Get Rid Of Belly Fat Men Hacks To Keep The Fat Away For Good!

The craze for a six-pack and perfectly aligned abs peaked some time ago. Many men, whether over or under 50 are yearning for abs. This form not only improves one’s physique but also helps in symbolizing physical fitness. However, the journey to attaining these abs is tricky and challenging, especially for men who are already struggling with belly fat.

Most people believe women are the only ones struggling with belly fat. However, the fact is that men too deal with this issue. What is even more challenging for men is to get rid of belly fat. 

This happens when they do not know the most effective workouts or other effective methods to reduce belly fat. If you are struggling with this issue, then consider yourself to be in the perfect place!

We will examine some of the expert-approved ways of reducing belly fat in men. We will also analyze each method thoroughly and recommend the best age group for using such methods. Read on to explore what method you could use to get rid of belly fat in men. 

Ways Of Getting Rid Of Belly Fat In Men

Although it is challenging, it is quite possible for men to beat belly fat. Fortunately, there are various ways you can do this. Thankfully, you do not have to stick to one method. Instead, you can incorporate various methods for quick and efficient results. Here are some of the ways that can help you reduce or burn belly fat:

Eating Clean

What we eat has a direct impact on belly fat. If you consume more fatty, sugary, highly processed and refined foods, you are more likely to have more belly fat. It is because such food groups reduce your ability to burn fat (8).

Consequently when that happens, the fat tends to settle in various parts of your body, including your belly, arms and back.  These foods also reduce your metabolism and may cause weight gain. You are advised to keep away from such foods if you want to lose belly fat.

Instead of such foods, you are asked to consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Here are some examples of the best foods to get rid of belly fat in men:

Read More: Clean Eating For Beginners: Clean Eating For Beginners: Set Yourself Up For Years Of Healthy Living

• Raw Vegetables

Some of the best foods to eat for help with reducing belly fat in men are raw vegetables. They are great snack options, given that they are satisfying and also contain fewer calories. They also contain high water content, which will help you stay full for longer periods of time. 

You can eat, for example, half a cup of diced celery when you want a snack. The following snack contains just eight calories, which is an amount that can help you stay on track with your daily caloric intake. 

For more taste, you can coat the celery with some peanut butter. You can also snack on some baby carrots. They also contain fewer calories and will help with satisfying your crunchy desire if you are looking for crunchy foods. 

• Greek Yoghurt

Greek yoghurt contains double the protein content than other types of yoghurt. Protein stays in your stomach for a while, which helps in increasing your satiety (6). Therefore, you will eat and snack less after you consume this specific kind of yoghurt.

Similarly, it does help you burn more calories since proteins take way longer to digest than carbs. So, do not forget to buy some Greek yoghurt the next time you go for grocery shopping. Remember to choose the low-fat or low-sugar option.

• Fruits Like Apples And Pears

Most weight loss diet plans often recommend snacking on fruits such as pears and apples. They are highly preferred due to their high fiber and water content. The high fiber content tends to make you feel full for an extended duration.

In this way, you reduce your chances of overeating and snacking throughout the day. It is ideal to have these fruits in their original form instead of blending them in a smoothie. This is because smoothies may have higher calories and generally don’t make you feel as full as eating the whole fruits, potentially compromising the effect of your efforts to reduce belly fat.

• Lean Meats

Lean meats are great lean protein options. They help in increasing your feelings of fullness, which results in reduced snacking (1). They also help in eliminating your desire for consuming fatty meats like processed meats, which contribute to belly fat. 

In addition to eating such foods, you will also need to adhere to several eating principles. They include:

• Measuring Your Food Portions

You might be eating healthy foods but still end up eating too many calories. This happens when you do not check your portion sizes. Just because you are eating a certain way does not mean that you will automatically lose weight.

These foods also contain calories that may jeopardize your fat loss results. The best way to make sure you slim down around your belly region is by measuring your food portions. Keep your food ratios in check to avoid going past your recommended daily caloric intake.

• Reducing Your Alcohol Intake

Alcohol is among the drinks that you have to keep away from if you want to lose belly fat. It contains additional sugar and calories that may lead to weight gain.

• Cutting Down On Sugary Drinks

Sugary beverages are among the top contributors of belly fat. You cannot reduce this stubborn fat without cutting out excess added sugar, for example from sugary drinks. Instead of such drinks, you are advised to drink water (5). It contains fewer calories and helps with numerous body functions.

