It is really embarrassing when your upper belly fat shows up in your profile picture. Are you worried about losing your Upper Belly fat? You don’t need to do any high-intensity exercise or follow a special diet.
A small change in your diet, simple regular exercise, and a few lifestyle changes will help you get rid of your love handles.
What Causes Upper Belly Fat or Upper Abdominal Weight Gain?
Upper Belly Fat is the type of fat that accumulates around your abdomen. This accumulation is referred to as Visceral fat and surrounds the abdominal cavity, including the liver, stomach, and intestines.
Upper Belly fat disturbs metabolism and increases the risks of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes. Being Overweight is one of the leading causes of love handles. The other possible causes are discussed below:
- Unhealthy food Intake – Eating foods high in sugar, such as cakes, candies, soda, etc., can slow down metabolism and increase weight gain. Trans fat in fast foods leads to excess fat accumulation around the abdomen, reducing a person’s ability to burn fat.
- Alcohol Consumption – Excess alcohol consumption leads to abdominal obesity, particularly in men. According to the International Journal of Obesity, consuming alcohol daily may lead to visceral and abdominal fat formation.
- Lack of exercise – Lack of exercise leads to weight gain and accumulation of fats around the abdomen. Physical movement plays an essential role in managing the metabolism, and being inactive might lead to gaining weight and accumulating upper belly fat.
- Stress – Stress secrets a hormone called cortisol which craves high-fat foods like pizzas and fries. It also increases the release of excess sugar from the liver and reduces metabolism. Stress also affects sleep leading to a gain in weight.
- Genetics – Genes play an important role in obesity. Genes influence metabolism and could be an important cause of belly fat.
- Smoking – Smokers are observed to have more bellies than non-smokers. It is believed to be a risk factor for gaining visceral fat and heart-related diseases.
- Poor Sleep – Studies show that poor sleep (sleeping for less than 5 hours) reduces metabolism and increases the release of stress hormones. Not getting enough sleep also leads to unhealthy eating habits.
- Hormonal imbalance – Women in the menopausal stage have low estrogen levels, which leads to upper abdominal fat gain
How To Lose Upper Belly Fat Without Exercises?
You can follow a few no-cost steps without exercising to reduce your love handles. Try incorporating as many actions as possible into your daily routine for faster and more effective results.
- Limit Sugar Intake: Excess sugar strains the liver and triggers the body to store fats. The stomach is the first preferred place for storing fats. Prefer consuming a moderate amount of complex carbohydrates, e.g., whole grains, oats, peas, vegetables, etc., that provide sustained energy.
- Drink Lots of Water: Drinking water keeps you hydrated, removes unwanted toxins, and helps you shed weight. Always drink water before you eat.
- Intake Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps in digestion and aids metabolism. Eat vitamin C-rich fruits like lemon, orange, kiwi, grapefruit, etc.
- Consume Protein-Rich Food: Protein-rich foods keep you full and reduce your cravings for junk foods. You can eat protein-rich foods including baked fish, chicken, sprouts, mushrooms, etc.
- Healthy Carbohydrates: Eat healthy carbohydrates as they are a source of energy. Choosing the proper carbohydrate like Brown rice and Bulgur wheat would help to lose belly fat as the fibers would keep you full and tend you to eat less.
- Consume Probiotics: Probiotics help to break down food and support the digestive system. Consume yogurt and buttermilk as probiotics in your diet.
- Stay in the Right Posture: Always have an eye on your posture while sitting or standing. Standing up straight will reduce a few pounds. While sitting, see your feet touch the floor all the time. A good posture helps to keep your belly flat.
- Good Sleep: Sleep for seven-eight hours a day. Good sleep will help you stay relaxed and calm. Please do not oversleep, as it would keep your belly bulging.
- Relieve Stress: Stress produces hormones and steroids that would affect the digestive system. Hormones like cortisol produced due to stress accumulate fat around the stomach. Keep yourself relaxed by enjoying good music, leisure walking, etc.
- Eat Balanced Food: Consume a balanced diet containing proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These foods will aid in proper digestion and regulate hunger.
Diet To Reduce Your Upper Belly Fat
You can make a few changes in your diet as it plays a key role in maintaining your body weight. Here are a few food suggestions for losing your Belly Fat through your food:
- Add fiber-rich foods to your meals to keep body fat off. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, oats, and chia seeds are good sources of fiber.
- Omega-3 fatty acids reduce abdominal fats. Fishes like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herrings will help reduce fat.
- Consume Diluted Apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach to flush out toxins and cleanse the liver.
- Taking yogurt reduces body fat.
- High protein food like eggs, nuts, fish, legumes, meat, and dairy products increases metabolism and reduces fat accumulation.
- Colorful vegetables and Leafy greens reduce fat storage.
- Drinking Green Tea reduces fat belly effectively as it contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
- Lean meats like chicken breast and white meat part of turkey increase the metabolism.
