15 Tips on How to Lose that Muffin Top

There are many tips on how to lose your muffin top but they are all based around the same concept, in order to lose the roll of fat around your waist that is escaping over the top of your jeans or trousers you need to lose weight. The way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume and to do this you need to exercise and look at what you eat.

I have listed a few tips that may help you, they range from what training to do to how to stay motivated.

First of all you need to know that you cannot spot reduce fat removal, if you want to lose your muffin top then by following these tips you will but the fat may come off of other areas of your body first. It all depends on how your body stores its fat, sometimes the first place fat goes is the last place it comes off of. No amount of crunches or planks is going to get rid of just the fat round your belly, all you will be doing is strengthening the muscles which are hidden by the fat, but once you lose the fat you will see the hard work you put in.

1.Keep a Food Journal

Work out how many calories you are consuming. Every day for a week write down what you eat and drink, right down the exact amount you eat and drink as well ie. If you have 1 chocolate chip biscuit and 1 oatmeal biscuit then write that down don‘t just write 2 biscuits as each will contain a different amount of calories. At the end of the week add everything up and divide it by 7 and you will have your daily average calorie intake. You may be surprised by the difference in what you thought you were eating and what you are actually eating.

Compare that to the estimated average daily calorie requirement which is 2000 for women and 2500 for men, this is just an estimate and will depend on your age, weight, height, body composition and levels of activity.

If you are consuming more calories than you need then these will be turned into fat. To lose 1lb of fat in 1 week you need to burn off 3500 calories, that’s 500 calories per day.

2. Don’t just stop eating

Reduce your calories and you will lose weight, but do not just drastically reduce your calorie intake as this will have the opposite outcome of what you want as your body will go into starvation mode and will store everything you put in it as it wont know when it will next get the fuel it needs. You need to make sure you have a healthy balanced diet so that your body gets everything it needs to function properly and be effective at burning that fat off.

3. Exercise

You knew that was going to be there didn’t you. Cardio is the best way to lose fat but don’t just jog long and steady for 60mins. Push harder do interval training for 25mins, alternate between 1 min high intensity – really push yourself then do 1 min moderate intensity then again 1 min high intensity, keep alternating until you have completed your workout session. Interval training is a known method of burning fat faster and quicker.

4. Weight training

Build muscle and burn fat even when you are not doing anything. Increased muscle mass means increased metabolism so it can work at burning that fat even when you are relaxing. Plus once you have lost the muffin top you will be left with nice toned and firm muscles from working out with those weights. A combination of cardio and weight training will have you blasting away that fat a lot faster than cardio alone.

5. Burn more calories during your normal day

There are different ways you can help burn off those calories. At work, if you have stairs then take them, not the elevator. Can you cycle or walk to work?  If you take public transport then get off a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way. Need to speak to someone in the office, go and see them instead of using the telephone. Take a break away from your desk, go for a short brisk walk.

6. Intermittent Fasting (IF)

IF  is when you fast for a set amount of time, this could be 24 hrs or 16 hours. If you fast for 24 hours twice a week you will be taking in 30% less calories which will lead to weight loss. This is not a diet and because you are regularly eating on your non fast days and in between the fast days your metabolism wont slow down, this only takes place if your are fasting or restricting your calories for extended periods of time such as days and weeks, because you are only fasting 2 days per week and not on consecutive days this will not happen.

7. Drink water

Water itself will not help you lose weight but if you drink a glass before a meal it will make you feel fuller quicker and as a result you will eat less food. Sometime when we are dehydrated we mistake the signs as feeling hungry. Drinking water is also key to keeping your body functioning properly.

8. The biggest tip of them all is Action

Yes action is what is going to get you losing that weight,  as soon as you make up your mind you want to lose weight and get rid of that muffin top then you must action it, get the ball rolling. Make a goal and then work to achieve it, there is no easy way to lose weight, it comes from putting in the time and effort.

9. Inspiration

Sometimes the best ways to motivate people are to see pictures of others that have achieved their goal and lost weight, Look online for pictures of people who have physiques you would like, make sure you choose a healthy realistic person though. Don’t forget that a lot of models and celebrities are photo shopped for magazines and photo shoots. Choose a person who is similar in age, height and frame size as yourself, as if you are 5ft2 and mid twenties don’t choose a picture of a 6ft 18 year old model, it is unrealistic and will only leave you feeling disappointed. There are lots of real people who show their before and after picture, looking at these show you it is possible. Take your own photo so you can look at the progress you make as your body starts to change the way it looks when you start to eat health and exercise.

10. Ditch those scales

Don’t reply on the scales to show you how much you have progressed. Take body measurements as muscle weighs more than fat (well not really but muscles is denser than fat so 1 lb of lean muscle will take up a lot smaller room on your body than 1lb of fat) so if you are gaining muscle and losing fat there might not be as much change on the scales and this could lead to you getting de motivated. With measurements you will see your body shape is changing as those cm/inches come off.

11. Join a class

Try spinning or circuit training. These activities will get you burning fat fast, they have the added bonus of having other people there to help motivate you and push you further than you may push yourself if you are working out alone.

12. Find an exercise buddy

If there are two of you that have the same goals then you can help to motivate each other, it is harder to say no to going jogging if someone else is relying on you to go with them.

13. Snack on low GI foods.

Low glycemic index foods will leave you feeling fuller for longer so you wont be reaching for those sugary treats to give you a boost of energy.

14. Be careful how much juice you drink

I know some of you prefer drinking juice to water but fruit juices can be high in calories and will not be helping you get rid of that muffin top. Watch out for any soda drinks as these are very high in sugar and can be stopping you fro losing those pounds.

15. Reward yourself

When you have reached one of your goals eg lost cms/inches or lbs then reward yourself. It is OK to have a chocolate bar or a couple of biscuits etc but only in moderation and as a treat not as a daily staple in your diet. If you achieve your main goal buy yourself a new piece of clothing.  It is good to have your main goal and then smaller goals so that you can keep yourself motivated For example your main goal may be to lose 10lbs, a smaller goal will be a stepping stone to achieving your main goal so could be a goal to go to the gym 3 days a week etc.

Just a couple of other points I would like to add.

1lb to 2lbs per week is a healthy and realistic amount of weight to lose so don’t be disheartened if you don’t see big drops in numbers like on the TV show The Biggest Loser.

Fat cells never disappear, they can either shrink or they can increase in number so if you don’t keep up with a healthy and balanced diet there is a chance that you can put the fat right back on very easily, it will just go straight to the already existing cells and they will expand and if you put on more weight than before then new fat cells will be formed. This is the why when you want to lose weight it is better achieved through a change in lifestyle and not crash diets which are unhealthy and see people put the weight back on again as soon as they stop the diet.

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