Can Dr. Kantor give tips on how to lose belly fat in 2 months? Sure, you can’t spot-target fat loss, but are there tips and tricks to help you lose body fat overall and see results in your belly? Is two months a reasonable about of time to see a difference?
By: Dr. Keith Kantor
The number one most often overlooked tip for losing belly fat is getting optimal sleep. Obtaining 7-8 hours of sleep each night will help reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which is the main contributor to belly fat accumulation. If possible these 7-8 hours of sleep should be between or near the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am, because this is our body’s natural rhythm to the sunset and sun rising. Your sleep should be for the most part uninterrupted, if you find you are tossing and turning and your mind feels like it is racing there may be some deeper metabolic issues going on related to your hormones and stress levels. Some natural supplements and alternatives to medications that can help with these sleep issues include melatonin; relora and 5-HTP, if you are on any other medications consult with a health professional before trying these supplements. Some lifestyle strategies that help with sleep include cutting off blue lights from devices and screens at least an hour prior to bed, take a warm bath or sauna session 1-2 hours prior to bed and dim your lights throughout your house to naturally get your brain ready for sleep.
Increase your intake of vegetables including leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, and Brussel sprouts, to name a few. Vegetables are rich in fiber, water, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals yet they are very low in calories. The fiber and water in vegetables will keep you feeling full which will naturally curb your appetite for junk foods, which contribute to belly fat accumulation. The antioxidants help reduce any vitamin or mineral deficiencies and inflammation, making the belly appear smaller and flatter simply due to less water retention. Finally vegetables are very low in calories yet they are nutrient dense, naturally if someone consumes 9-11 servings of vegetables (and some fruits) every day they will lose body fat simply because they will consume less calories but still a high volume of food leaving them satisfied and less likely to crave unhealthy processed foods that will contribute to weight gain.
Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol contributes to belly fat and bloat simply because it does not allow the body to efficiently burn fat as it would if there was no alcohol present in the body. Alcohol literally delays the livers ability to burn fat because the body recognizes it as a toxin, it only focuses on digesting the alcohol and slows the rest of our metabolism down. Finally alcohol can cause us to eat more then we normally would because it suppresses the hormone leptin, which normally signals our brain that we are full and tells us to stop eating.
2 months is a reasonable time to see a reduction in belly fat. Keep in mind you will lose water weight from water retention that is related to inflammation and that is the most noticeable change and that can happen fairly quickly. Slow progress is the best progress and has been proven to provide lasting results. Take an initial waist and hip measurement and compare number every 1-2 weeks to track your belly fat reduction progress.