Unlike women who tend to gain fat in their hips and thighs, men tend to naturally store fat in their stomach and abdomen.
With age, this abdominal and subcutaneous fat becomes increasingly difficult to lose.
Here are some nutritional and sports tips for losing weight and thus losing belly fat and getting a flat stomach.
Why do men store more fat in their stomachs?
Scientific studies are fairly unanimous in saying that the culprit for this storage in the belly in men is testosterone. This hormone, which is much more present in men, directs the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area. In women, it is estrogen that acts and promotes storage in the hips and thighs.
While hormones determine where your body stores excess fat, they are not responsible for this overstorage. Genetics may be a factor, but excess energy and sugar intake, poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle play a major role in the abnormal accumulation of weight and fat.
What are the risks?
For both men and women, belly fat storage can cause health problems. It's a scientifically proven risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Indeed, abdominal fat isn't stored solely between the muscles and skin, as is the case in other parts of the body. Abdominal fat is stored primarily between organs, called visceral fat. In the long run, it disrupts the functioning of the hormonal system. Thus, a large waistline is very often associated with high blood pressure and high levels of bad cholesterol. These two factors contribute to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes.
Additionally, when lying down, abdominal fat can trigger sleep apnea.
In Europe, a waist circumference greater than 94cm is considered risky for men (combined with a waist-to-hip ratio). The larger the waist circumference, the greater the associated risks.
Therefore, it is important to monitor belly fat and weight in order to maintain good health.
How to lose belly fat? Our advice
Here are some tips to apply in your daily life and in the long term to get a flat stomach.
Physical activity
Whether you're a man or a woman, doing abs won't help you lose belly fat quickly and get a flat stomach. No one has ever lost belly fat by doing ab exercises alone. It's better to do a sport that involves several muscle groups. Indeed, to lose your belly, you need to aim for a high energy expenditure, with a series of burpees rather than a series of crunches, for example.
We're not saying that strengthening your abs is useless, but it's just not the primary goal. Before you can show off a ripped abdomen and obliques, you'll need to lose the layer of fat covering them to achieve a flat stomach.
To do this, you need to have a high energy expenditure. There are several sports and exercises to lose belly fat:
Do cardio sports:
- High-intensity exercises of moderate duration that engage the whole body, such as circuit training, HIIT, interval training, jumping rope, burpees, jumping jacks, etc.
- Endurance exercises and sports, at low to moderate intensity over a long period of time such as running, brisk walking, rowing, elliptical trainer, swimming, cycling, etc.
Do muscle strengthening to gain muscle:
- Working your muscles with weights increases energy expenditure during exercise as well as throughout recovery. This means that when you do a strength training session, you burn calories during the workout, but also for up to 72 hours afterward! In addition to losing fat mass, you'll gain muscle mass.
Doing at least 30 minutes of sport per day is recommended to optimize the effects.
Abdominal strengthening can also be helpful as a complement; it specifically targets and strengthens the transverse abdominis muscle. This keeps the organs in your abdomen compressed within the abdominal cavity. This won't burn calories or make you lose belly fat, but it will help you achieve a flatter stomach.
You can ask a sports professional for advice to develop a sports program adapted to your needs.
Food
Eating better is undoubtedly the most effective way to lose belly fat alongside physical activity. Regardless of your age or activity level, whether you're a man or a woman, a healthy, balanced diet that meets your daily needs will protect you from belly fat and help you lose belly fat. A balanced diet is also very important for maintaining good health.
To do this, you simply need to review your (bad) eating habits. Specifically, you need to eat foods that are essential to your body: proteins (legumes, white meats, fish, eggs) at lunch and dinner, accompanied by green vegetables and a small portion of whole grains (brown rice, whole-wheat pasta), a natural dairy product, and a seasonal fruit. Meals rich in fiber and protein significantly increase satiety and control your blood sugar, helping you reduce your calorie intake. You should avoid eating prepared and industrial meals as much as possible.
To lose belly fat and get a flat stomach, it is strongly recommended not to eat sugary foods without fiber or protein: cakes, candy, sodas, fruit juices, ice cream, chocolates… These foods have a negative impact on blood sugar and greatly promote the storage of excess fat. In addition, they are bad for your health in general. Favor foods with a low glycemic index.
To lose belly fat and achieve a flat stomach, you need to have a lower energy intake than your energy expenditure. This is called creating a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit will allow your body to draw on its fat reserves to function. After a while, you will lose weight and lose belly fat too. For both men and women, it's not possible to target weight loss on a specific part of the body; you will lose belly fat as well as the rest of your body.
There are many weight loss diets and weight loss programs that are effective in helping you lose weight and therefore achieve a flat stomach.
Following our weight-loss program, for example, is effective for losing belly fat, weight loss, and rebalancing your diet. Replace two meals a day with a meal bar from the weight-loss program and maintain one traditional meal per day.
Not every diet is right for you, so it's important to seek advice from a health and nutrition professional before embarking on a diet.
Hydration
Drink enough water; dehydration can contribute to weight gain and water retention. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to help flush toxins from your body and lose fat.
What about alcohol? Alcohol is twice as caloric as sugar, and it's very easily converted into fatty acids (body fat) in the body. It's the number one enemy of belly fat. On a daily basis, water is the only essential hydration.
It is recommended not to exceed one glass of wine per day for women and two glasses of wine for men. We advise you to limit your alcohol consumption as much as possible.
Stress
Stress can increase the production of cortisol, a hormone that can promote weight gain. Try relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing to reduce your stress.
Sleep
Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can disrupt hormones that regulate hunger and metabolism, which can contribute to weight gain. Aim for at least seven hours of sleep a night to promote weight loss.
In summary.
To lose belly fat, you need to create a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. A healthy, balanced diet, combined with high-calorie exercise, is essential for weight loss. Limiting belly fat as much as possible is certainly aesthetically pleasing, but it also offers significant health benefits. Whether you're a man or a woman, it's not possible to lose weight in a specific area of your body, but with a diet and exercise program tailored to your needs, you'll see results, even on your stomach.
