Well, you could give up drinking beer. But that’s no fun, is it? What was once a six-pack or at least a flat stomach has turned into a keg. It happens to the best of us. According to endocrine expert Michael Jensen, MD, “In general, alcohol intake is associated with bigger waists, because when you drink alcohol, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat.” The average beer has 150 calories. Multiply that by however many you actually drink. And then, what’s even worse, is that drinking increases your appetite and you’ve got the drunk munchies.
You don’t have to be that middle-aged guy who’s totally out of shape falling asleep on the lazy boy instead of going to the gym. Here are 8 tips on how to lose your beer belly.
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Lift weights.
This is one of the best tips out there for any form of weight loss. You strengthen your muscles which allows your body to upstart its metabolism at the same time, meaning you burn more calories.
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Drink less beer.
If you’re a straight-up binge drinker, it’s going to take some time to get used to drinking less. But it’s going to be damn good for you, too, and you know that. And, as you also know, eventually your tolerance will fall back down and you won’t feel the need to drink your body weight.
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Drink more green tea.
Everyone’s been ranting and raving about green tea for forever. Antioxidants like catechins in green tea help you lose belly fat. Think one big mug in the morning. If you really don’t like tea, go for green tea extract in pill-form. Green tea also has lots of caffeine which helps suppress your appetite and push you through tough workouts.
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Bulk up on protein.
Bulk up on protein.Protein helps you build muscle, but it also helps combat insulin. Your body produces more insulin as you get older, and insulin promotes fat storage, especially around your gut. Up your intake with whey protein.Yes, that’s right. Keeping your weight in check can be as easy as sleeping. The right amount, that is. If you’re sleeping five hours or less per night, your body is actually going to increase fat storage in areas like your belly. Try to get at least eight hours.
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Eat small meals every three to four hours.
We want you to eat often and eat little. These small meals or snacks help keep your metabolism going by preventing your body from going into starvation mode.
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Cut out sugar.
Have you ever seen the documentary Fed Up? It’s almost completely devoted to the horrifying effects of our American sugar-packed, hyper-processed diet. Cut out soda, candy, and processed foods ASAP. When you pack in the sugar, your liver gets flooded with fructose and responds to it by turning it into fat. Where’s that fat go? Lots of it finds its way to your beer belly.
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Don’t just do a shit ton of crunches.
Ab workouts aren’t going to magically get rid of belly fat. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. You’re much better off introducing more cardio to your workout routine. Even if this means opting for the stairs instead of the elevator or walking or biking more often, every little bit of exercise is going to help.
