Intermittent fasting (IF) involves not eating for part of each day or a few times a week. When your body doesn't have a constant energy source from the food you eat, it allows your body to utilize the fat stores it already has, helping you lose belly fat.
Dr. Daryl Gioffre, a celebrity certified nutritionist whose clients include Kelly Ripa and Mario Lopez, adds that when you fast for 16 hours, "your blood sugar and insulin levels lower" and the human growth hormone increases. This increases your metabolic rate "by up to 14 percent in some people," and your body has no other choice but to start burning your body's stored fat for energy (in my case, my belly fat).
I have been doing IF for the past 20 months, mostly 16:8, and it's definitely helped me lose belly fat. But after hitting a weight-loss plateau and actually gaining weight, in the past three months, I've played around with different fasting protocols. I tried alternate day fasting and my belly fat has decreased immensely — the photos speak for themselves.
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Lexi Lambros