10 weird tricks to get rid of belly fat amazingly fast

One of the reasons I joined the field of nutrition was to prevent chronic diseases (such as type 2 diabetes) and help clear up the confusion. My goal is to simplify and share information that can help improve your health. These changes worked for me, but they may not work for you. Your mileage may vary.

And just to be clear, no, there are no tricks that will help you get rid of belly fat surprisingly fast. You can't tell your body to lose fat from certain areas, and lifestyle changes should be a lifelong approach rather than incredibly quick miracle cures.

Here are 10 practical concepts that can put you on the right path to improving your health. All of them focus on healthy eating or physical activity. Keep in mind that there are many aspects to living a healthy life other than those listed below (eg, don't smoke, don't smoke, don't smoke).

This is not medical advice, so always communicate with your health care providers about any substantial behavioral changes. If you are specifically looking for personalized diet advice, reach out to a registered dietitian.

This is simply a list of the lessons I wish someone had told me when I first tried to change my habits.

1. Don't set unrealistic goals for weight loss. Focus on the behaviors.

Weight can be a fickle thing. It can fluctuate depending on your fluid intake, time of day, and the food you consume. So when you start taking steps to improve your health, please don't judge your success by just the number on the scale.

Know your weight and track it over time, but avoid worrying about your weight daily.

There is no doubt that excess weight increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, especially when it is stored around your waist.

But weight is only one factor for health. Too often we judge success by our ability to achieve an unrealistic weight loss goal (often a completely contrived and arbitrarily set number). We aim for this unrealistic weight loss goal rather than behavioral goals (eg eating at least three servings of vegetables a day) or a more moderate goal that will improve our health.

Failure to reach this ideal weight can cause frustration and may increase the likelihood that we should completely give up improving our diet or getting more exercise.

It's important to understand that maintaining weight loss and sticking to long-term habits make a difference. A person can lose weight temporarily through many different methods, even by just eating Twinkies, McDonald's, or potatoes.

As a society, unfortunately, we judge others if they are healthy or not by their appearance. When people start making changes, at a glance, we can't see that the person has lowered blood pressure, improved blood sugar control, or eaten three servings of vegetables that day.

As Patrick Mustaine so eloquently said,

“If we are to shift the conversation toward a culture of health — one that values ​​healthy eating and regular physical activity as an end in itself, we may be happily surprised to find that not only do we live longer and happier lives, with fewer diseases and lower health costs, but also, we may need to drop A group pant size or two. Or not. Either way, we're better off."

Set a moderate goal, focus on behaviors, and remember that even a 5% weight loss has been associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases.

Related: Health and fitness through weight loss

2. Focus on your general eating pattern

Before I start talking about nutrition, I would like to make an important note that it is a difficult subject to study.

We are still learning as a field. It is very difficult to make a statement with great certainty that eating a particular food will improve or worsen your health, or in particular, create a longer life. Context is key to nutrition. It's an evolving field, and we have to embrace its evolution. The field is currently discussing ways to improve it.

What we currently know is that eating or not eating a single food will likely have little effect on your health and/or your life span. Almost all of the longevity claims for a single food should be met with a lot of skepticism (I'm looking at you goji berries).

When you look at cultures around the world, you will notice that humans can live on a variety of different foods. No single diet rules them all; however, we have learned that once a culture adopts a more Western way of eating and living, it is likely that chronic diseases will follow, unfortunately. However, this is usually in exchange for more expensive, convenient, and productive food supplies (#tradeoffs).

Research has shown that general dietary patterns (and other habits such as exercise) are more important than simply focusing on a single food or nutrient. It's not perfect, but Dariush Mozaffarian of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutritional Science and Policy has developed a simple diagram of the foods we should be eating more of rather than others.

 

To break down his thoughts, let's just say we have three food groups: eat more, eat in moderation, and eat less.

Current research suggests that our health can be improved if we eat more whole fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, fish/seafood, whole grains, vegetables, vegetable oils (such as extra virgin olive oil), and yogurt (note: more research is needed!) rather than common sources. "Eat less" foods like chips, sugary cereals, butter, pizza, sugary drinks, cheese, potatoes, refined grains (like bread and pasta), alcohol, processed meats (think deli), and other ultra-processed foods.

Other foods such as cheese, chicken, eggs, and milk are in the "eating in moderation group". Some benefits appear but not as much as eating more (more research is needed!).

The only nutrient-specific items he recommends limiting are foods high in salt (think ramen and most frozen meals) and artificial trans fats. Thanks to policy changes, most industrial trans fats have been removed from the food supply in the United States.

