Protein and Vegetables: Your Belly Fat Cure

Stubborn belly fat plagues millions of dieters who feel helpless to combat their- muffin tops and love handles. It wouldn't be known as "stubborn fat" if it were easy to lose. Even reducing calories and doing plenty of exercise often won't get rid of those last pockets of fat around your middle. If you have ever heard the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen," you know that the quality of your food has just as much to do with those last stubborn pounds as how much food you eat or how many situps you do.

With the popularity of the Paleo and Atkins diets, most savvy modem dieters have at least considered reducing the amount of starchy carbohydrates and sugars they consume. This makes sense because at the most basic level, protein, fat, and a range of vitamins and minerals are the nutritional components necessary to maintain health. Hormonally, reducing starch, processed carbs, and sugars makes sense to keep insulin levels under control and prevent the storage of excess body fat. Eliminating sugary desserts and starchy snacks also dramatically reduces calorie consumption in many cases.

To translate this principle into a sustainable lifestyle instead of a set of strict rules that might not work for everyone, start by making a list of the healthy proteins that you enjoy. Fish, chicken, lean beef, bison, and turkey area few of the most popular and easy meats to add to a variety of recipes. Once you have this list, make these foods half of the base of your new diet lifestyle.

The other half should focus on vegetables. Green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli are packed with healthy nutrients and contain few calories. Other vegetables, such as squash, potatoes, com, and carrots are higher in starch but offer an excellent way to add more vitamins, flavor and a controllable level of calories and carbohydrates to keep your body fueled if you are having trouble eating enough lean protein and green vegetables.

Fruit, as well as healthy sources of fat such as Greek yogurt, nuts, and avocados should act as treats to keep your diet variable and interesting. Any of these foods in large quantities could sabotage fat loss efforts, so pay attention to how much you eat and how your body reacts. Unless you are a competitor in a physique contest, you should feel free to indulge in small treats now and then to keep yourself motivated and interested in the diet, but keep this to a minimum if you wish to maximize your fat loss results.

A diet that follows these principles goes a long way toward achieving and maintaining a lean physique. If you ever find yourself struggling with losing weight and are concerned that it could be a health issue, make sure to see your-doctor to confirm that you do not have any underlying conditions that could be affecting your health or your weight loss progress.