Your breakfast must ideally combine proteins and whole grains. This will make it less tempting for you to go for something sugary or fatty during the later part of the day.

3. Protein Is The Key:

Protein is the key to flatten your belly. Consuming a protein-rich breakfast like eggs helps in reducing the waist measurement by almost 34%.

This is also confirmed in the study 'The Life Plan Diet: How Losing Belly Fat Is The Key To Gaining A Stronger, Sexier, Healthier Body'.

4. Stress And Belly Fat Are Proportional:

A stressful mind can lead to a bloated belly. When you're stressed, the body releases cortisol, a hormone that has been linked to fat storage, especially in the abdominal area.

People who have high cortisol levels are known to have bigger waist size.

5. You Need More Water:

Many adults are known to drink very less amount of water and this can indeed have serious consequences on your waistline. Further, people who are well hydrated are known to have less sugar, salt and cholesterol levels in their diet and consume comparatively lesser calories.

6. Happiness And Good Health Go Hand In Hand:

Your belly fat can be just a matter of laughing your pounds away. Don't believe us? Well, it's too good to be true! Laughter can increase your calorie burning capacity by about 20%.

Laughter or happiness can decrease the cortisol levels, thus reducing the risk of you putting on weight. This is one of the truths about belly fat.

7. Preservatives Pave The Path For Weight Gain:

These ingredients not only help in increasing the shelf-life of your food but also the size of your waistline. Emulsifiers found in food are known to disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the gut. This increases the risk of one developing metabolic syndrome and obesity.

8. Diet Soda Is A Big No-No:

The diet soda might be free of calories but it is definitely not waist-friendly. It contains artificial sweeteners that can pack more pounds to your belly fat. Further, these sweeteners can also trigger cravings for real sugar and can increase the risk of obesity.

9. Sitting For Hours Can Make You Fat:

Sitting for hours at work is one of the reasons for belly fat. Spending most of the time sitting at work can increase the risk of obesity. You need to take breaks, walk around often and this will help combat fat.

10. TV Is Another Version Of Junk Food:

Continuous TV marathon and belly fat are well related. Spending more time sitting and watching TV can contribute to weight gain. It was also found that people who ate while watching TV consumed more than 10% of what they actually require.

11. Dessert Can Actually Be Good For You:

Indulging in some chocolate can actually help in shedding your belly fat. Cocoa contains oligomeric procyandins that help in decreasing fat storage, sugar cravings, insulin spikes and also in keeping the blood sugar level stable.

This is also confirmed in the study 'Chocolate Craving And Hunger State: Implications For The Acquisition And Expression Of Appetite And Food Choice'.

12. Carbs Are Not Your Enemy:

Cutting out carbs forever is not a sustainable method for weight loss. You don't have to get rid of all the carbs from your diet to get rid of weight. Eating whole grains helps in losing some significant amount of belly fat and also reduces heart attack risk.