Losing belly fat: tips, information and a simple step-by-step plan!

1. Perhaps it is the number one annoyance among dieters: belly fat. Nothing seems more persistent than that little lobe around your navel that lines still hang after years. You have been eating healthier for a long time. You go to your abs every day obediently, you run weekly, and the rest of your body seems in fine shape. Why then does that belly fat refuse to disappear?

1. Losing belly fat can be tricky indeed - but that's also because many people get it wrong. Today we give you all the essential information and a step-by-step plan to tackle your belly fat!

2. Losing belly fat can indeed be tricky - but that's also because many people get it wrong. Today we will give you all the essential information and a step-by-step plan to tackle your belly fat!

Why is it difficult to lose belly fat?

1. Losing belly fat is so difficult because your body tries to hold onto this â € stockâ € ™ for as long as possible. It counts as a kind of last emergency stock. This effect can be further enhanced by your hormone balance, for example if you produce more of the stress hormone cortisol.

2. Losing belly fat is so difficult because your body tries to hold on to this â € stackâ € ™ for as long as possible. It counts as a kind of last emergency stock. This effect can be further enhanced by your hormone balance, for example if you produce more of the stress hormone cortisol.

1. As a result of all that, your fat percentage must be quite low before you lose your belly fat. Men will seriously burn belly fat under 15%, for women it is around 20%. Of course those percentages can fluctuate a bit, depending on the aforementioned hormone balance.

2. As a result of all that, your fat percentage must be quite low before you lose your belly fat. Men will seriously burn belly fat under 15%, for women it is around 20%. Of course, those percentages can fluctuate a bit, depending on the aforementioned hormone balance.

Burn local belly fat

1. Many people try to stimulate the burning of their belly fat by endlessly training their abdominal muscles. That makes sense, doesn't it? But unfortunately it doesn't work… When you exercise, fat is not necessarily removed from the place of exercise.

1. Your body burns fat from all over your body, just as it is stored evenly throughout your body. Hormones can influence the distribution, but it doesn't get more specific than that. Burning local belly fat is therefore simply not possible. You can train your abs until you weigh an ounce, but then your body can still get the energy expended from other fat!

2. Your body burns fat from all over your body, just as it is stored evenly throughout your body. Hormones can influence the distribution, but it doesn't get more specific than that. Burning belly fat locally is therefore simply not possible. You can train your abs until you weigh an ounce, but then your body can still get the energy expended from other fat!

How can you burn belly fat?

1. If you want to lose belly fat, then there is only one solution. You will have to reduce the fat percentage all over your body, until eventually your belly fat is also involved. If you burn enough excess fat, it will eventually happen by itself.

2. If you want to lose belly fat, then there is only one solution. You will have to lower the fat percentage all over your body, until eventually your belly fat is also involved. If you burn enough excess fat, it will eventually happen by itself.

1. This means that you have to eat with a calorie deficit to lose belly fat. This is the only way to force your body to use that extra fat for fuel. In addition, exercising can help to burn extra calories and thus increase that deficit.

Cardio to lose belly fat?

1. When it comes to exercise and calories, cardio is often the first thing people think about. Not very absurd thoughts, because cardio is indeed known as the sports method with which you burn as much energy as possible. And it is indeed true that you burn more during, for example, a running training than during a strength training.

1. Unfortunately, cardio also stops at the calories during training. This concerns a few hundred calories per hour. That may sound fine, until you realize that one kilo of body fat is roughly equal to 7500 kcal. With that, you really have to spend a lot of hours running to lose significant weight.

2. Unfortunately, cardio also stops at the calories during training. This concerns a few hundred calories per hour. That may sound fine until you realize that one kilo of body fat is roughly equal to 7500 kcal. With that, you really have to spend a lot of hours running to lose significant weight.

Reduce belly fat quickly?

