Notice how its harder to get rid of belly fat over 40?
If you’ve done more sit-ups than you can count, yet it’s barely made a dent when it comes to getting rid of your stubborn belly fat. Then it might be time to try something different.
Because the answer is definitely not more sit ups.
Unfortunately, the internet is littered with endless quick fixes that if you do this one ab exercise, or take this one pill, it’s going to magically melt away your belly fat. That’s just not how it works.
Today, I’m going to give you a proven step-by-step guide on how to get rid of belly fat (0ver 40 people) that’s been living rent free in your body all this time.
How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat Over 40 (Step-By-Step)
Number one is actually an anti-habit in that you need to stop thinking that you can spot treat yourself.
1. Focus on reducing overall body fat percentage.
It sounds counterintuitive. But this way of thinking will actually give you the best chance at losing your belly fat. Because it gets you out of the notion that if you just do 100 sit ups every day, you’re eventually gonna see your abs.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t do sit ups by the way. Because just because you can’t spot treat yourself where you’re going to burn fat, you can actually target where you’re going to build muscle.
What I’m trying to say is when you do eventually get rid of your belly fat, that muscle definition will finally show. But that’s like Step number 10 in all of this. You’re putting the cart in front of the horse. You need to get rid of the fat on top of your abs first.
My point is you want to do these specific movements when you exercise with the intention of building muscle, not burning fat. So, keep working out.
2. Get yourself on a proper diet.
Surprise, surprise. There’s just no escaping this. 80% of your body composition is determined by what you eat.
This is why it’s a fool’s errand to do 1,000 sit ups every day to burn belly fat. You’re focusing on a small part of the 20% part of the equation. You’re majoring in the minor.
This also explains why you see the same people at the gym, they workout every day, but they look the same.
There’s always going to be a never ending debate on which diet is the best for weight loss and get rid of belly fat over 40 years old.
But the number one determining factor when it comes to your success is governed by a single word. Adherence. Can you stick to whatever diet you’re following consistently.
This video isn’t about arguing the minutiae of specific diets out there. You should check out this video if you want to know what I think which diet is best for weight loss.
Feel free to experiment for yourself. But whatever diet you end up following needs to promote metabolic flexibility. Otherwise, whatever initial results you end up getting won’t be sustainable long term.
For example, juice cleanses always work at the beginning. But once you stop, you eventually put all the weight back on. And then, some. It’s nothing more than an overpriced high sugar crash diet.
What is metabolic flexibility? Metabolic flexibility is a state where your body is easily able to tap into your fat stores, aka your belly fat, and burn it for energy in between meals.
That’s it. That’s the secret of getting rid of your belly fat. Not this magic exercise program or diet that Joe Blow is selling on the internet.
You achieve metabolic flexibility by eating a diet that moderates your insulin levels. Insulin is your storing hormone. A lot of experts consider it the master hormone, because it’s the hormone that controls your body weight. You want to keep it moderated at all times.
Because if your insulin levels are high, you can not access your belly fat and burn it for energy. You just can’t. It gets locked away. This is why I always say that exercise, like doing sit-ups, has many benefits. But weight loss isn’t one of them.
Now, what’s the best diet to moderate insulin levels? Well, every time you eat, your insulin goes up. But out of all three macronutrients, carbs especially refined carbs and sugar spike the hormone insulin the most. Protein and fat also spikes insulin but not to the extent that refined carbs and sugar does.
Protein and fat also trigger your satiety hormones so that protects you from over eating. You’ll never hear someone say they over ate on butter. You get sick.
With that information in mind, this is why I’m a big fan of a low carb diet in general. I’m not saying that carbs are bad. I love sweet potatoes, for example.
It’s really more about addition by subtraction here. Because a lot of processed foods out there that causes nothing but harm to the human body is made out of refined carbs and sugar.
