This may come as a shock to you, but if you want to get rid of or lose (abdominal) fat, cardio (for example, losing weight with running) is not the best way!

Cardio training indeed burns calories, but you also pay the price for it. Here are the downsides, especially with prolonged cardio:

Significant production of the anti-stress hormone cortisol. This hormone is released in response to stress and tries to limit the damage that stresses causes as much as possible. With chronic stress, cortisol can cause your body to store fat in the abdominal area (source).
A decrease in testosterone, while this hormone stimulates fat burning. Especially in runners and people who do cardio for a long time, the testosterone level decreases (source, source)
And yes, this hormone is essential for women too!
The effect on insulin sensitivity is relatively low, so fat storage does not necessarily decrease.

Later in this article, I’ll explain what kind of training is better for you.

Losing weight belly mistake #2: making fat food the enemy

You don’t necessarily get fat by eating fat. There are also many good fats such as nuts, olive oil, avocado, oily fish, etc.

Although these fats contain calories, they keep you feeling full for longer. In addition, they activate insulin to a low extent, which only starts to store fat when values ​​are too high.

With some fats such as coconut oil, you stimulate fat burning through the medium-chain fatty acids (MCT), and you can therefore burn more fat (source). Later in this article, I will elaborate on healthy fats.

Do you want an example slimming weekly menu incl? Recipes and shopping list?

Click here, and I will send them directly to you for free.
Lose weight belly mistake #3: want to lose belly fat with abdominal exercises

Some people think that you can only get a flat stomach with abdominal exercises, but that is far from the truth. Your diet is much more essential to reduce and get rid of belly fat (source).

New research does suggest that exercise is more important than diet alone when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight and preventing weight gain (source).

This reminds me of a well-known English saying:

Abs are made in the kitchen!

With abdominal exercises, you can ensure that the abdomen hangs less and becomes tighter. This can be especially helpful after pregnancy.

Strengthening your abs can make them more “defined,” too. This means that the shape of the abdominal muscle blocks becomes more visible.

But in addition, abdominal exercises mainly provide stronger abdominal muscles, less chance of lower back pain, preventing injuries and improving balance and stability during daily activities such as standing, walking, sitting, etc.
Lose weight belly mistake #4: want to remove belly fat with pills

There are few pills with a beneficial effect on weight loss, but people still believe in fairy tales about fast weight loss around the belly.

What does help with weight loss is Glucomannan (from the Konjac plant). This is because the fibres of Glucomannan absorb a lot of water and thus contribute to a reduced appetite and an increased feeling of satiety.

View my brand of Glucomannan (without additional fillers)

Another pill can help lose belly fat and get a tight stomach, namely the omega-three pills, but more about that later.

Losing weight belly mistake #5: going on a diet

It’s getting a bit tiresome to point this out to people, but diets don’t work, not even to get a flat stomach!

A 2014 study found that only 30% of overweight participants maintain a healthy weight after losing weight. The majority had regained their old weight after three years (source).

The cause of too much belly fat and obesity is an unhealthy lifestyle. Nothing more and nothing less! This consists of 5 reasons:

Consuming more calories than burning (note: I will discuss exceptions to this later)
Overeating of simple/refined/processed carbohydrates (source, source)
Eating processed foods
No to a tiny movement
Prolonged/chronic stress

If you have a flat stomach, that does not necessarily mean that you are healthy! Organ fat, also called visceral fat, is worse than the belly fat you see on the outside.

Organ fat is linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.

The ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in your body is significant for your health. The fatty acids should be present in your body about the same amount.

Because we counter
If you get a lot of omega-6 (a lot through vegetable oils) and just a little omega-3 (fish is almost the only good source), this ratio is out of balance for most people.

By taking omega three capsules daily, you help to restore this balance.

No soft drinks and fruit juices

Soft drinks and fruit juices are full of sugar. This makes these drinks a real fattener. Even freshly squeezed orange juice often contains as much as 20 grams of sugar per glass.

If burning belly fat is essential to you, it is best not to take these drinks.

I always find a suitable replacement is a carafe with water with some cucumber slices, ginger and sprigs of mint.

After 15 minutes, the different ones have been pulled together in the water, and you have a very healthy glass of water with a delicious taste.

Get enough sleep & less stress

When you are sleeping, your body is busy “cleaning” your body. It makes the necessary hormones, repairs wounds, and much more.

By giving your body enough sleep, you help it stay in balance, and a body in balance burns excess belly fat very quickly.

Sleep at least 7.30 hours a night and try not to go to bed after 11 am.

Try to get things that cause you a lot of stress out of your life step by step. Stress can be very unhealthy and is why many people have too much belly fat.
Conclusion: focus on nutrition and lifestyle

Some people indeed store belly fat more quickly than others. And it’s undoubtedly the case that it’s easier to burn belly fat when you’re young.

Those are the facts. But everyone can have a slim stomach.

If you have had three children and are now well in menopause, you will no longer have a belly like you are 21. But that’s probably not what you want at all.

Just a healthy body without excess belly fat.