‘I have this pocket of stubborn fat on my lower belly and round my belly button I absolutely hate and cannot get rid of’ Sound familiar?
This is probably one of the most common issues as a coach ladies ask me to help them with. I’ve been there myself. It’s a problem a lot of mums blame on having kids and yes, its true the skin in that area becomes more loose post pregnancy but most women face this problem kids or not.
Our female bodies are genetically programmed to store fat in the belly area, hips, and thighs in preparation for pregnancy unfortunately we will always store more fat that men. Like it or not your bodies sole purpose on this planet is to reproduce and your body is an amazing machine that will always be preparing to support a growing foetus. Couple this with the abundance of food and calories and lack of exercise in our modern society and we store more fat than we need or like to see. The result is looking in the mirror wearing your bikini and not being happy with what you see. Your self-confidence suffers and it becomes a downward spiral often leading to comfort eating and low self-esteem.
You have tried slimming world, juice bar and shake diets all manner of stuff you see on the internet, but that belly area still does not look like you want it to. So, what do I advise my clients to do to address this problem?
- To start with I advise a sensible calorie deficit eating plan –
eating slightly less than the body needs in terms of energy consistently over time to drop body fat. Around a 15% deficit is enough for most people and is easily sustainable for the long term unlike other crash diets mentioned above! Adherence is key here no quick fixes we are in this for the long term.
- Eat mainly whole foods eliminatetrans fatty acids and processed foods –
ok so when you eat trans fats eg fried foods and super processed foods you know the ones that don’t even resemble proper food!? To give an example the chain with the big golden ‘M’ your body doesn’t actually recognise that as food and tries to store it away from your bodies organs in order to protect them hence a pocket of fat around your belly button.
- 10,000 steps per day also known as NEAT non exercise activity thermogenesis –
most people in the modern world are very sedentary not moving much throughout the day, this has a big impact on how many calories we burn and therefor how much food we can eat without storing body fat around the belly area. Get moving completing your 10,00 steps per day or hitting a target of 70,000 in the week should always be second priority after the calorie deficit and before your gym workouts. Get walking!!!
- Workout –
hit the gym or workout at home prioritising core workouts to strengthen and flatten the tummy area plus improve posture and help with back pain, strength training with weights plus HIIT cardio helps to burn more fat and calories at rest and tones.
- Consistency is key –
doing the right things consistently over time building habits that you will maintain for the rest of your life. You will see your tummy area flatten and stay that way, quick fixes don’t work but I guess if you’re reading this you’ve realised that by now!
- Stop weighing yourself –
so how are you going to track your progress with the advice I have given you? Stop aiming for a magic number on the scale that was not your problem in the first place, remember you are not happy with how your belly looks when you look in the mirror.
Take progress photos – there is a link below to talk you through why and another link to show you how to. Everyone hates doing it, but it is the most reliable way to track your success and I’m certain you will succeed!! This tried and tested method has worked for numerous ladies I have helped over the years and it will work for you too!
Links below to help you succeed:
- Why you need to stop weighing yourself and take progress photos instead
- How to guide on progress pics
- Sample full body home workout
- Sample core workout
- NEAT
- Stop weighing yourself
If you’d like to work with me in one of my online programmes fill out the contact form here and we can have a chat about how I can help you succeed https://www.thevegancoach.co/online-coaching/