You can avoid these two nutrients by looking at the ingredients list and the Nutrition Facts label (like the box on food packages that contains fat, sugar, etc.). Check the words partially hydrogenated in ingredients and rate the sodium on the label.

Unless your healthcare provider advises you, 2,300 mg (equal to a teaspoon) appears to be a useful target for your daily intake, but it is a highly debated field of nutrition (more research is needed!).

If you're eating foods in the Eat More group, you don't have to worry about these last two nutrient recommendations because these foods don't contain artificial trans fats or significant amounts of sodium.

You also don't have to eat all the foods in the Eat More group. You can change your diet and decide to include specific items depending on taste, environmental concerns, and cultural preferences.

The best place to start is to replace snacks (like chips and candy) with things like whole fruit and nuts, which don't require cooking and are convenient.

3. Food has more calories

Calories matter and in America, we currently have no shortage of them.

Departing from best estimates, the daily caloric surplus of 220 calories for adults and 41 calories each day for young adults explains our weight gain. Weights have been increasing since the 1920s, but they've increased more rapidly since the 1960s. The prevalence of obesity increased from 13.3% in the early 1960s to about 39% in 2016.

As you begin the process of improving your diet, it is helpful to measure how many calories you are supposed to be eating. I highly recommend checking out the National Institutes of Health Body Weight Chart for an accurate estimate.

Some people find it helpful to use a food diary app to keep track of intake and calories as well. I love Cronometer because it offers a barcode scanner feature to easily capture your validated food and nutrition data. (Note: I don't receive any dollars from them).

But please don't just judge a food item based on its calorie content. For example, one avocado contains 234 calories compared to 143 calories in a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola. Does this make soda healthier than avocado? of course not. Food companies like to use this line of thinking all the time when they reformulate a product to be "healthier" or "low-fat" because it's lower in calories.

As I mentioned, the science of nutrition continues to evolve, and we are learning about the potential importance of the food matrix and the thousands of phytochemicals (i.e. bioactive compounds) in plants about chronic disease risk (more research is needed!).

To find out how many calories you're consuming, but focus on eating items from the eat more category rather than just calories for overall health other than weight management.

Related: 20 Best Weight Loss Tips

4. Create a healthy sanctuary at home

Make your home a haven of healthy food only for most weeks of the year. This is especially important for families with children. Avoid keeping foods rich in energy and poor in nutrients that make it difficult to stop eating in your home. Especially avoid buying larger portions of it.

Scientists and food companies are good at their jobs (for better or worse). They know exactly how to make foods irresistible and as easy to eat as possible.

It is very difficult to practice moderation on food that does not make you feel full until you have already run out of packaging. In the past, Cheetos and Reese have been prime examples of this to me (let's be real, I can still polish a bag of them easily).

You can eat unhealthy just about anywhere, so it is important to make sure that your home is the default place for healthy eating. The key is to stock the house with healthy foods (think eating more) that you already enjoy. Give yourself some time to find these foods. Change takes time.

5. Upgrade your drink

We love our drinks here in America, and I'm part of that group.

Sugary drinks, in particular, don't help our efforts to be healthy. They are detrimental to our dental health and provide no benefit besides energy in the form of calories.

The smart approach to improving your diet is to upgrade your drink. One of the first steps I took to improve my health was to reduce sugary drinks. Start drinking more unsweetened beverages such as tap water, drinking water, tea, or coffee.

Cut back on items like soda, fruit juices, energy drinks, coffee drinks (think Frappuccinos), sports drinks, and often ignore the source of calories and alcohol (say it isn't!).

As someone from Wisconsin (#GoPackGo), I enjoy Bayer (my college friends can attest to that). However, you should be aware of how many alcoholic beverages you are consuming for many reasons. It's an easy source of calories that we often overlook. For example, a 12-ounce bottle of Founders Breakfast Stout has 270 calories.

In America, alcohol is one of the top 10 sources of calories for adults. A good rule of thumb is to limit consumption as much as possible, while never feeling deprived again. I usually enjoy it now when I am with family and at social events.

Drinking alcohol can also lead to reckless unhealthy food choices (again my college friends can attest to). It acts as an appetite stimulant and impairs your good judgment.

I don't drink diet soda personally, and we still don't know the long-term health effect of some artificial sweeteners; However, IMO drinking diet options are still a step in the right direction away from full sugar. For the most part, claims about diet sodas are exaggerated.