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• Eat Healthy Fats

Just because you are trying to lose fat does not mean that you should keep away from consuming fats. Your body still needs fat for various body functions. You should consume healthy fats such as unsaturated fats. You can attain these fats from foods such as avocados/avocado oil, olives/olive oil, fatty fish, eggs, nuts and chia seeds.

• Eating All Meals

There is a myth that eating less or skipping various meals will help you shed extra pounds. Skipping meals does you more harm than good. It may cause you to miss out on essential nutrients, making you suffer from various nutrient deficiencies. If not, it can make you consume too few calories, which may have detrimental health effects. Remember to eat all your meals, unless otherwise instructed by your healthcare provider. 

Getting Enough Sleep

While it sounds rather unbelievable, you can certainly lose belly fat by getting adequate sleep. Your sleep quality has a lot of influence on your belly fat. Experts state that sleeping less than 5 hours a night may lead to a weight gain of 32 pounds (4).

Likewise, they acknowledge that sleeping for more than eight hours may have the same effect. They recommend sleeping for six to eight hours to help fight belly fat.

Reducing Your Stress Levels

You can also reduce your belly fat by reducing your stress levels. Extreme stress levels release a hormone known as cortisol. This may increase your abdominal obesity (4). Such levels of cortisol also affect your sleep quality. These two effects may contribute to more belly fat. You can reduce your stress levels by engaging in mindful practices such as yoga and meditation, or other self-care activities.

Exercising

The other way in which you can lose belly fat is by exercising or participating in any physical activity. It is one best way to get rid of belly fat for men. There are numerous exercises that you can do to help attain this goal.

The exercise you choose will depend on factors such as your age, fitness level and how active you are. Below are some of the best exercises that can help men reduce belly fat:

• Cardio

Cardio is one of the best exercises to help in reducing belly and overall body fat. It is sometimes referred to as aerobic exercise. These exercises tend to get your heart pumping. When doing cardio, you are advised to warm up before indulging in the main exercise program.

Some of the aerobic exercises that you can do include running, cycling, swimming, walking or jogging. You can participate in any of these activities for at least twenty minutes (10). After this, you should cool down. 

Men over 40 can boost testosterone and get rid of belly fat mostly through cardio. However, this does not mean that you can do cardio at any time and in any such age group without supervision or consultation. You should seek both medical and professional advice before you start implementing any cardio program.

Read More: Cardio 7 Days A Week: Is It A Safe Approach Or A Ticking Bomb For Your Health? (Based On Science)

• Resistance Training

Resistance training is also known as strength training. It is among the best exercises that men do to help in increasing their strength and endurance. 

Most people believe that you can lose fat in a specific body part. However, this is impossible, despite there being numerous exercises on one body part. The reality is that when you work out, you shed fat evenly and throughout your body.

You must work out your entire body muscles and not only your abdominal muscles. So, as much as you are targeting your abs, you will also need to work on your other muscles. Resistance training helps you work out various body muscles. 

This can also help you lose six to ten calories every minute you work out (3). Burning such calories may help you burn fat in your belly, proving quite effective in reducing your belly fat. The best workouts to help in burning more calories are the full-body resistance training workouts. Here are examples of such workouts:

The Side Lunge With Bent-Over Row

One of the best full-body resistance training exercises you can do is the side lunge with the bent-over row. You must have some dumbbells to perform this exercise. Here is how to do it:

• Stand upright and stretch your right leg out to the side. Bend your knee. Keep your left leg as straight as you can while reaching out your glute towards your back. It will appear as if you are trying to sit down using your right butt cheek.
• Stay in this position for some time while still holding your dumbbells. Pull them up into a bent-over row. Squeeze your shoulder blades and hug your elbows in towards your sides. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed to avoid them hunching up towards your neck.  
• Hang your rams and then slowly start pressing off your right heel to return to the center position.
• Do the same on your left leg. Keep alternating your legs and perform the exercise ten times on each side. You can do three sets of this exercise. 

