One the most troublesome areas of weight gain as far as women are concerned is the stomach. This article looks at the reasons why and how to lose stomach fat if you are a woman.
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How Do Women Lose Stomach Fat
Weight loss and weight gain boils down to a matter of calories out versus calories in.
Calories enter the body as food and are expended as your body burns them as fuel.
If your body has more calories going out than it has coming in, you lose weight. You gain weight if the situation is reversed.
The equations are the same for men as they are for women, yet men lose weight quicker than women!
A lot of that fat is generally around the belly, though some women find their extra calories go straight to their hips and even their face. There is also the problem of arm fat that we have detailed in another article.
Where the fat accumulates first and builds up the most comes down to a matter of genetic programming.
Although it’s easier for women to gain weight, it’s still a case of calories out versus calories going in.
So what’s the difference? If the rules of the game are the same, why do men have a better hand?
Scientists have always suspected it boils down to a matter of hormones.
Research conducted at the University of New South Wales confirms this and further suggests the female sex hormone estrogen is to blame.
The research reveals estrogen reduces women’s ability to burn calories after eating. This means they are more likely to have extra calories to store as fat.
Is any of this fair? Absolutely not.
It means the average woman who wants to get rid of her stomach fat will probably need to follow a stricter diet than the average man and try to exercise more.
To make an unfair situation even worse, the hormonal fluctuations due to menstruation can cause the female body to pile on additional pounds.
A similar thing happens at “the change of life” – gaining weight in middle age is almost inevitable if left unchecked.
Burn that Stomach Fat! (Weight Loss Tips for Women)
Up until recently, women had no choice other than to allow their hormonal issues to hold them back.
However, many women report great success by using an advanced diet pill called LeanBean.
It’s designed to tackle the problem with hormones and a lot of women are saying it does.
However, it remains possible for women to lose weight and see-off their stomach fat without using a specialist product.
Hormonal issues or no hormonal issues, when there are more calories going out (being burned) than there are coming in, the fat will go.
Begin with Your Diet
Let’s start with a ballpark figure because, at this stage in the game, that’s all we’ve got.
The average woman only needs to consume 2,000 calories per day. At least that’s what the scientists say.
To lose weight, the average woman will need to eat less than 2,000 calories.
If she reduces her energy intake to 1,500 calories per day, she should burn around 500 calories per day from her fat. She should try to create meals that are not calorific.
A good weight-loss diet for women needs to contain a healthy mix of fruit and vegetables, protein, and whole grains.
If you are unsure of the best proportions to use, take a look at the USDA guidelines on the ChooseMyPlate website.
When you make your food choices always go for options that are low in fat and refined sugar. Choose foods that high in nutrients and low in calories – appetite suppressing foods. Also add some foods that increase the thermic effect – such as fish and red peppers.
If you feel hungry between meals, drinking a glass or two of water may help.
A better alternative may be to use a good appetite suppressing diet pill or a dedicated fat burner for women.
Control Portion Sizes
Even healthy food choices provide calories, and calories add up faster than you may think, so it’s important to keep your portion sizes in check.
On the other hand, you still need to get enough nutrients to keep you well.
You also need enough energy to get you through the day so calorie counting makes a lot of sense.
It will mean reading food labels and possibly investing in some scales, but it will be worth it in the end.
If the idea of calorie counting gets you down, remember you are waging a war.
It’s you against the belly fat. How far are you willing to go to win?
Learn to Drink with Discretion
Water does not contain any calories at all, but soft drinks, fruit juices, and smoothies do and alcoholic beverages can be particularly bad.
If you are serious about losing your stomach fat, choose water over the other options every time.
If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try some green tea. It contains compounds that increase metabolism (as explained here) and help you burn extra fat.
Get Physical
Any activity you do requires energy.
That means it’s burning calories. The more intense the physical activity is, the more calories you are likely to burn.
Zumba is a fun option but don’t believe the hype, you’re not going to burn 1,000 calories per hour.
Even if you are stuck at home you can always find ways to keep fit, burn calories and lose stomach fat. The plank is simple, boring – but effective
An average weight woman may burn around 350-640 calories per hour but she will need to go flat out.
High-impact step aerobics should help you burn more calories per hour than you would with Zumba but neither one is likely to beat running.
Depending on her pace, a woman who weighs 125 pounds can burn 375 – 495 calories during a 30-minute jog.
That’s close to 1,000 calories per hour and heavier women can burn even more. (https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities)
Women who have health issues that prevent them from exercising may be able to burn a few extra calories by walking instead.
The normal target is to wallk 10,000 steps per day.
Ten thousand steps generally burns 400-500 calories.
If your diet is right, doing that every day should help you lose an extra pound of belly fat every week.
A fitness band can help you track your steps and you should be able to pick up a cheap one for under $25.
This concludes our article on how to lose stomach fat for women.
