Many people struggle to eliminate that last bit of fat that they have around the midriff, as the body will ultimately try to conserve what little fat is left. Getting rid of that stubborn excess can be difficult, but detoxification diets can work wonders. These belly fat detox techniques can help you lose those last few pounds fast.
Understanding Belly Fat
There are two types of belly fat:
- Subcutaneous fat – this is stored just under the skin on the abdomen outside the abdominal muscles.
- Visceral fat – this type of fat is stored around the abdominal organs and is more dangerous. You are more likely to have a fatty liver with this type of belly fat and are at higher risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
The hormone connection
In order to eliminate the extra belly fat you need to understand how it got there in the first place. In many instances, hormones can be the main culprit in this situation, but there isn’t just one hormone to blame. In fact, Cortisol, insulin, growth hormones and even excess estrogen can all upset the delicate balance that will lead to excess belly fat.
Cortisol is increased in periods of stress, and can lead to the increase of stored fat, as well as the decrease of lean muscle production. As this negative combination persists, the body’s metabolism will be lowered, forcing the body to store more fat.
Insulin, on the other hand, leads to the storage of sugars as fat. Insulin is raised when one eats a meal high in fat and refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and sugar. As the insulin level rises, the body stores the excess sugar as additional fat deposits.
Growth hormone won’t lead to excess in fat, but a lack of growth hormone usually results from a lack of exercise. That is why a steady secretion of growth hormone is vital to the body, as it will help burn fat all over throughout exercise.
How a Belly Fat Detox works
- A detox diet eliminates the very foods that lead to insulin resistance, fatty liver and belly fat – refined carbohydrates such as white flour, white rice, and sugar that raise insulin.
- It will help to eliminate the chemicals that upset the weight control mechanism. Studies show that a body that’s not loaded with chemicals functions better than one loaded down with toxins
- A detox diet will help to get rid of the chemicals that are known as estrogen mimics. They act like estrogen in your body and led to estrogen excess which attracts belly fat.
A strong detox diet will consist of high liquid consumption with very little food consumption over the course of a few days. If approached appropriately, detox diets can be one of the most effective ways to lose the extra belly fat stored up by all those hormones. If done correctly, you could lose fat in as little as two weeks.
Keep hydrated
The first step to a detox diet is also the most essential. It requires a consistent and high consumption of water throughout the day. Drinking around 6 – 8 glasses of pure water each day at set intervals will keep the stomach from becoming overly hungry, and will help the body stay hydrated during the process.
Adequate water can also help cleanse the digestive track; a bonus while losing weight if you want to flatten your stomach as well as detox belly fat.
Eat fat to lose fat
Throughout the detox, food consumption should be regulated at around 5-6 small meals per day, with very light and healthy eating. The diet should consist almost entirely of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats like avocado, olives, nuts, seeds, flax, olive and sunflower oils with a very small amount of complex carbohydrates on the side.
These monunsaturated oils help you to feel satisfied and have been shown to help burn up belly fat.
Although detox diets usually exclude meat your body burns more calories digesting protein than carbs or fat. So, if you want to detox belly fat you can eat some lean turkey, skinless free range chicken or organic salmon.
Don’t forget that beans and lentils also count as protein and contain good fiber to help keep keep you regular and detox the bowel.
The benefit of so many small meals is to allow the stomach a constant feed of small portions,helping to alleviate hunger pains. Fruits and vegetables contain plenty of vitamins and other essential nutrients that the body requires and they’re also comprised mostly of water, so there isn’t an overload of unnecessary intake.
Any carbohydrates eaten should comprise mostly of gluten free whole grains such as brown rice, millet, quinoa and amaranth. Wheat is particularly hard to digest and leads to bloating in many people.
Avoid liquid only detox diets
Many of the strictest detoxification diets will require you to only drink fluids, such as the lemonade detox diet. But, these fluid only diets come with a downside. As your body loses most of the extra fat throughout the process, it will be desperate for the good fats and carbohydrates that it isn’t receiving.
This means that once the diet is finished, your body will begin to amass a storage of fat, leading to even larger gains than you originally had before the detox. While these methods may be of benefit for a few days, they will ultimately lead to more weight gain later on.
There are plenty of detox diets out there, but only a few will provide long term results. A proper belly fat detox requires a steady intake of fluids and essential foods, while also maintaining a routine of daily exercise to balance out the hormones that made the belly fat in the first place. With time and patience, a successful detox diet can leave anyone with a flat stomach and a healthier body.
Elena Anne
I agree that you should avoid liquid only diets. These are highly unbalanced and though you may lose weight in the short term your health will suffer in the long term.
kevin
thanks for the information about detox. I think it’s very important that you mentioned staying away from liquid only detox diets and the reasons why, keep up the good work.
Becca
How timely, I just went through an issue with this my belly fat and don’t know how to get rid off it.Thanks for the tips of natural way getting of belly fats.
Vincent
Thank You for the good information. What are your thoughts on a jucing only detox?
Sandy Halliday
Hi Vincent,
A juice detox or juice fast can work well. A 2 or 3 day juice fast can be done as part of a detox plan. It’s best to prepare your body first by gradually cutting out foods that you generally avoid on detox diets and ease into it. Longer juice fasts are best done with supervision or support from someone who is experienced in juice detox. Many people have followed the juice feast program with great success for weight loss and other problems.
Angela Stokes, for example, completed a 92-Day Juice Feast in Feb 2007, and since then has been helping thousands of people around the world improve their health through juices and a raw food diet.
Good health
Sandy
Sammy
What kind of detox juice do I start with. There are so many on the web, that it gets confusing. I want to get started.please advice.
Thanks Sammy
Sandy Halliday
Hello Sammy,
So sorry for the late reply but your comment ended up in my spam folder and I’ve only just come across it. If you haven’t already found one a good juice for beginners to start with is made with apple, celery, carrot and perhaps a little ginger to spice it up a bit. You could use some young kale leaves or baby spinach in place of the celery once you get the hang of them. Hope that helps.
Good health,
Sandy