How To Keep Belly Fat Away After You've Lost It
Losing weight requires a lot of hard work and discipline. If you are successful in your weight loss journey, it's natural to want to keep your progress. When it comes to losing belly fat, there are even more reasons to keep it off. According to Harvard Health Publishing, abdominal fat is at the center of many health problems including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Getting rid of too much extra abdominal fat can lower your risk of developing these diseases and other health conditions.
So if you've successfully lost your extra belly fat, how do you keep it off? Maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes a well-balanced diet and adequate exercise is really all it takes to stay healthy. However, there are some tricks you can use to avoid gaining weight again. According to Eat This, Not That!, it is important to reward yourself for progress made in all areas of your life. But instead of rewarding yourself with food, try experiences or material items, like new clothes or a spa treatment. It may also be helpful to keep track of the foods you are eating so that you can avoid going back to overeating habits. If you have struggled to keep your weight off before, you may also want to check your weight once a weight to see if you've started to gain weight again.
You don't need a flat stomach to be healthy
When talking about losing belly fat, it is important to know that you don't need to get a visible six-pack to be healthy. While having a flat stomach is generally a good sign of someone's health, it doesn't necessarily mean you're any healthier than someone who holds more fat in that area (via The Healthy). Genetics play a large role in where we store fat. "There are people who, no matter what, are going to basically be prone to having the same belly as their mom or dad," said Michael Nusbaum, MD, founder of Nusbaum Medical Centers in New Jersey.
Women especially often find it difficult to lose fat around their stomachs. Belly fat helps protect reproductive organs before and during pregnancy, so it is common for women to start getting some fat on their stomachs at a young age and find it hard to get rid of (via Bustle). Some fat of your stomach should not be a cause for concern, especially if you fall into a healthy weight range and live a healthy lifestyle. If you are concerned about belly fat, talk to your doctor about whether or not you should consider losing weight.