Get a flat stomach and be rid of your muffin top for good with these crunch-free tips.
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Tummy flab fighter #1: eat good fat
Believe it or not, following a low-fat diet is not the best way to reduce belly flab. 'People who have a big middle do not respond well to a low-fat diet,' says Mehmet Oz, M.D., Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University and host of The Dr. Oz Show.
To reduce belly flab, Dr. Oz advises avoiding refined carbohydrates that are low in fat (like white rice) and can have a yo-yo effect on blood sugar. Instead, add 'good fat' foods, like olive oil, avocado and sea bass.
Dr. Oz recommends toasting Ezekiel bread (or another sprouted 100-percent whole grain bread) and topping it with avocado, olive oil, lemon and chili flakes for a belly fat-fighting meal or snack.
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Tummy flab fighter #3: diet every other day
A recent study led by Krista Varady, Ph.D., an assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago, found that people eating 25 percent fewer calories every other day lost up to 30 pounds in only eight weeks.
Make it work for you by taking in 1,200-1,500 calories one day, and then eating as you normally do the next. Don’t overdo it on your 'off days' and sabotage yourself, though. And keep up your weekly exercise routine.
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Tummy flab fighter #5: crank up the cardio
While strength training certainly has its benefits, when it comes to reducing belly fat, your best bet is aerobic exercise, say researchers from Duke University.
A recent study found that resistance training alone had little effect on eliminating belly flab, while aerobic exercise burned 67 percent more calories for study participants and significantly reduced their abdominal fat
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Study participants ran an equivalent of 12 miles per week to achieve these results. If your goal is to shed your muffin top quickly, first focus on adding aerobic exercise (four or five days a week) to burn more calories, and then add in resistance training on alternate days to help add definition and shape to your body.
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Tummy flab fighter #7: add a daily dose of soluble fibre
Eating a diet rich in the soluble fibre found in vegetables, fruits and beans can have a direct effect on reducing belly fat, says a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre. The study, the first to directly link dietary fiber with decreased abdominal fat, found that for every 10 grams of daily dietary soluble fibre, abdominal fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over a five-year period. Make it work for you by eating at least 10 grams of soluble fibre per day, such as two small apples, one cup of green peas or a cup of pinto beans.
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Tummy flab fighter #9: pray or meditate
Your prayers for flatter abs may have been answered. It seems that regular prayer or meditation can help reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which is one of the culprits of belly flab.
One study published in the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine found that women who prayed or meditated had healthier levels of cortisol than those that didn’t. Make it work for you by carving out some quiet time for reflection for at least 15 minutes on most days of the week.
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Tummy flab fighter #11: get selective with your sugar
Choose your sweet treats carefully. 'When you eat 120 calories of glucose (found in foods like potatoes and rice) less than one calorie is stored as fat,' says Johnston.
'When you eat 120 calories of fructose, think high fructose corn syrup 40 calories are stored as fat, which is how fructose consumption leads to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and excess fat around the belly.'
But not all fructose is bad, only the refined, man-made type. The naturally-occurring fructose found in fruit is okay, Johnston says, and plays an important role in a healthy, balanced diet.
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Tummy flab fighter #13: reduce belly bloat with lemon
There is a reason people ask their waiters to put lemon in their water: It can help prevent water retention, says Warner. While it won't strip away the flab, it can help slim down belly bloat.
Lemon juice is a natural, gentle diuretic that may also help with constipation. Just be sure to dilute its acidity (too much can be irritating to the stomach and enamel on teeth). For each glass of water your drink, squeeze a quarter lemon slice into your glass.
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Tummy flab fighter #15: ‘pear’ down your waist
Need a belly-busting secret weapon? Try pears! According to one Brazilian study, women who ate at least one pear a day lost 38 percent more weight and experienced a drop in blood glucose levels, which is directly linked to belly fat levels.
Those who didn’t consume the fruit didn’t fare so well. And it’s no wonder: Pears pack a whopping 5.5 grams of fibre (that’s more than prunes) per serving, which will keep your belly full and satisfied and may help you consume less calories overall. Enjoy this fiber-licious fruit before a meal or as a snack.
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Tummy flab fighter #17: bring on breakfast
More than half of America regularly skips breakfast, says Rania Batayneh, a nutritionist and healthy eating strategist and owner of Essential Nutrition for You in San Francisco, California.
'Studies show that people who regularly skip breakfast consume more calories throughout the day and are heavier than those who do. A healthy breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and provides you with energy for a busy day.'
And it’s equally important for the whole family too: A recent study from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles found that children and adolescents who regularly skip breakfast have higher levels of abdominal fat than those who eat a morning meal regularly.
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Tummy flab fighter #19: spice it up
Adding spices to your diet may help you slim down your belly without a lot of effort. A new study by researchers at Purdue University found that consuming chili pepper helps reduce your appetite for sugary and fatty foods, and may help curb hunger and reduce belly fat by speeding up your metabolism.
Capsaicin (the active ingredient found in chili peppers) seems to raise your body’s level of appetite suppressing hormones, while reducing the hormones that promote hunger. A half of a teaspoon appears to be the magic amount, so try sprinkling a little chili pepper on your eggs in the morning or chicken breast for dinner.
If you just can’t take the heat, try turmeric instead. Its active ingredient, curcumin, can help keep blood glucose levels in check and slow down your body’s absorption of carbohydrates after large meals, according recent research from India’s Gujarat University.
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Next Up: 7 foods for a stress-busting diet
Many of us reach for food at time of stress, but instead of grabbing an unhealthy quick-hit sugar fix that will inevitably leave
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