Losing belly fat and being able to see the results of all that intense
ab work is probably one of the most common goals I hear people
making. This is partly because a lot of people judge their entire
body by their abs, right or wrong. It’s also because one of the
toughest places to lose fat is in the belly. People who have been
taking their diets really seriously and working out like crazy often
struggle to lose those last few pounds of fat and those last few
pounds of fat are usually in their stomach area.

Why is it so hard to lose fat in the belly? Well, you can put most of
the blame on cortisol.  There are several hormones that control fat
loss and fat storage, including leptin, ghrelin, estrogen and insulin.
But cortisol and estrogen have the most impact on lower body fat
storage, with cortisol taking the lead in belly fat storage specifically.


It’s Those Frackin’ Hormones!

Cortisol is a stress hormone that reacts to all types of stress,
including physical, mental and emotional stress. When your brain
perceives stress, it releases cortisol into your bloodstream and
the cortisol starts storing up fat.

Cortisol isn’t the only thing that you have to deal with when you’re
trying to lose belly fat naturally, but it’s one of the biggest and
taking steps to correct your cortisol levels will make all the
difference in how quickly you can lose belly fat naturally, so most
of this article will focus on how you can do that. We’re also going
to talk about balancing out your insulin and cutting calories by
cutting down your carbs.

First, let’s talk about the ways that you get your hormones,
specifically estrogen and cortisol, under control.


Decreasing Estrogen by Increasing Testosterone

Everybody produces and excretes estrogen; it isn’t just a woman’s
hormone. The way to combat estrogen is with testosterone, which
is one of the reasons that some bodybuilders take steroids. However,
steroids destroy your body and what we’re interested in is how to
lose belly fat naturally, not chemically.

One of the very best ways to increase your testosterone levels is
by upping the intensity of your workouts. This means either doing
your workout in less time or working out harder in the same time.
It’s the safest, most effective way to increase your testosterone
levels and decrease your estrogen levels. As those estrogen levels
go down, your body begins to free up that stored lower body fat.


Decreasing Your Cortisol Levels

You might think that fighting cortisol is all about managing your
stress levels but if that were true, you could meditate your way
to a lean stomach. The fact is that even working out produces
enough stress to release cortisol into your bloodstream.
However, there are several things you can do to fight cortisol.

First, it’s been shown in several studies that prolonged cardio
sessions and long weight training sessions produce a lot more
cortisol than shorter, more intense sessions. This is why I’m
so in favor of high intensity interval training, especially for cardio.
You get more benefits than you do with static training and you
get them in much less time. So cut those hour long cardio
sessions and five mile runs and do some high intensity
interval training for twenty minutes instead.

Second, get enough sleep and the right nutrition. Research has
shown that people who sleep less than eight hours a night on a
regular basis have higher body fat percentages, more belly fat
and thicker waists. This is because sleep deprivation or deficit is
one of the key indicators of stress for cortisol’s purpose. The less
sleep you get, the more cortisol your brain releases. But there’s
one more reason to get enough sleep: your body produces
growth hormone while you’re sleeping and growth hormone
reduces the effects of cortisol. How cool is that? Let them battle
it out while you’re snoozing.

Try to get between 7-8 hours of sleep, every night and at roughly
the same time every night.

Now on to the nutritional aspect of how to lose belly fat naturally.
In order to really give this subject its due, we have to look not
only at how you eat but what you eat. In other words, the best
way to eat and the best foods to help you lose belly fat.


What to Eat

If you want to lose fat, especially those last few pounds of stubborn
belly fat, you have to cut the carbs. A high intake of carbs creates
insulin spikes and when insulin is present, fat loss stops. Insulin can
be a helpful hormone when it comes to building mass, but not when
it comes to fat loss.

You need to eat a diet that is high in quality protein and low-glycemic
vegetables. Grains and fruits (lower-glycemic fruits like berries)
should come next. How much will depend on your body type, your
metabolism, how much you’re working out and how much fat you
need to lose.

High quality meats, nuts, leafy green vegetables and healthy fats
like olive oil and coconut oil are some of the best foods to help you
lose belly fat naturally, without going hungry and without your insulin
and energy levels being all over the place.


When to Eat It

You not only want to up your protein and cut your carbs, you also
want to eat the right things at the right time. When you’re trying to
lose belly fat naturally, you want to eat the majority of your carbs,
if not all of them, in the first half of the day and stick with proteins
and healthy fats the rest of the day. This is because you typically
need the energy from those carbs during the day, not at night,
when your work and your workouts are over.  Carbs you eat at
night are usually going to wind up being stored as fat.

If you keep these things in mind and keep your eyes on your goal,
you’ll lose that belly fat and start seeing the results of all the hard
work you’re doing in the gym!