So you opened up this blog because you want the secret sauce, right? You want the super easy and simple step that is 100% laid out for you, all you have to do is read these few lines and you will know exactly what to do to lose your belly fat? And if you’re lucky maybe all you have to do is take this powder or drink this “skinny tea” and it’ll disappear without effort. Well, that is not this blog post. I am not here to giveaway a secret sauce so you can simply change 1 thing in your life and your “problem areas” will all disappear. Sorry, that is not how this works. I will however, give you the tools and information you need to successfully lose your unwanted belly fat, it just might not be what you want to hear.
Most women have belly fat they want to get rid of. Maybe it’s a full “inner tube” around the waist, maybe it is just a lower “pooch”, or some extra skin. Whatever it looks like, most women have an idea or an image in their head of what they want their stomach to look like. I would also bet that the stomach, in general, is the #1 place women want to lose weight. I assume this is because the stomach tends to be the “standard” for being fit or overweight. Women think “if my stomach looks like this then I am no longer fat or over weight” when in reality, health is a full picture. You can be skinny as heck with a 6 pack, and still have hormonal imbalances causing brain fog, loss of a mensural cycle and depression. There is not a specific picture of health, it looks different for everyone.
But, I will say, belly fat can tell us a lot about a persons health and underlying issues. This is because a lot of hormonal issues tend to deposit fat in the abdomen as a way of “preparing” for something. So maybe belly fat is being stored because you are overly stressed, or not eating enough, or eating too much. It really just means, there could be an underlying issue going on that is more serious than just being over weight.
For example, belly fat can be stored because of…
• Obesity
• Stress
• PCOS
• Poor Diet
• Lack of exercise
• Thyroid conditions
So, belly fat is more than just needing to eat less and workout more. It means taking the time to find out IF there is an underlying issue, and addressing it if there is. And if there isn’t, then going ahead into some type of program that focuses on healthy eating and regular exercise.
Now, we are are in a position to start losing said body fat, I am going to repeat, it is not going to be an easy, quick fix, type of thing. It is going to be a long process, especially if you want to keep the weight off.
Alright, the cold hard truth…you cannot spot treat. This means you cannot ONLY lose fat around your midsection and no where else. Body fat is lost all over, as a whole. Now, it is true that some people carry fat differently or lose it quicker in some areas rather than in another..but this does not mean they are special. It just comes down to genetics at that point. So, how do we lose body fat in general?
Diet and Exercise.
See, nothing fancy. There isn’t 1 type of workout that will burn it faster than others. There isn’t a secret powder you dump into your water and the fat will just melt off your body. There isn’t a special diet that will drop 10lbs off you in 2 weeks (at least not one that is sustainable).
Losing body fat for the long term comes down to consistency over time. It’s about making small, incremental changes that add up to big results in the long run. But, there are a few guidelines to remember..
1. You always have to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat (meaning you are eating less than you are burning). This gets confusing because you also need to still be eating enough food to sustain life. Dropping calories down to 900 isn’t going to allow you to drop all the belly fat you want (at least not without causing bigger health problems). It comes down to earning your right to diet. You need to be eating at maintenance (calories in = calories out) or above for a decent amount of time so that your body is comfortable. So that your body will respond to the drop in calories the right way, and not cause weight gain. There is a fine line between eating too much and eating too little, and it is different for every body. So, a deficit is necessary, but it has to be on the right terms.
2. Increased muscle tissue burns more calories. This means the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn at rest. This is because is takes more energy (calories) for the body to sustain muscle than it does to sustain fat. So, resistance training is key to fat loss. More muscle, more calories burned, more fat lost. This is why, in the Collective Program, I incorporate all different types of exercise – the workouts range from strength training, to cardio, to high intensity – because a good program includes it all.
3. Diet is more than calories. The human body needs all 3 macronutrients (carb, fat, protein) to sustain itself. This means you cannot cut fat out of your diet and expect to see the changes you want. At least not without causing hormonal damage because of a low fat intake. It’s a balancing act, which is why it takes more than a 6 week “diet” to get you the long term results you want.
I know it is all confusing, which is why people tend to buy into the supplements and the quick programs rather than a long term strategy. But in the end, you will still find that the way to results is a long journey. And you can either waste money now and figure it out alter. Or you can figure it out now and start on your goals!
Women have this idea that if they are skinny, then they are worthy of more. Worth the promotion, the husband, the wardrobe, the happiness. And that’s not true. Your worth comes from YOU. It comes from your attitude in knowing that you are worthy of great things, no matter what you look like. Society has created this avatar of what a “successful” woman looks like…skinny, tall, heels, long hair, skirt and blazer. And none of those are what I am, or even what success looks like to me. So you have to remember, life is what you make it. And your worth and happiness comes down to you creating it and embracing it.
I used to think I wouldn’t be successful in this field if I didn’t have a 15% body fat and weighted 110lbs. I thought I needed to be skinny and ripped to get clients and be heard. Well, that was just a story I told myself. Because when I realized those things weren’t what made me happy, and that 110lbs for me looked like a loss of a period and digestive issues, then I realized it wasn’t true. It was just what I was telling myself.
So yeah, losing weight might make you a little more confident and happy. But it won’t be the turning point in your life. That turning point is going to come from you realizing that you are worth so much more than what you look like. That your worth is more about who you are as a person, and less about what that person looks like.
So you can’t drink your way to a flat tummy, or wish yourself into a smaller pair of pants. You do still have to play the long game of doing it right to maintain it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t embark on the journey to healthy living because you love your body, and know you are worth it! Good things take time, right?
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