We all love shortcuts. Whether it’s getting somewhere faster, making money quickly, or becoming successful with minimal effort. And if you're here, you’re probably looking for shortcuts to a flat stomach. From special drinks that promise to burn belly fat to wraps. Yes, wraps, like plastic-wrap around your stomach with some magical fat-burning paste. The internet is full of these so-called "shortcuts.”
With a quick search online, you'll find plenty of content promising you that very thing. Many of these sources claim to have some secret method that can give you a flat stomach in no time, even overnight! These claims are popular because people often believe the content creators, who usually already have flat stomachs, achieved their results through these "shortcuts." Viewers are often so eager for these methods to work, they convince themselves that they see results, even when there are none, or the shortcuts effects are only temporary at best. When something is easy to do and has many people claiming it works, it quickly becomes a trendy topic but doesn’t always have the science behind the concept.
But instead of debunking all these myths, I want to share science-based information for achieving a flat stomach. No gimmicks, cling wrap or fat melting paste. Unfortunately, it's not a quick fix. Getting a flat belly boils down to two things: caloric expenditure and burning fat. Whether or not you agree with the concept of calories in versus calories out, the most significant factor in weight change, and ultimately fat loss, is total daily calorie expenditure. Simply put, the best way to lose belly fat is to eat less and move more. Specifically, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. Doing so will help you shed those pounds you've been trying to lose, and when combined with proper resistance training. Whether lifting weights or using your body weight, you can preserve lean muscle, which means you'll lose more fat mass.
When in a calorie deficit, your body needs to find energy sources from within. The most abundant and efficient energy source is fat. Your body will target fat stores, but it doesn't selectively choose specific areas of fat on your body, so there's no such thing as spot reduction. Sorry, there's no way to target belly fat alone. During a weight loss phase, your body may also break down muscle tissue, especially if your exercise routine heavily involves low-intensity cardio like jogging on a treadmill. The calories burned according to the treadmill and the fatigue make you feel accomplished after a long jog, but it doesn't tell you that you could be losing lean muscle mass too. To minimize this effect, you'll need to engage in resistance training, which activates muscle building hormones and metabolic processes that help protect your muscles.
There are also dietary strategies that can promote fat loss. The keto diet, for example, has been effective in burning fat by significantly reducing carb intake. Although fat contains more energy, your body prefers to burn carbs first because they are easier to metabolize. By cutting out carb intake, your body is forced to use fat as fuel instead. Another approach is intermittent fasting, where you have a feeding window of 8 hours and fast for up to 16 hours. This extended fasting period triggers the release of hormones like glucagon and epinephrine, which increase blood glucose levels and in turn break down fat.
So on route to a flat stomach, we have tools like resistance training, low-carb diets (to some extent), and intermittent fasting that can aid in fat loss. But none of these methods will work alone, your energy balance must be in check. You can avoid carbs, lift heavy weights, and fast for long periods, but it won't matter if you're eating 2,500 calories a day and only burning 2,000. Use these tools as much as you like, just make sure you're managing your calorie intake.
In the end, don’t expect miracles from some magical elixir or berries, and definitely keep the plastic wrap off your stomach. If you need additional support, reaching out to your friendly neighbourhood fitness professional is a great idea as you start your fitness journey. Thanks for reading!
Emmanuel Ofori - eMotivates
Your friendly neighbourhood fitness professional
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