In my previous blog, I gave few reasons for not losing belly fat. In this part I have chalked out few more common reasons. For people who have missed the first part of the blog please go through the link again before you start reading part 2.
- Lack of sleep– Sleep deprivation or disturbed sleep not only adds on to physical and mental stress but also affects your choice of food items i.e. You end up eating junk/carbs when you are unable to sleep at night. Not only that the ideal procedure of fat loss, growth and development actually takes place when you are in deep sleep. I think now you can relate why people with high stress levels get flabbier day by day even when their portions are controlled.
Sleeping for 6-8 hours daily is very important.
- Starvation- In my practice as a dietician, I have come across bunch of people who starve themselves to lose weight most importantly belly fat. It is one of the worst things that you can do to your body. The first thing that your body does when it has access to food post long gap is store all the calories in the form of fat and spend the least for various functions of the body as well as for other activities.
Small frequent meals and not keeping your body starved for long hours will really help improve metabolism.
- Consuming fruits at night or post meals- Most consider having fruits at night to be healthy and light. But, the fact is that fruits are rich source of carbohydrates and supply constant energy. We are neither that active at night nor is our metabolism good post sunset. Thus, all the unused calories get stored in the body in the form of fat.
With regards to having fruits with/post meals, it increases the carbohydrate load of the meal and all the excess and unused carbs is converted into fat.
It is better to consume fruits as a mid snack before sunset or a great option to start your day to boost your metabolism
- Sweets/dessert post meals- Icecreams / puddings/ chocolates/ sweets post meals especially after dinner makes your day especially if you have a sweet tooth. Sweets are sugar laden and having them post meals makes it all the more obvious for more fat deposition. That doesn’t mean you should not enjoy sweets and desserts. You can enjoy it as a mid meal snack. If you manage to have it in the first half of the day, nothing like it.
If you are a person who cannot do without sweets post meals, opt for a piece of more than 70% dark chocolate, a small piece of jaggery, chikki made of jaggery and nuts, squeezed rasgulla.
- Dehydration – Consuming less water/fluids or increased consumption of caffeinated drinks like tea/ coffee/ pepsi/coke etc leads to dehydration of cells. In the state of dehydration, the cells and organs cannot function at their optimal level and the metabolism falls. This aids in less energy utilization for various functions of the body and the unused energy. Calories get converted into fats which are generally stored in the belly region.
Another reason for belly fat is when you have less water, all the toxins that are present within the body does not get flushed off the system and further affects the efficient working of organs like liver, kidney, heart and other muscles which further reduces the metabolism and effective calorie consumption of body which increases the conversion of excess energy into fats.
Consuming at least 2.5- 3 litres of water and choosing fluids like lemon water, vegetable juices, buttermilk, coconut water over caffeinated drinks will help you hydrate and rejuvenate your cells.
I am sure you might be committing these mistakes and not realizing that it is causing you harm..If you look at it holistically, you will get a better idea of what needs to be done and what not to do.
After reading this, and making these small changes in your regime you will be able to bring about a great difference within you. Bringing about a change in you is completely in your hands. GO FOR IT!!