It’s not uncommon for example for the average American or somebody who’s following a western diet to consume a mind blowing 500-600 grams of fat promoting processed carbs daily. If you stop eating those foods, your chances of losing your belly fat skyrockets.
When I say processed carbs and refined sugar, these are foods that you’ll find at the centre aisle of grocery stores. They usually come in some sort of packaging with a really long shelf life. Some of these foods don’t even expire. Or, they’re still good even when they’re “expired”. That should make you question whether it’s healthy for you right away.
Again, if we’re talking about which diet your body responds to the best physiologically, a low carb diet comprised of single ingredient whole foods is king in my opinion.
3. Eat single ingredient foods.
Why? Because this is how we evolved to eat as human beings. And we’re gonna split this step into two parts.
First, I want you to eat vegetables. Specifically, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables. And I want you to eat a lot of them.
Because almost all vegetables naturally contain fibre which activates the stretch mechanism in your stomach. Translation? It allows you to feel fuller longer.
Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are also naturally low in carbs so it keeps your insulin levels moderated.
You don’t have this huge spike compared to eating french fries or bread. And it naturally keeps your calories in check so you can stay on a deficit. It’s basically the best bang for your nutrition buck.
The second part of our single ingredient food tip is make sure you’re eating enough protein in your diet.
Protein gets broken down into essential amino acids which is the building block of life. To make things simple, you need adequate protein in your diet to lose belly fat and be healthy.
Protein also activates PYY which is one of your key satiety hormones helping you feel fuller longer.
Protein can also help increase energy expenditure during digestion because of its thermic effect. All that means is that your body has to burn extra energy when its digesting a piece of steak versus eating a bag of Doritos for example.
A good rule of thumb is to eat 0.7 grams per pound of lean body mass.
Next, let’s use the concept of addition by subtraction.
Before we proceed, make sure you’re smashing…
4. Cut out as much sugar as you can from your diet.
I’ve mentioned many times in my videos that I love cheesecake and carrot cake. But dessert and other sweets can’t be part of your daily diet if you want any chance of getting rid of your belly fat.
It’s the same thing with sweetened beverages like pop and energy drinks. Juice is also suspect here. You’re basically drinking coke with some vitamins.
This is why I always say that what you stop doing has far more impact to your health than what you start doing. Addition by subtraction.
Dessert and sugary drinks taste good but they’re just empty calories.
They’re devoid of nutrients. They’re extremely insulinogenic with nothing to slow down the rate of absorption once it enters your system. Because it doesn’t contain protein, fat, or fibre. Insulinogenic means it’s fattening, by the way.
If we’re talking about the lesser or two evils, this is why ice cream is better than skittles.
They both contain sugar but ice cream gets the advantage because it also contains fat and protein. And ummmm who doesn’t like ice cream? But it should be considered more as a treat. It can’t be part of your daily diet.
And no, low calorie ice cream isn’t any better. Yes, some of them are even “zero” sugar because it’s sweetened with artificial sweeteners. But artificial sweeteners still triggers an insulin response. You can’t trick your body by eating fake food. The only person you’re cheating is yourself.
Long story short, you won’t have a hard time finding a list of studies connecting sugar consumption to fat accumulation around your belly.
Think about this from a physiological standpoint. Fruit was seasonal back in the Paleolithic times. Our ancestors ate fruit to fatten themselves up for winter. This is a survival mechanism.
But now, we have access to sugar all year round. You can eat fruit all year round. You’re basically sending a signal to your body to store fat if you eat sugar every day.
5. (This might ruffle some feathers) Limit alcohol to get rid of belly fat over 40.
I dare you to find a study that connects alcohol to optimal health. Any study that you do find is only able to establish correlation, but not causation.
However, you won’t have a hard time finding studies connecting alcohol consumption to abdominal obesity. They don’t call it a beer belly for nothing. Pop belly is also a thing by the way if you drink too much pop.
Here’s why alcohol consumption is so insidious when it comes to sabotaging your fat loss goals. You are literally poisoning your body just enough when you drink alcohol. That’s why you get the buzz.