1. If you want to lose belly fat faster, it is very worthwhile to consider strength training as well. Strength training burns more calories in the long term, because it also stimulates the afterburn. In short: the exercise will burn extra calories for days after your workout.

2. If you want to lose belly fat faster, then it is very worthwhile to consider strength training as well. Strength training burns more calories in the long term, because it also stimulates afterburning. In short: the exercise will burn extra calories for days after your workout.

1. In addition, more muscle tissue speeds up your metabolism in general. That means that even when you sit still, you burn more calories when you have more muscle. For example, strength training can lead to a considerable increase in fat burning in the longer term!

2. In addition, more muscle tissue speeds up your metabolism in general considerably. That means that even when you sit still, you burn more calories when you have more muscle. For example, strength training can lead to a considerable increase in fat burning in the longer term!

Losing belly fat: a step-by-step plan

1. Is strength training alone enough to burn belly fat? Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way… Below we therefore give you a clear step-by-step plan that makes losing belly fat a bit easier. If you follow these six points, you will see results anyway!

1. As mentioned: strength training burns a lot of fat. This is especially true if you not only train the abdominal muscles, but also the larger muscle groups. After all, that way you grow more muscle tissue, and thus maximize the effect on your metabolism.

1. And no, for women who worry about that: strength training really won't make you look like a female hulk. Because women produce much less testosterone, your muscles remain relatively smaller than those of men. At the most, you will get a toned body - not a bad deal.

1. No reason not to pick up the weights, so! What are good exercises to reduce belly fat? Focus mainly on compound exercises: they train several muscles at the same time, and thus burn calories most effectively. Examples are:

1. To burn fat, you need a calorie deficit. You can partly create that by burning more during your training, but often that is not enough. You will also have to eat a little less to keep the fat loss going.

1. Make sure you don't use an excessive calorie deficit. This quickly leads to a shortage of nutrients, and also increases the chance of a yo-yo effect. A safe calorie deficit is 10 to 20% of your daily energy consumption. With our handy tool you can calculate how much that is!

1. Now it is of course nice if you don't have to go hungry because of it. Fortunately, you can often eat less easily by eating differently. If you want to lose belly fat, the following tips for your diet are important:

1. Could you use some help with this? Via our FitChef platform you can request a free customized weekly menu, taking into account the above guidelines.

1. We already talked about hormones above. The main hormone associated with belly fat is cortisol, or the stress hormone. Something that many people are making way too much of at this busy time! Unfortunately, cortisol is precisely what causes you to retain more fat on your stomach.

1. To reduce cortisol, it is in any case advisable to sleep more. Eight hours of good sleep per night - so in a dark room with as little noise as possible - is a nice goal to strive for. An additional advantage: a good night's sleep also prevents binge eating and sweet cravings later in the day.

1. Also try to relax more throughout the day. Stress is hugely underestimated when it comes to reducing belly fat. Leave your phone alone a bit more often, those e-mails or Whatsapp messages really don't run away! Take a walk during lunch, and rather read a book than sit in front of the TV. An evening in a warm bath works great too.

1. Are you not quite comfortable with giving up cardio completely? Or would you also like to work on your fitness? Of course it is certainly an option to add some cardio to your exercise regimen.

1. You don't have to run for hours straight away. In fact, this is often inadvisable in combination with strength training. Very long cardio can lead to you burning muscle tissue in addition to fat. A bit of a waste of your efforts in the weight room!

1. It may therefore be more sensible to choose High Intensity Interval Training. This form of cardio revolves around short, explosive efforts combined with rest periods. You will achieve faster results without losing much time.

1. If you follow the five steps above properly, you will eventually lose real belly fat. The bad news? It may take a while to reach your goals! That belly fat has been added over the years: of course it can take a while to get rid of it.

1. Is that bad? No: slowly losing belly fat is also the healthiest and most sustainable way. Try not to get discouraged if it takes a while and be proud of the progress you see. Then that result will ultimately come naturally!