6. Healthy Living≠Perfection

A surefire way to fail in a healthy life is to strive for perfection. We rarely expect perfection from other aspects of life, so please do not apply it to eating or exercising. You should plan for setbacks from less desirable eating habits and mistakes should be expected.

7. Avoid extreme hunger

I feel proud to make this comment, and I know some people don't have the resources to avoid this problem. As a country, we can do a lot to ensure that no one goes hungry on a systemic level.

But if you're as privileged as me when it comes to healthy eating, hitting the point of hunger can lead to poor decisions. When you're hungry, making a rational decision about food is even more difficult. Especially when you have a lot of energy-dense, nutrient-poor food triggers, and marketing.

Identify the periods that have caused your "hunger slips" in the past. Plan and pack "eat more" snacks to ensure rational dietary decisions are made.

8. Include physical activity in your daily schedule

Similar to not believe there is one diet that rules them all, I also don't think there is a perfect exercise that meets everyone's needs and preferences.

The best exercise is one that you enjoy and you can imagine continuing to do for the rest of your life. Remember that any movement is better than sitting on the couch watching Netflix. Physical activity also supports your health, regardless of your body size.

I try to move every day. I have a few exercises that I find interesting (after trial and error). It improves my mood daily and reduces my stress. Some days it's hiking or biking; Other times it's just a quick walk with our dog or weight lifting at the gym.

If traditional leisure exercise isn't your thing, incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Try cycling, walking, or running to work. Take a "workout snack" by climbing the stairs at your office, park the farthest place when shopping, and try to take several trips on foot or by bike. Move as much as you can and enjoy the benefits.

9. Make healthy eating easier

Just as with exercise, scratch cooking can be a great activity to do. There are millions of healthy recipes for you to choose from on the Internet. You can make scratch cooking as easy or as fancy as you like.

If you like to cook and want to take it easy, I highly recommend buying a quick pot (note: I didn't receive a promotion dollar). It changed the rules of the game in terms of preparing meals for the week and in aspects of group cooking like whole grains and beans. Tupperware and meal prep containers are also useful resources.

Unfortunately, we all have busy lives and sometimes we just can't do this great job. So please don't feel guilty if you are not able to cook all your meals. Although they are hard to find, stores and restaurants are starting to offer healthy options. Again, focus on "eating more" when dining out. These products are more expensive than making them yourself, but they will save you time and effort and make healthy food more convenient.

 10. Enjoy life and don't stress over it

All people value their health to some extent, and health is one of the top priorities for families.

No one hopes to have a heart attack, need weekly dialysis as a result of type 2 diabetes, or be physically unfit to play with their children and grandchildren. Our current food environment makes it very easy to “prioritize immediate gratification over potentially negative long-term outcomes”; It exploits our biological, psychological, and socioeconomic vulnerabilities, making it easier for us to eat unhealthy food.

Although the above guidelines focus on individual change, it would be more productive and beneficial if larger environmental and social changes made healthy eating and physical activity easier, more affordable, equitable, and convenient. Most of the gains in our lives have come from teamwork rather than a focus on changing individual behavior.

IMHO, unhealthy food and inactivity are often a huge part of our daily lives. For a while, our number one source of calories each day came from sweets. We all have some personal responsibility for our health, but our surrounding environment can either support or undermine our long-term health goals. The current environment reinforces our preferences and demands for foods that are nutrient-dense and energy-dense.

To help counter this environment, before you buy nutrient-poor, energy-rich foods, think about your reasons for doing so. Do you celebrate a specific event? Do you enjoy this reward with your loved ones? Do you enjoy the food you eat?

Or are you just stressed, bored, or impulsive? Again, it's okay if these states make you eat unhealthy from time to time (we've all been there!). no one is perfect.

My argument is to make sure that the treatment is actually a cure. The food you actually want to eat. A sure sign of a rush to buy unhealthy food is regret after eating it. Try to remove the idea of ​​feeling guilty about food.

In the end, life is also more than just nutrition and healthy life. Be deliberate about your food choices but don't let that disrupt other, more important aspects of life.

The great thing about healthy living is that it can be adapted to your preferences, your culture, and your daily reality. If you don't like turnip, you don't have to eat it. If you enjoy eating healthy food all the time and don't feel like you're missing out, you can do that too.

The idea is to find a lifestyle that you really enjoy sticking to. No one will refuse your favorite food or force you to do an exercise you hate. No doubt, it can be difficult at first to shift your taste buds to the foods you like or find a fun workout. 

Change takes time. However, food can be tasty and nutritious.

Related: 5 Ways To Lose Weight While Maintaining Your Health