How to Eat to Lose Belly Fat

In order to lose overall body weight, which will include belly fat, Leslie has a few eating tips that she recommends to clients:

Eat whole foods that are made from one ingredient, such as brown rice, fruit, sweet potatoes, and other veggies.
"Focus on eating lots of non-starchy veggies to help keep you full without eating too many calories," Leslie said. This includes spinach, kale, and other salad greens, bell peppers, carrots, and bok choy.
"Eat a lower-carb diet, not no carb — just not our typical Western excess grain diet." She recommends a diet that's 40 percent carbs, which includes veggies, fruit, whole grains, and a few fun treats mixed in.
"Avoid highly-processed, no-nutrition foods on a daily basis," she suggested, including refined grains and foods with lots of additives or chemicals.
Reduce refined sugars, and if you want to enjoy sweeteners in moderation, choose maple syrup or honey, she said.
Limit alcohol consumption, said registered dietitian Jessica Levings from Balanced Pantry. It "will cut out excess calories from the drinks themselves, and also from the poor food choices you're likely to make the next day," she said.
Have a treat every so often for balance, Leslie suggested, but choose ones that offer some health benefits such as low-sugar dark chocolate for antioxidants, or an oatmeal cookie which gives you some beneficial fibre.
If intermittent fasting interests you, incorporate 12:12 intermittent fasting, which means that you allow your body to digest your food for at least 12 hours overnight. Leslie said, "For a little extra boost for weight loss, aim for 14 hours. For many this is as simple as not eating after dinner, and having a little bit of a later breakfast," so for example, you'd fast from 8 p.m. until 10 a.m.
Use a calorie-tracking app to increase your mindfulness about what you put in your body, Leslie recommended. It can also show you how to balance your nutrient intake for the day. It can also shed some light about when you eat and if you tend to eat when you're hungry, just out of habit, or because you're bored. "Don't get caught up being specific on macros. There is no one perfect day. Do the best you can to have a higher protein, moderate fat, and lower-carb intake," Leslie said.
"Don't starve yourself. Starving or eating too little to 'diet' will only cause yo-yo dieting and a guilt and restriction cycle," Leslie said. Without enough food for survival (including our normal daily functions), registered dietitian Lisa Bunn, director of nutrition at the Genavix Wellness Network added that your body will send signals to conserve calories, slowing down your metabolism. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that women should eat at least 1,200 calories per day, and men should eat at least 1,800. Figure out your daily calorie needs either by meeting with a dietitian or by using this formula.
Krissi said that it's so important to be consistent. "Consistency with both diet and exercise trumps everything else."

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