Bye, Bye Belly Fat! Hello Leaner Body, Healthier Heart and More Energy!

Is getting rid of that belly fat giving you a hard time? Losing belly fat is a common weight loss goal. We are here to help you! We have some good news for you . . .

• The good news is that adjusting your diet in a few simple ways can speed up your fat-burning mechanism (your metabolism) until it gets back to an efficient state and helps you lose the belly and keep it from coming back.
• The second bit of good news is that belly fat is often the first to go when your body starts burning fat. This is because the fat tucked in your tummy is more metabolically active than the fat that's right under your skin.

The Culprits Behind Belly Fat: Over-Carbing and Insulin Steal the Show and the Thin Waistline

The main culprit behind belly fat is often excess insulin released into your body because of a blood sugar rush caused by over-carbing. The other culprits include genetic predisposition, age, menopausal hormones, pregnancy hormones, and even drinking too much beer or eating too much junk food (which you probably already knew and which can be considered over-carbing!).

• The good news is that if you eliminate the poor eating habits that lead to over-carbing and excess insulin, you can lessen or even eliminate the effects of the other belly fat culprits and get rid of that tummy fat.

Here's what you need to know about belly fat due to over-carbing and insulin:

• The carbs. Your body and brain need the glucose from carbs. It's their energy source. If you eat good unprocessed carbs combined with protein and fats to keep the glucose entering the blood at a steady rate, your metabolism works fine and burns glucose and even fat as fuel. But if you eat processed carbs or too many carbs or don't eat protein and fats with your carbs, your glucose (blood sugar) level spikes.


• The insulin. When your blood sugar spikes, your body releases excess insulin to get rid of the glucose. Insulin totally blocks your body's ability to burn fat, stimulates your liver to convert all the excess blood sugar into triglycerides (blood fats) and stores these fats in your fat cells.


• The results. The excess insulin makes your blood sugar drop. Because your brain is dependent upon glucose, you go into a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) state and your brain is starving. This results in hunger and cravings, mental fog, low energy, sluggishness, moodiness, and stress. Everything becomes secondary to food, especially sugar and other processed carbohydrates, often leading to cravings and binge eating (so give your will power a break!). Also the hypoglycemic state triggers the release of cortisol, which can suppress immunity, encourage fat storage, accelerate brain aging, and break down muscles and bones.

How to Reduce Belly Fat

There's no quick fix but there are a couple of fairly easy steps you can do to keep your metabolism efficient and get belly fat off for the long run.

STEP 1 – Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable. Eat the right ratio of lean protein, good carbs and healthy fats at every meal to keep blood sugar stable.

Our favorite "Fist, Thumb, Fist Rule" says to eat a fist-sized portion of lean protein, a thumb-size portion of healthy fats, and a fist-size portion of unprocessed carbs at every meal. The unprocessed carbs fuel you with glucose and the protein and fats ensure that it's time-released into the bloodstream so you have stable blood sugar.

Here's what you get when your blood sugar is stable:

• Fat burning rather than storing
• A well fed brain so you can think quickly and clearly.
• More stable emotions
• More energy
• An immune system boost
• No more sugar and carb cravings and no need to compulsively overeat

STEP 2 – Get Your Metabolism Started Each Morning. Start with an EnergyFirst whey protein shake for breakfast every day.

As we always say, the EnergyFirst Protein Shake is a great way to start your day. It follows the "Fist, Thumb, Fist Rule" and gets your metabolism going right off the bat.

Make your quest to get rid of belly fat fun by trying delicious new flavors. Here's one featuring the energy-producing pineapple:

Toning Your Tummy

Exercising your abs won't reduce fat but it can make your tummy look flatter. So do these exercises only in addition to the steps above.

Try pelvic tilts for the bottom half of your stomach and tummy squeezes or half sit-ups for the upper half.

• Pelvic tilt. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the ground. Pull your belly button in and down towards the ground, squeeze your buttocks and lift it off the ground, keeping your belly in. Repeat daily as many times as possible.
• Tummy squeezes. Get on your hands and knees, suck your belly button in and upwards towards the sky, hold for a count of eight and release. Repeat daily as many times as possible.
• Half sit-ups. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the ground, hands behind your head, elbows out. Squeeze your buttocks and lift your chest and chin skyward. Repeat daily as many times as possible.