If you’re reading a fitness, health, and wellness website, we’re willing to bet that you’re interested in a flatter stomach! After all, who isn’t?
A perezcious reader wrote FitPerez dietician Lisa DeFazio for some healthy advice to lose extra belly fat, asking:
I am looking to trim down my waist several inches as well as flatten my stomach. What types of food should I avoid and what exercises without a machine will be effective in helping me to achieve my goal?
According to Lisa:
This is what most of us want to do! Here are a few tips:
1. Consume fruits, vegetables, lean protein (fish, chicken, beans,) and water.
2. Incorporate some high fiber carbs at breakfast and lunch such as oatmeal, whole grain bread and brown rice.
3. Do not eat a large dinner and keep it to mainly protein and vegetables, less carbohydrate.
4. There should be about 3 hours between dinner and bedtime. Dinner should be about 3 hours before bedtime. In other words, do not eat, then go to sleep an hour later. If dinner is at 6, allow for at least 3 hours before you go to sleep at 9, or later.
5. Effective exercises are sit ups and some cardio such as walking or jumping rope will flatten your stomach and shrink your belly.
6. Avoid high sugar, high fat foods such as ice cream, cookies, chips, greasy fast food, cheese, fried food, candy bars, etc. If you indulge in something high fat, get back on track right away.
For more great dietary advice, shoot Tips@FitPerez.com an email, then check back to see if Lisa answers your question!