Bodybuilding Fat Loss

Monday, June 9, 2008

How To Lose Weight In Stomach Area - Myths And Facts

It is certainly no secret that thousands of people struggle trying to get rid of stomach fat. Many of these people have fit places on their bodies, however they still have that little or maybe not-so-little pooch that just won't go away. The encouraging news is that losing fat anywhere on our bodies requires the exact same tried and tested strategy - decrease calorie intake and increase physical activity. People who have excess fat in the stomach area often feel embarrassed by their condition and have low self esteem. Abdominal fat can often be quite difficult to get rid of because it is the primary storage area for adipose (fat) and is one of the last places that the body will give up its fat stores.

There are many fat loss myths out there - some quite funny and others just plain silly. Below are two common myths that prevent people from realizing their weight-loss goals.

Myth #1: Abdominal and oblique exercises burn fat from the stomach and love handles.
Since so many people believe this myth, most all of the abdominal product's infomercials claim to help you burn fat. While some fitness equipment and abdominal exercises will help firm and tone our abdominal areas, they will not get rid of the underlying fat. Performing aerobic exercises such as running or swimming, five times per week, thirty minutes per session will produce tremendous benefits if a healthy, low-calorie diet is followed.

Myth #2: Skipping meals will result in fat loss.
Skipping meals usually means a reduction in caloric intake and may result in weight loss, however skipping meals will not result in fat loss. Why? Because skipping meals hinders the bodys fat-burning mechanism - the metabolism from working efficiently. You see our metabolisms work best when we are eating small, balanced meals often. This is why bodybuilders usually eat five to six small meals per day.

Anyone who is serious about losing stomach fat must know what works and what doesn't. Below are a couple of tried and true fat loss facts.

Fact #1:
Exercising in the morning on an empty stomach is the best time to exercise in order to burn fat. For example, if you jog before breakfast, your body will be burning stored fat (the carbohydrates) you left there during the night. A study conducted in Europe a few years ago concluded that exercise in the morning before eating burns nearly three and a half times more fat than exercising in the evening! Obviously, exercising at any time during the day is better than not exercising at all.

Fact #2:
Fat-loss programs should include aerobic and weight training activity. People who combine both weight training and aerobic exercise achieve better results. The reason is quite simple. Aerobic activity increases the heart rate, resulting in an expenditure of calories and weight training increases our metabolic rate, enabling our bodies can burn calories all the time.

If getting rid of belly fat is your primary goal, develop a reasonable plan on how you would like to get started. Be sure that your strategy includes a healthy meal plan, weight training and aerobic activity. You're not going to lose belly fat in just a few days, so stay positive and you'll discover that it will get easier over time. Many people have realized their fat loss goals and you can too!

Scott Brooks is a fitness enthusiast and served as a combat fitness trainer for the US Army in 1995.

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