Belly fat is notoriously one of the hardest things to get rid of when you’re trying to lose weight. But a fitness coach has suggested there’s a mistake you could be making which is making it even harder for you to lose.
Studies have shown that people who carry excess belly fat can face higher risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the British Heart Foundation. Changing your diet is often key to losing belly fat, or visceral fat, which is located deep within, surrounding your organs.
But changing up your exercise routine can also help make it easier in the long-run. Emily Kerley, an online fitness and fat loss coach who specialises in hormone health, said one mistake people make when trying to lose belly fat is “doing cardio to burn calories”. In a recent TikTok video, Emily explained: “Yes, cardio does burn calories but only for that 20 minute session that you’re doing”.
Instead, if you want to lose fat, Emily recommends doing weight training, which helps make sure you’re burning calories “all day”. “You’ll be burning less calories, during your workout, but here’s why that’s helpful,” she continued, adding: “Weight training builds lean muscle and the more lean muscle you have on your body, the faster your metabolism will run, meaning more fat loss for you”.
Pure Gym reiterates that you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, which is hard to do through exercise alone. But both cardio and weight training can help weight loss in different ways.
They explain that lifting weights help you build lean muscle tissue, which increases your resting metabolism over time. This also prevents your body from burning muscle instead of fat. Meanwhile, cardio workouts are great for burning calories during the exercise itself.
The NHS guidelines recommends aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week. According to Bupa, the best type of exercise for belly fat combines resistance exercise, such as strength training, and cardiovascular exercise.
Bupa explains: “Resistance exercise can help maintain your muscle mass and your glucose metabolism (the way your body processes sugar and uses it for fuel). This is important for managing your weight. Resistance training has also been shown to reduce fat around your tummy area.”
If you want to burn belly fat you also need to consume less calories than you burn. They recommend including at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day, choosing foods that are high in fibre such as oats, brown rice and wholegrain breads, reducing fat dairy and eating small amounts of unsaturated fats such as olive oil.
It’s also important to increase your protein intake, and make sure you’re drinking enough water.