Hmmmm...How to lose 1 pound of belly fat every week? Not really as exciting of a title as "How to lose 10 pounds in a week!" Or "Lose 30 Pounds in One Month By Eating This Food!"

If losing 30 pounds in a month or 10 pounds in a week was that easy and we were all able to sustain that weight loss permanently, then everyone would be on board.

But the truth is, if you lose 1 pound of belly fat a week, or 52 pounds a year. I would say most of you don't need to lose 48 pounds from your belly alone. But if you do, wouldn't that be great?

There are endless reasons we want or need to lose weight - especially through our midsection.

Medical reasons come to mind first. No one wants to take more medications or see their health fail if they could better control it.

Milestones are another reasons people want to lose weight. Your wedding. Your child's wedding. A reunion. A vacation on the beach. A vacation on the slopes.

Then there is another all-important reason to want to lose body fat to be healthier (not skinny), and that is to feel comfortable in your own skin. So many people I work with have watched their weight slowly climb for any number of reasons. After years of gaining body fat, they don't recognize, much less feel like the person they once were. That's not easy to deal with.

Regardless of your reason for losing belly fat, here is a guide for you to put into action right away.

 

How to Lose 1 Pound of Belly Fat Every Week

Wait! Before you scroll to the down to see what you can do to lose a little belly fat, it's really important that you understand that losing weight slowly is the best, healthiest and most effective way to keep it off permanently because it's highly likely that you're losing fat, not water.

Anything more that 2 to 3 pounds a week of weight loss, is probably not exclusively fat loss, so it will likely come right back on when you eat normal again.

When you read about someone dropping a jaw-dropping amount of weight over a week, it's probably mostly water. And they probably did it by restricting calories in general, or eliminating entire macronutrients, like people do with a keto diet.

The only thing I would recommend that may encourage faster weight loss, is the 3-Day Cleanse in The Belly Burn Plan. It's aimed at reducing inflammation, which naturally gets rid of extra weight through the nature of the foods you'll eat. I'll tell you more about that later.

Just as important, if you're eating the right foods for your apple-shape body type, you could be exchanging fat for muscle, meaning the scale won't reflect your true fat loss.

In other words, don't stress about the number on the scale. Focus on the foods you eat, your lifestyle and how you move around. They're far more important than getting.

Let's get to it. Here's how you can lose 1 pound of belly fat a week.

A few ground rules:

• Some people will lose belly fat faster than others. Inflammation has a lot to do with it. If you reduce inflammation in your body, then you'll lose weight faster.
• Don't glance over #3. If you love coffee, this may be a tough one for you to swallow, but it works.
• Before you start, measure your waistline and write it down. Then write it down every week. It's the best sign of progress.
• Keep a food journal for at least a week. You can use this Food Journal if you'd like.
• These are lifestyle changes in your diet, so there is no end in sight. Don't worry! You'll love how you feel so much you'll never want to eat how you were eating again.

 

Step 1: Reduce starchy carbohydrates to 1 meal a day

Why? Carbohydrates are not evil, but people with belly fat tend to be more sensitive to carbohydrates in general. You can eat starchy carbs, but keep them in just one meal a day. With the exception of potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn, you can eat ANY vegetables all throughout the day. So veggie-based soups, stews, chilis, roasted vegetables and salads are encouraged.

I'm not a low carb freak. Really, I'm not. So I like for people to eat things like beets, carrots and tomatoes. We can connect if you're still having problems managing blood sugar levels, but please keep moving down the list and work on refining how you're currently eating before you cut out other vegetables.

Again, you can eat starchy carbs, but reserve it to ONE MEAL A DAY. 

Need to understand the difference between good carbs and bad carbs? Get to it with that link.

Starchy carbs aren't naturally bad, but they're higher in sugar than a non-starchy carb. Starchy carbs include:

• Oatmeal
• Cereal
• Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
• Rice/Rice Cakes
• Pasta (all types)
• Beans
• Bread/Rolls
• Tortillas
• Pastries
• Crackers and Pretzels

 

Step 2: Drink water 15 minutes before every meal or snack

A few years ago I was in Costa Rica at a surfing lesson. I dislocated my rib the day before and was in unbelievable pain and didn't participate in the lesson, but my husband and two girls did. This has nothing to do with drinking water, BUT I remember our surf instructor, whose name was LoLo (so cool), made a comment about how "water is life!"

Even in my agony, I appreciated his comment.

Water is responsible for moving out the sh*t. If you don't drink at least (AT LEAST) 64 ounces of water, your colon will not be happy. That means extra stuff getting junked up, making your belly much more bloated than it should be.

Does drinking water help with belly fat?

Yes, indirectly drinking water helps to maintain metabolism, including fat metabolism. So if you want to kick more fat out of your body, start drinking more water.

Additionally, and I know you've heard this before, but thirst can mimic hunger. Often times we just need a drink of water. Not soda. Not juice. Not coffee. Herbal tea...okay to herbal tea! But everything else could either dehydrate you much more than you realize, creating constipation, or make you hungry because it contains sugar.

