How to Get Rid of Stomach Fat: Secrets for the Regular Person – Part 3 of a 4 Part Weekly Series
Posted: Wednesday, July 09, 2008
by Brett Basinski
Summary:
This article is the third in a 4 part weekly series for Regular Person (just like you and me) out there struggling to lose body fat and build muscle. This series will uncover secrets for shedding the excess fat around the middle (lose your love handles), secrets to eating for fat loss (you can eat to lose weight), secrets to losing weight (you don't have to starve to lose weight), and muscle gaining secrets (you don't have to kill yourself in the gym to get rid of stomach fat and build muscle). If you are a Regular Person trying to figure out how to get rid of stomach fat or how to get rid of your love handles, then this article is for you. I originally planned to dedicate part 2 to nutrition, however, as I began writing part 2 there was so much information to share, I decided to dedicate part 2 and 3 to nutrition. Both articles should be available at the same time. This is part 3, focusing on the foods you must eat to get rid of stomach fat.
Back in Part 1 of my 4 part series I gave an overview of Stomach Fat, Why We Have It, and What We Have to do to Get Rid of Stomach Fat. In Part 2 of this series I went on to focus on nutrition and how changing the way you eat will help you get rid of stomach fat, lose weight, and lower body fat. We also covered the foods you must avoid to get rid of stomach fat. Now let's look at what to eat and when to eat it.
The Foods You Must Eat
G Good carbohydrates (vegetables like spinach, broccoli and other colorful vegetables. Whole grains like whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice)
E Eggs and egg whites
T - Turkey and other lean meats
R Raspberries and other berries
I Instant oatmeal and oat based cereals (Cheerios)
D Dairy like low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk or cheese
O Olive Oil and other healthy fats
F Fruit like apples and grapefruit
F Fiber, Fiber, Fiber (beans, Fiber One Cereal, Apples, Vegetables)
A Almonds, other nuts, and low-sugar peanut butter
T Tasty Protein drinks, Whey Protein Powder, and Power Smoothies
How about that for simple? Just remember these foods and you will easily GET RID OF FAT. If you base all of your meals around these foods and eat appropriate portions, you will get rid of stomach fat. It is that simple. So let's dig in a little deeper and review these different food groups.
My plan focuses on 3 basic healthy food groups; lean protein, healthy carbohydrates, and healthy fats. So let's start at the top:
G Good carbohydrates (vegetables like spinach, broccoli and other colorful
vegetables. Whole grains like whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice). These foods are chock full of fiber, vitamins, and many antioxidants. We can really eat as many vegetables a day as we would like. By doing this, we will stay full and this will help us stay on track with our plan. We should plan our lunch and dinner around good size portions of these vegetables and can eat these other whole grains, but it is always best to do so in moderation, and earlier in the day. Try to avoid the whole grains after your afternoon snack as they still tend to raise blood sugar and convert into fat.
E Eggs and egg whites
Study after study has been done to show that people that get started with a big, healthy, filling breakfast eat fewer calories a day than those that skip breakfast or start with a carb and sugar loaded breakfast. Eggs are a great source of protein and if you boil a bunch of them and keep them in the fridge, you can take them with you and pop them in your mouth as a nice, filling snack.
T Turkey and other lean meats
These foods are loaded with protein with deli turkey packing about 30 grams of protein per 6 oz. serving. Other lean meats are lean ham, roast beef, or chicken. You can also throw lean steak into this category, but try to keep it to around once a week or less. Make sure to watch the sodium in deli meats. Most are loaded with it and this can cause all kinds of health problems. Stick to low-sodium.
R Raspberries and other berries
Berries are loaded with fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. Add these to low fat yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, and or just have a bowl of assorted berries for dessert or to satisfy that sweet tooth. Just try to avoid sugary jellies and jams.
I Instant oatmeal and oat based cereals (Cheerios)
Plain oatmeal and Cheerios are excellent sources of good complex carbohydrates. Oatmeal and Cheerios are loaded with soluble fiber so we will feel full longer and not get that spike in blood sugar we are trying to avoid. These foods also help to lower cholesterol by sending it out of your body. It is a great way lower cholesterol without taking drugs like statins. We all need more fiber anyway, between 25-35 grams a day, but must of us get half that amount. These true power foods, especially oatmeal, can help us start our day at breakfast, or provide a great afternoon snack a couple of hours before our workout. Figure out your favorite way to fit them into your diet, and eat them every day.
D Dairy (low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk, or cheese)
These foods are loaded with calcium can help you feel full. Of course we are going to want to add milk to our Cheerios, and berries to our yogurt. This is a great way to combine my foods and fit them in to every meal. There is some evidence that dairy products may actually help to control weight gain, so this may provide us with another added benefit.
O Olive Oil and other health fats
There are good fats out there and olive oil provides plenty of the monounsaturated fat we need in our diet. Use is to cook your eggs, or drizzle it on your spinach instead of salad dressing, with a little balsamic vinegar. Some other healthy oils include peanut oil and sesame oil. The great thing about fat is that it not only tastes great, but it helps fill us up, and may help to burn fat and keep cholesterol in check as well. As always, use these fats in your food plan in moderation.
