What should I eat to get rid of my belly fat?

What should I eat to get rid of my belly fat?

This is a question that's often asked. Fueled by the misconception that specific foods can help you burn fat specifically in your belly. This misconception is used by  those who have created certain kitchen appliances that allow you to create tasty drinks loaded with vitamins and minerals. But even those drinks aren't the solution to losing your belly fat.

I know you really want a list of things to eat to help you trim that waist. Maybe I'll tell you what I eat? No, that won't help either. There is no fast way to answer or solve this problem.  The best thing to do is evaluate your diet. You probably are over-eating. Remember a few blogs ago I talked about knowing your metabolic rate? Well by evaluating your metabolic rate and the foods that your eating you can determine if your eating too much. 

Typically a calorie tracker will have a certain calorie count it wants you to have. That same calorie count = Protein  (4 cals per gram), Carbs (4 cals per gram), and Fat (9 cals per gram). If your Macros (protein, carbs, and fat) are out of balance you could be eating too much or not enough of one or more macros. 

For instance, say  your on a 1500 calorie diet. You eat a 1,000 calorie lunch thats 60 grams of fat, 86 grams of Carbs and 29 grams of protein. Just this meal alone is more than half of your calories. Your fat intake in this meal more than likely is over what you can metabolize on a daily basis, your carbs are prob more than half of what you can burn as well. 

And the burner is "What are the chances you won't eat again? " I highly doubt you will skip meals for the rest of the day. But wait you have 500 calories left! However,since you pretty much maxed out on your fat and carbs your left with a plate of low to no-fat Protein to chew on. Highly doubt that you will be ok eating this way.

You see eating a balanced diet of protein, carbs and fat will reduce the possibility of over eating. By not over eating you can actually lose weight in your midsection. All of the food items labeled as belly fat busters aren't the way to solve things. If thats all you ate, you  could easily still over eat and  lack adequate balance of carbs, protein and fat.  

So whats this about balance of calories. Its science and in the world of exercise and fitness science wins. 

A balanced or portion controlled way of eating will allow you to enjoy food but keep your calories in check. There are no special foods or secret detoxes. Eat what you like, but keep your portions in check. 

Where can you find your portions?

A nutrition facts label of course. Here is a resource to check out: http:// www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm274593.htm 

The nutrition facts label (a picture of one is at the bottom of the page) lets you know the serving size and measurement for the calories listed. This is a key ingredient to tracking your calories or macros because each label will list the total Protein,  Carbs and Fat. Using this label to measure your portions will definitely help you monitor your intake. 

I will say that treats from time to time are ok. But you want to consume nutrient dense foods as much as possible. This will help keep you full longer and your body running on high octane fuel!

If you have questions regarding macros or balanced/flexible eating please contact me at epearson@pearsonpersonalfitness.com to schedule an appointment.