Again, drink about 8 ounces before every meal or snack. 

Step 3: Cut Out Caffeine

There is no need to scream or throw your arms up in the air, but caffeine is a sucker for belly fat. And if you're serious about losing it, give it up or reduce to to a cup of green tea, preferably matcha, only.

People with belly fat have a tendency to have out-of-whack cortisol, and sometimes insulin levels. Both are notorious for storing fat through the belly area. Caffeine naturally elevates cortisol levels. Caffeine has also been shown to decrease insulin sensitivity (a bad thing) in otherwise healthy people. You don't want this or need this if you have belly fat.

When you can’t manage blood sugar levels, or if you feel like your hungry all the time, but just don’t know why, your hormone, insulin, is trying to tell you something.

Despite the fact that caffeine, in and of itself, has no calories in it, it can trigger both inflammation and fat storage - especially through the belly.

If you want to lose weight through the belly area, then truly consider cutting out caffeine.

I've had people lose more than a dozen pounds by cutting out coffee.

One client actually dropped 8 pounds in two weeks by cutting out diet soda. This is a perfect case of something we eat causing inflammation. This particular woman had a lot of inflammation, cut out something that was a big trigger (she had a couple diet sodas a day) and managed to lose 8 pounds (the equivalent of a gallon of milk) in two weeks. Yes, a little bit was fat, but more was weight that was hanging onto her body via an inflammatory response.

Check out the best foods that help reduce inflammation.

 

Step 4: Increase Fiber - A LOT

Fiber is your friend. Every gram of fiber you eat - whether soluble or insoluble helps your body in some way.

Soluble fiber is digested and shuttled through your blood, grabbing toxins and garbage that should to be there. Soluble fiber is famous for helping to lower bad cholesterol.

Insoluble fiber can't be digested, which means it stays in our digestive tract. All it's magic comes in handy below you stomach, through the intestines - adding bulk, and feeding good bacteria.

There has been a lot of research around the area of obesity and gut bacteria - greatly influenced by fiber as fiber helps to feed the good bacteria (part of our microbiome). Obesity is associated with less gut bacteria diversity. Anything we can do to improve our gut health and gut diversity, help to decrease the amount of belly fat we hold onto.

Most people consume between 10 - 12 grams of fiber a day. I would like you to eat closer to 35 grams a day. It's not as hard as you think, but it does take some commitment.

Every gram of fiber helps to pull toxins out of your body. Fiber is a carbohydrate and just another reason why I think it's important to include vegetable-based carbs in your diet to reduce belly fat.

Here is a list of 70 high fiber foods you can start eating today.

 

An example of a high fiber diet for people who have belly fat is:

Breakfast:

• 12 ounces of lukewarm or room temp water + probiotic (in my recommendations)
• Protein Power Smoothie: 1 cup water + 1 cup frozen berries + 1/2 avcocado + 1 tbsp chia seeds + 1 serving protein powder (I love Orgain)

Lunch:

• 12 ounces of lukewarm or room temp water
• 1 turkey burger (no bun) + cheese + 2 cups fresh vegetables + 1/4 c hummus

Snack:

• 12 ounces of lukewarm or room temp water
• 1/4 c mixed nuts + 1/2 apple

Dinner:

• 12 ounces of lukewarm or room temp water
• Salmon + 1 c roasted brussels sprouts (in butter or coconut oil) + 1 c sweet potato (approximately)

 

Step 5: Add a Healthy Fat to Every Meal

If you need to lose some belly fat, then dietary fat is your friend. I'm not saying you should wolf down ice cream and French fries, but you should priorities truly healthy fats that help keep your hormones, especially insulin, in check.

Healthy fat options for people who carry stomach fat include:

• Avocado
• Butter or Ghee (clarified butter)
• Nuts (raw or dry roasted)
• Eggs
• Grass-fed Beef
• Fatty Fish (like salmon)
• High Fat Organic Dairy (not low fat)

Sounds a little counterintuitive, right? I mean, fat makes us fat. STOP! No, it doesn't. Fat, just like protein and carbohydrates, are an incredibly important macronutrient. I would never, in a million years, recommend following a keto diet, but I do think people who have belly fat need to add a healthy fat in every meal.

In fact, the high fiber diet I mentioned above is a perfect example of a meal plan that includes a healthy fat in every meal. Follow that!

If you're a true Apple Type, then you have to pick up The Belly Burn Plan. It's a six-week meal plan that will set you straight. I promise.

 

How to Lose Belly Fat - RECAP:

1. Reduce Starchy Carbs to One Meal a Day
2. Drink Water Before Every Meal or Snack
3. Cut Out Caffeine
4. Increase Fiber (to 35 grams a day)
5. Add a Healthy Fat to Every Meal

 

Got any questions? Leave a comment below! I'd love to hear from you.

 

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