If you drink too much, that’s when you get black out drunk.
Alcohol, in the form of ethanol, is also known as the first to burn calories. Because your body has to prioritize metabolizing the poison you just drank. Which then pauses the burning of all other calories.
So if you eat and drink at the same time, your body has to metabolize the alcohol calories first so you don’t die. Which means the calories from food immediately gets stored as body fat. More likely than not, around your belly, butt, and thighs.
From a social standpoint we also don’t make the best diet decisions when alcohol is involved. Nobody craves broccoli when they’re drunk. The next logical step is usually McDonald’s.
I’m not saying you should never drink. It should be in the same category as dessert. It should be considered more as a treat and left for special occasions.
When you do drink, stay away from mixed sugary drinks and go for hard liquor like vodka and tequila. You can mix it with soda water or drink it straight up. If you like wine, go for dry red wine because it has the least amount of sugar.
6. Manage stress levels.
Stress is a part of life. But you want to do your best to manage it as best as you can.
Your body treats all types of stress the same way. Whether it’s stress from work, a bad relationship, financial problems, or exercise. Your body responds the same way.
It activates cortisol which is your fight or flight response hormone. One of its main jobs is to flood your body glucose so you have usable energy to fight or flight.
When you exercise, you have a way to burn off all that extra glucose in your system. But if you’re constantly stressed from life with no way to burn it off, all that extra glucose gets stored specifically around your belly.
One of the best ways to manage stress is actually my next tip.
7. Go for a walk.
If you’ve been following my channel, you’ll know that I’m a big proponent of walking. Specifically, getting 10,000 steps spread throughout the day for two reasons.
Number one, it forces you to move your body and you avoid prolonged periods where you’re completely sedentary. I don’t think you need me to tell you that living a sedentary lifestyle and obesity go hand in hand.
Number two, walking almost guarantees to keep you below your maximum aerobic heart rate, which is the “fat burning zone”. It’s where your body is burning mainly fatty acids for energy.
Yes, it doesn’t burn as much calories as running. But rest assured, the energy that you do end up using is coming from fat. That includes your belly fat.
Again, walking is an unbelievably powerful way to lower stress. You can amplify those benefits if you go for a walk somewhere in nature. This is called forest bathing.
8. Do intermittent fasting.
Let’s clear something up. Body fat, specifically your belly fat, is stored energy waiting to be used. That’s what it’s there for. It’s not just there for looks.
I mentioned earlier that every time you eat, your insulin goes up. High insulin blocks fat burning. It puts your body in fat storage mode.
The reverse is also true. Every time you don’t eat, your insulin goes back down to baseline. Your body now shifts into fat burning mode. Again, this is why it’s key to moderate insulin and cortisol.
If you want to lose your belly fat, you want to spend as much time in fat burning mode. The most logical way to do that is to take a break from eating.
In my opinion, intermittent fasting is the most powerful tool you can use to get rid of your belly fat. You’re simply tapping into your built in fat burning mechanism when you do this.
And I talk a lot more about the intricacies and nuances of this way of eating in my other videos. So make sure you check those out.
This is one of my all time favourite questions to ask. What do you think will happen if you took a break from eating? You’re going to lose weight. A lot of weight. Specifically, body fat.
Fasting is also muscle sparring, contrary to the popular myth that it burns muscle. Unless you’re at 5% body fat, you have nothing to worry about.
My point here is your body is extremely smart. It knows what to do. Trust me when I say it does not want to carry around excess fat around your belly. Your default factory setting is lean and healthy.
It’s really all about putting your body in the best position possible to thrive and tap into your built in fat burning mechanism.
And if you follow all the steps I just laid out for you, it’s not a matter of if you’re going to lose your belly fat, it’s only a matter of when. You just need to give it some time.
As always, if this was helpful, share it with a friend who could benefit from it as well!
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