The Basic Squat With Bicep Curl And Overhead Press

You will need a pair of dumbbells for you to perform this exercise. Remember to pick dumbbells of comfortable weights to avoid injuring yourself. Here is how you perform this exercise (2):

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hip-width.
• Bend your knees and push your butt backwards to assume a squatting position. It will appear as if you are taking a seat. 
• When you reach the squatting position, hold for a few seconds before returning to the standing position. Engage your core, hamstrings and glutes when doing this squat.
• After reaching the standing position, curl your arms using the dumbbells to perform a bicep curl. It will leave you hugging the elbows towards your sides. 
• After curling your arms up, rotate these loads and press them with your arms up overhead. Make sure you can see these weights above your head while doing this overhead press.
• Return your arms to the center and repeat the exercise ten times. You can do three sets of this but remember to rest in between them. 

If you want to focus on your abs solely, you can do ab workouts for men. Most of these exercises you can do from home. Here are effective ab workouts to get rid of belly fat in men:

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Bicycle Crunches

These exercises are effective in working your lower abs (9). They can help in eliminating fat under your abs. Here is how you do them:

• Lie on the floor while facing the ceiling.
• Stretch your legs into the air as if you are indeed pedaling a bicycle.
• Place your arms on your head. 
• Try to raise one shoulder as if you are going to touch the opposite leg using this elbow. For example, raise your left shoulder and try to touch the right knee using your left elbow. 
• Do the same for the other leg, but now try to pick momentum.
• You can do two sets of these crunches, each with twelve raps. 

The Plank

There are numerous variations of the plank. However, if you are a beginner, you are asked to start with the basic plank. Here is how you do a plank:

• Start while lying on your stomach.
• Bend your elbows and use your arms to start lifting your body from the floor.
• Your palms must be facing down and your elbows must align with your shoulders and your sides. 
• While lifting your body, also bend your knees forward such that you use your toes to grip on the floor. Likewise, use your abdominal muscles to help you get up. 
• Your back and torso must form a straight line while you are in the plank position. Hold this position for some seconds before lowering your body and then repeating the exercise. 

The Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch targets your lower abs, an area that can be quite difficult to tone. To perform this exercise, follow these steps (7):

• Lie on the floor face up with your arms by your sides and palms facing down.
• Lift your legs to bring your knees directly over your hips using your abdominal muscles. 
• Contract these muscles further to lift your bent knees from the floor and toward your face.
• Hold this stance for a while before you lower them back. Avoid touching the floor using your feet but instead let your legs rest a few inches above the ground.
• You can do three sets of these crunches, with each set having ten or twelve reps. 

Trunk Rotations

For this exercise, you will need either some dumbbells or a medicine ball. Here is how you do a trunk rotation:

• Start in a sitting position and then slightly lean back. 
• Bend your knees and make sure your heels are firmly resting on the floor. 
• Hold the ball or dumbbells close to your body. If they are, slowly start swinging these weights from one side of your torso to the other. Engage your abs while doing this to help in burning fat around this region.
• Whenever you swing, remember to pause for a bit before proceeding to rotate to the other side. Likewise, remember to contract your abs deeply while you are twisting.
• One set of these rotations contains twelve reps. Try to do three sets. 

The Bottom Line

It is never late for men to get abs. Whether you are 50 or below, you can get a six-pack after learning how to get rid of belly fat. You can achieve this by either getting enough sleep, eating clean, exercising, or reducing your stress levels.

If you decide to eat clean to lose belly fat, make sure you talk to your dietitian. They will help you compile a realistic diet plan. Similarly, if you decide to exercise to get abs, speak to your trainer. They should help you create a practical abs workout plan.

Check out this 20-min Full Body Workout at Home.

DISCLAIMER:

The information above is meant for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for any professional help. Seek help before you make any decisions based upon the information presented in this article.

SOURCES:

1. 11 natural ways to get rid of belly fat (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
2. 5 complex exercises that will give you a full-body workout (2018, nbcnews.com)
3. 7 Flat-Ab Tips for Men (2014, webmd.com)
4. 25 Effective Tips to Lose Belly Fat (Backed by Science) (2020, medicinenet.com)
5. Belly fat in men: Why weight loss matters (2019, mayoclinic.org)
6. Fat-Fighting Foods (2020, webmd.com)
7. Flat Abs for Men: Go-to Exercises (2011, webmd.com)
8. How do you lose belly fat? (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
9. Slideshow: The Best Flat Abs Moves for Men (2020, webmd.com)
10. What to know about exercise and how to start (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)