Belly fat is both the easiest weight to gain and the most difficult to lose. When you eat extra calories they seem to go straight to your abdomen. This fat gain really happens if your eat snacks throughout the day. Snacks typically do not offer any nutrition but are full of extra calories you do not need. When you can control your snacking you are in a better position to lose your belly fat. Here are three tips to help you take control of your urge to snack and reclaim your waistline.

#1 Take an Afternoon Power Nap: When you want to know how to lose belly fat for women and men, you may think you have to spend every spare moment exercising. Actually taking a break, especially a nap, can really help you keep a fit and trim waistline. In the afternoon, it is very natural for you to start craving carbohydrate and fat rich snacks that turn into belly fat. For many of us, this afternoon snacking is a way to stay alert. This is because your body goes into a ?shut down? mode after lunch. Instead of eating all of those extra calories to stay awake, give in to your body?s desire for rest and take a nap. Millions of people take afternoon naps and you may be surprised to find out how healthy it can be. The population of countries like Spain, Norway, Greece, and China where a ?siesta? is common practice is typically 47% leaner than people from countries that do not. In addition to being thinner, they also have a 37% less chance of heart disease later in life.

You may think you are too busy to nap, but a ?power nap? can actually help you get more done. Scientists have shown that people who take 20 minute naps have a remarkable increase in their alertness, energy levels, and overall productivity throughout the day. It will give you enough energy to not only perform your daily tasks, but to have a very effective, belly fat-burning workout afterwards.

#2 Are You Hungry Enough to Eat an Apple?: Craving a snack has been known to throw off even the best weight loss plans. At some point, everyone will feel the urge to snack. What will help you at that time is to know if you are truly hungry or simply craving something you do not need. If you are truly hungry, you should eat. Starvation is not a good way to lose weight and can actually trigger your body to start storing abdominal fat. You may have a hard time deciding if you are really hungry, but the best way is to ask yourself if you would eat an apple.

Apples are a tasty and nutritious food. However, a study done by the University of New York showed that an apple was always the last food chosen as an afternoon snack by ?hungry? people. These people consistently chose unhealthy snacks that were high in calories but low in nutrients. Avoiding these foods is exactly how to lose stubborn belly fat. When the people were questioned about their eating habits, they admitted they were not hungry but craving. This kind of unconscious craving can undo you best weight loss efforts and you will pack on the extra belly fat. If you want to know for sure that you are not just craving food, you should ask yourself if you would eat an apple. If you answer no, then you can make a conscious choice whether or not to give into your cravings.

#3 Go Ahead and Give Into Your Craving: Another trick to knowing how to lose belly fat for men and women is to not spend an entire day craving a special treat. This kind of craving will make you lose motivation. If you do give into your cravings, you will tend to overeat and gain belly fat. If you give in later in the day then you do not have the same opportunity to burn off those extra calories. The best way to beat those cravings is to appease them first thing in the morning.

Eating a small portion of your treat with your breakfast will actually help you stick to your weight loss plans and keep a trim waistline. This will put you in a better position to control your portion size and account for those extra calories in your meal plan for the rest of the day. Eating these calories early in the morning gives you the most opportunity to burn them. Most importantly, if you start a day having already appeased your craving then you will feel satisfied the rest of the day. Your mind will feel that you have already met your craving for that bag of chips or pastry. This gives you control over your appetite for the rest of the day.

When you are not in control of your cravings then you will easily begin to gain weight. It is very natural to crave, but these extra calories can quickly turn into stubborn belly fat. These three tips can help you get the upper hand on your cravings. Once you have beaten your urge to snack, you will be able to lose your extra belly fat and gain an amazing physique.

To learn more about how to lose stubborn belly fat, check out Scott Fisher’s authoritative website on the above mentioned link.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 5:27 am and is filed under fat loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.