A lot of us have a little bit of belly fat that we want to get rid of. This is especially true for those of us who are going through the menopause, with extra fat around the middle an unfortunate side effect! So what changes can we make to our lifestyles to help us lose the weight? Some of the tips may surprise you!
Get Off Those Gadgets
Getting a good sleep has been found to have a big effect on our weight loss. In fact, people who get around 8 hours of sleep a night and reduce their stress levels have double the chance of slimming down. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar advises that the best way to do this is to not use any gadget one hour before bedtime. That means turning anything off like phones, TV, laptops or tablets. These gadgets make it much harder to get to sleep and make your sleep not as deep.
Have An Early Dinner
Diwekar also advises that the earlier you have your dinner, the better it is for your health. Also, it is important to keep a gap of at least 2 hours between dinner and bedtime. Intermittent Fasting is a great way to do this – check out our article on intermittent fasting here.
Smaller Portions
An easy way to reduce your food intake without cutting too much out of your diet is eating smaller portions. One way to do this is to increase the number of vegetables on your plate – making half of your dish vegetables means you can reduce the carbs and calories. Another way to help is to actually buy a smaller plate. This might seem silly, but it means we dish up less food rather than just eating the big plate of food that is in front of you. Often you will find that you are just as full because we sometimes eat even past when we’re full without really realising it.
Less Sugar, More Protein
Cutting down on sugar is important, or even cutting it out completely! Insulin helps us store fat rather than breaking it down, so keeping your sugar levels low is a good way to keep the weight off. Eat a higher protein diet. Protein continues to burn fat even when we have stopped exercising and it takes more time to digest so you stay fuller for longer!
Stay Active
It sounds obvious, but all types of exercise, no matter what, will all help with the loss of the fat around your middle, raising your heart rate in some way. A minimum of 150 minutes of exercise in a week is a must for everyone. This can be by going to the gym, doing yoga, or even just going for a walk. It’s getting colder now so the thought of swimming doesn’t always appeal, although it is kind on the joints, cycling/brisk walking/running if you wrap up warm can leave you with a great feeling afterwards, especially with the thought of weight loss. Another way to stay active is to make sure you don’t sit in one place for more than 20 minutes. Walk instead of taking the car or make sure you get up and move around every half hour at work. Whatever you do muscle on your frame will help to ward off osteoporosis as we age and assist with fat burn, so keep moving!