- Cinnamon and Ginger slow down fat genes.
- Red fruits like apples turn off the obesity genes.
- Peanut butter and chocolates contain Resveratrol that reduces fat accumulation.
What LifeStyle Changes Will Help Reduce Love Handles?
A few significant lifestyle changes would help lose Belly Fat.
- Exercise regularly. Try to walk while going to a nearby place, say within 2 km. Take stairs instead of lifts.
- Eat planned and regular food. Don’t skip meals.
- Concentrate on a healthy eating style rather than dieting
- Prefer low fat, low cholesterol foods
- Drink a large glass of water before eating
- Avoid snacking on junk foods. Choose fruits and vegetables for snacks.
Exercises To Reduce Upper Belly Fat
A good exercise routine can help you lose your belly fat. Some of the workouts which are effective in reducing belly fat are listed here. Always warm up for at least 10 – 15 minutes before you start these workouts.
Lying Leg raises
- Lie on a mat with legs extended and face up.
- Place your palms under your lower back
- Raise your legs with your thighs pressed together and legs kept straight
- Lift your legs to 90 degrees and slowly bring them down
- Repeat these steps 15 to 20 times in sets of three or four
Scissor Kicks
- Lie down on the mat with your palms under your hip
- Lift your legs, upper back, and head above the floor
- Lower and raise your left and right legs alternatively without touching the floor
- Repeat 12 times in sets of two or three.
Leg In and Out
- Sit on a mat and place your hands behind with palms flat on the mat. This is the starting position
- Tuck your legs in and bring your upper body close to your knees
- Go back to your starting position
- Repeat 20 times in two sets
Crunches
- Lie down straight on a mat. Place your feet on the mat and flex your knees
- Place your thumbs at each ear and hold your head with your remaining fingers
- Lift your head off the mat, and this is the starting position
- Curl up and try to reach your knees with your head
- Go back to starting position
- Inhale and exhale while curling up and going down
- Repeat 12 times in 2 sets
Bicycle Crunches
- Lie down straight on a mat. Fold your knees and lift your feet away from the mat
- Place your thumbs at each ear and hold your head with your remaining fingers
- Lift your head off the mat, and this is the starting position
- Push your left leg down and straighten it
- Go through a bicycle pedal motion
- Repeat 12 times in 2 sets
Sit-ups
- Lie straight on a mat and knees bent
- Place your hands at the back of your head. Your elbows should be bent
- Raise your head and your shoulders from the mat slightly and face up. This is the starting position
- Lift your body from the mat and come to a sitting position
- Go back to the starting position
- Repeat 12 times in 2 sets
Russian Twist
- Sit on the mat and lift your legs slightly
- Keep your knees flexed and lean back slightly
- Join your palms together and balance your body
- Twist your upper body to the left and then to the right
- Repeat 12 times in 3 sets
Plank
- Place your elbows on the mat by kneeling on the mat
- Stretch your right leg back, and then your left leg
- Keep your back, neck, and hip in a straight line
- Hold this pose for about 30 – 60 seconds
- Repeat in 2 or 3 sets
Can We Reduce Upper Belly At Home?
Yes, We can. A combination of proper diet and good exercise will help reduce the upper belly quickly at home. The following lifestyle behaviors will help in reducing the belly.
- Reduce stress
- Sleep for at least 7 hours a day
- Eat healthy food – Low in carbs and fats and rich in protein.
- Keep yourself hydrated
- Reduce alcohol consumption
- Quit smoking
- Do regular exercises and Yoga.
- Stay physically active
- Avoid junk foods
- Concentrate on upper abdominal exercises like Boat pose, Russian twists, and Planks.
- Surya Namaskar has also proved to be very effective.
Key Takeaways
Unhealthy food practices and lack of routine exercise are the common causes of Upper Belly Fat. You should take serious steps to reduce belly fat as they lead to many risk factors like diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases.
You can eliminate this by changing your lifestyle behaviors and consuming healthy foods. Low carbs, Low fats, and High Protein food will help in belly loss. Regular workouts and Yoga have also proved to be very effective.
FAQ
Q1. What are the causes of Upper Belly Fat?
Stress, Unhealthy food, Poor sleep, Genetics, Alcohol consumption, and Smoking are the common causes of Upper Belly Fat. A good diet with proper healthy meals can help to reduce your love handles.
Q2. What food causes the most belly fat?
Excess sugary food is one of the main causes of belly fat. Avoid sugar-sweetened snacks. Always prefer low carbs, low fats, and high protein food. Avoid consuming sodas and fruit juices as they contain more sugar.
Q3. Can Workouts help reduce your love handles?
Yes, regular workouts help reduce Upper Belly fat. A few suggested exercises are Bicycle crunches, Planks, Burpees, Russian twist, Leg raise, etc. Surya Namaskar has also proved to be very effective in losing Upper Belly Fat.
Reference
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_obesity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31866877/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/in-depth/belly-fat/art-20045685?p=1