How to reduce belly fat?

Belly fat takes months and years to accumulate. Without discipline, a strong goal and will power, there is no way you can melt it off in a few weeks.

It requires a lifestyle shift, motivation from your family and friends and commitment from you.

Here are the only natural ways to melt off belly fat and keep it off for good.

Type of exercise
 Aerobics is essential and is the most important exercise system to knock off fat. Weights help to some extent, but it’s cardio that will do the trick. Intervals walking, running, swimming, kick boxing, calisthenics, Pilate's, power yoga that keeps the heart rate up for at least 30 minutes is good enough to get your body to burn fat. 6 out of 7 days consistently is what needs to be done.


- Processed and packaged food:  You want to stay of white sugar. Your fat cells thrive on sugar and soaks it up like a sponge, developing more fat cells and making you fatter.Packaged and processed foods contain high amounts of sugar and unhealthy fats. You need to be careful of the ‘low fat foods’ as well.These are high in sugar. I am a huge fan of going sugar free for 10 days once in a way, as you see the change in your body and fat % levels when you starve your body of sugar. Use jaggery,organic honey and snack on dry fruits to overcome sugar cravings. Increase your intake of complex carbs, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and lentils. Low carb diets fail to work and reduce belly fat. You want to eat smart carbs at the right time. At dinner, stay low card, because your body really doesn’t need carbs at night.

 - Managing Stress: When the body gets stressed a hormone called cortisol is produced. This hormone is one of the main contributors to belly fat and it also breaks down lean muscle mass resulting in a lower metabolism. Easier said than done, but you need to find ways to manage your stress. Deep breathing every 2 hours for 5 to 10 counts produces immediate results. Exercising, meditation, prayer, practicing gratitude, giving back to the community, taking one day at a time, knowing that nothing lasts forever, spending time with people that matter, planning and organizing your day, are some of the simplest ways to manage stress. Less than 7 hours of sleep is a negative stress on the body whether you feel it or not.

 - Overeating: We become fat and develop belly fat when we eat more than our body requires. Eat slowly and stop when full. When you are stressed, breathe deep instead of reaching out for comfort food. Practice this daily and over time it will become a part of you. By even serving you 1 tbsp less of food during mealtimes, will help burn belly fat.

Eat every 3 hours.
Dinners to be light
Minimum 2 hour gap between dinner and bed time
Drink water thru the day
Lemon is a natural detox food and makes the body alkaline. Use it daily.

Surround yourself with people who motivate you and support you to reach your goal.

Don’t succumb to peer and societal pressure to make unhealthy choices. People usually want you to indulge in their bad habits; because it makes them feel better that someone else is doing the same.

Stay strong and you get lean.

Take one day at a time. You fail today, you still have tomorrow. The trick is getting back on track the next day or the next meal.

Natural foods that turn your body into a natural fat burning machine:

Egg white

Beans: Black beans, kidney beans, broad beans. Include these in salads or in vegetable preparations or just boil them and eat them as a snack. You may feel a little gassy, but that’s just its natural digestion.

Oatmeal: You are already having this in your shake, so that’s good, you can even have an oat upma in the evening .Homemade oat cookies are also great fat burning snacks.

Olive oil: Carry this simple salad to office as a snack or have it at a mealtime. Tomato wedges with 1 tbsp of olive oil ( you may add any other salad leaves and vegetables too)

Whole grains

Brown rice: This is so much better than brown pasta. Have it with curries or even do lightly grilled fried rice with lots of veggies.

Peanut butter: Pure peanut butter with multi grain toast will turn your body into a fat burning furnace. Have up to a tablespoon of peanut butter a day, you can have two on work out days.

Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, upto a handful a day will burn belly fat. Make sure they are unsalted.

Sunflower seeds: Add a tablespoon to your daily food plan. It is rich in Vitamin E and fires up the metabolism.

Spices and Herbal green tea brews