F Fruit (apples and grapefruit)
Have you ever heard, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Well it could be true. Apples are loaded in fiber, help us feel full, and actually control blood sugar. They are great anytime of day as a snack or on top of a spinach salad. Eat as many as you like. Grapefruit is another powerful food that will make you feel full and also may help to lower cholesterol. Eat one for breakfast as often as you can. You'll be amazed at how filling they can be.
F Fiber, fiber, fiber (beans, Fiber One Cereal, Apples, Vegetables)
As mentioned above, we do not get enough fiber. Beans, Fiber One Cereal, Apples, and vegetables are excellent sources of fiber. If we eat fiber at every meal, we have a much better chance of hitting our goal of 35 grams. Beans, such as pinto, red, and black, are almost the perfect side dish. They are loaded with fiber and protein, so they serve two purposes for us. Add them as a side to your chicken breast at dinner or toss them on a salad. Sneak a half cup of Fiber One cereal into a power smoothie, or use it as a crunchy topping for your yogurt or you can throw it in with your Cheerios for a quick, healthy breakfast.
A Almonds, other nuts, and low-sugar peanut butter
Everyone loves nuts. They are a great source of fiber, protein, and monounsaturated fats. Nuts also make a great snack which is easy to stick in your briefcase or purse. Be careful, a handful or two a day is all you need. Be sure to check the serving size and stick to it. Your local supermarket or health food store should have some excellent tasting all natural peanut butter. It tastes great and we can add it to power smoothies, as a topping for an apple, or just have a spoonful to satisfy that salt craving. Don't forget peanut butter and mashed blueberry sandwiches on whole-wheat bread. What a tasty snack.
T - Tasty Protein drinks, Whey Protein Powder, and Power Smoothies.
In the past couple of years there have been some great tasting additions to the health food industry in the form of protein drinks and powders. Since most us do not even come close to getting the 1 gram to 1.5 grams per pound of protein that we should be eating daily to promote weight loss, these little helpers are a great source of protein. Some favorite ready to drink versions of mine are Labrada's Lean Body drinks (40g of protein, 260 cal, 0 g of sugar), Muscle Milk Chocolate (350 cal, 35g of protein, 7 g of sugar), and IDS Sports New Whey liquid protein drinks (176 cal, 40 g of protein, 0g of sugar). These are some great ways to add protein into your diet and turn your body into a lean fat burning machine. Remember, we should try to add protein into every meal.
Now that we know how to change the way that we eat, the foods to avoid, and the foods we must eat, we are well on our way to healthy lifestyle. Play around with different combinations of these food to see what fits into your lifestyle. Try to base all of your meals around the above foods and focus on getting some protein into every meal.
Here is a little trick I use to keep me motivated and it will work for you as well. It is part of my plan and a great little secret: Every week I have one meal designated as my "cheat" meal. I eat whatever I want; pizza, beer, wine, steak, potatoes, French fries, a big cheeseburger, whatever I feel like. My wife and I go out to dinner with friends at least twice a month on Saturday night, so that is usually when I "cheat". I have to remember though, it is one meal. I have to get right back on my plan the next day. There are a lot of times when I did so well over the previous week that having a "cheat" meal just doesn't sound good, so I skip it and enjoy a nice health choice. You will find this is the case for you too.
I would like add a little personal note here, or call it a testimonial. My wife was struggling to shed pounds and turned to the Jenny Craig plan. She was doing great and lost about 10 lbs. over a 3 or 4 month period, then she just kind leveled off. She then started an eating plan that implemented all of the strategies that I dicussed above and has since lost over 30 additional pounds over the last 4 months, and she is still losing weight every week. She looks and feels fantastic. She is never hungry. She is never tired. She is sleeping better. She is full of energy. To top it all off, she has not done one minute of exercise. I am an advocate of keeping fit and healthy through exercise, but I think my wife's success just further proves that weight loss is tied directly to a healthy eating plan.
As for myself, last October (2007) I went in for a physical with my doctor. This was about a month after my Triathlon season ended. I knew that I had kind of slacked off on eating, but I was shocked when some of the numbers came back. I had gained 5 pounds. My cholesterol was 243 (total). My LDL (bad) cholesterol was over 156. My triglycerides were over 171. My HDL (good cholesterol) was under 39. Remember, I am a Triathlete. I was in good shape. If you put this all together, I was heading into high-risk territory for heart disease. This revelation had me kick my eating plan back in to high gear and start following the exercise plan outlined in Part 4 of this series. By following the program outlined above, adding in either oatmeal, Cheerios, and grapefruit to my breakfast, and kicking my sugar habit, my numbers turned around, without taking drugs.
I went in for my check up in February (2008) and here is what my new numbers looked like:
LDL 118, Triglycerides- 111, HDL-51, Total Cholesterol 181
You can do this as well. In Part 4 of my series, How to Get Rid of Stomach Fat: Secrets for the Regular Person, we will focus on exercise. If you really want to get the fat loss into hyper-overdrive, adding some kind of workout routine to your lifestyle will get rid of stomach fat in no time. We might even find some abs in there. If you haven't read parts 1 and 2 in my series, How to Get Rid of Stomach Fat: Secrets for the Regular Person, be sure to look them up on this article site. See my resource box for more details.
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