How to lose my beer belly

[SAFC Craig]

seems like over the summer i have put on a bit of a beer belly with drinking/eating junk on nights out and only going to gym once/twice a week

need to lose it, what sort of exercises should i be looking at, got gym membership but im guessing just lots of stomach crunches etc?

also what sort of food/drink should be i eating

any advice is much appreciated

[CoolOneHere]

Well first step is to drink a lot less beer...or none at all, but that might be to difficult! Also cardio is the best way to get rid of it. Crunches won't neccessarily get rid of the belly because that just builds up the muscles underneath the fat, sorry to say. Have to sweat and keep your heart rate at not too high of a pace. I would say about half an hour job/bike/power walk 3-5 times a week.

[kalniel]

do {

Energy spent > Energy intake;

} while (BeerBelly);

[pollaxe]

Yeah, no real mystery. Cut down on the junk food and drinks and reduce your alcohol intake or cut it out altogether. Eat a balanced diet with the odd treat (but not too many) and try to do something exercise-wise most days if you can.

It really depends on your fitness levels but even walking for 30-45 minutes a day will have a good impact, especially if you push yourself to walk at a moderate pace. One of the key things is to get into a routine - it's always helpful to have a training partner so you don't get the whole "It's raining, I'm not running tonight," syndrome - so see if you have a mate who wants to get fitter too?

Any form of exercise is going to help - walking, cycling, swimming, playing sports, going to the gym. If you're wanting to lose fat then as noted above you need to concentrate more on aerobic exercise. Crunches will firm the stomach a little but you can't spot train to lose fat unfortunately. To get a six pack you need to lose body fat though crunches will help definition a little.

A good, regular exercise program should see you lose the belly. Try for a regular regime, don't go mad as it's far better to be slow and steady and build up to it. Good luck.

[b0redom]

I've started cycling to work, 11 miles each way. I'm still scoffing my face and drinking wine, but the weight is coming off. I play squash a couple of times a week too.

[steve threlfall]

seems like over the summer i have put on a bit of a beer belly with drinking/eating junk on nights out and only going to gym once/twice a week

need to lose it, what sort of exercises should i be looking at, got gym membership but im guessing just lots of stomach crunches etc?

also what sort of food/drink should be i eating

any advice is much appreciated

No need for loads of crunches- you cant 'spot reduce' fat. You have to shift fat in general rather than in any one particular area.

Weights 3 times a week (burns loads of calories and raises your resting metabolism, burning more the rest of the day). Also, cardio. If your not terribly unfit then try some HIIT http://www.thefatburner.net/articles/hiit.html (Just randomly googled this so there may be better info available, no time to read it now hence quick post)

[megah0]

Swimming in my opinion.

Exercises the entire body and is great for core strength and beefing up your shoulders and chest.

You can do intervals swimming, I tend to sprint every 4th length and maintain a steady quick pace inbetween.

Mix in some general cardio and weights and you'll be laughing.

Alternatively take up martial arts, pick Thai Boxing or something similar and you'll be amazed how quickly weight melts off you.

[SAFC Craig]

thanks for the tips everyone, think i will start doing some hiit at the gym and take up swimming

as for food/drink im drinking 2 litres of water a day, the odd protein shake/bar, but should i cut out coffee at work (some people say its good to drink one or two but not loads)

[Koolpc]

Obviously when you have been going to the gym you aint been working hard enough!!

[mcmiller]

No need for loads of crunches- you cant 'spot reduce' fat. You have to shift fat in general rather than in any one particular area.

Weights 3 times a week (burns loads of calories and raises your resting metabolism, burning more the rest of the day). Also, cardio. If your not terribly unfit then try some HIIT http://www.thefatburner.net/articles/hiit.html (Just randomly googled this so there may be better info available, no time to read it now hence quick post)

some really good advice, bit of cardio and loads of weights as you'll carry on using calories for a long period also extra muscle requires extra energy.

[SiM]

Buy a HD4850 and the heat from that will make you sweat off a load of weight

[Agent]

Just come across this on MSN.com

http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/ar...2332&GT1=31036

Nothing to lose I guess

[Taz]

Moderate, regular exercise is the best way to lose weight. Obviously you'll need to eat healthily too - several small meals a day are better than the regular breakfast-lunch-dinner.

The best decision I ever made was to buy a pedometer for £20 and ensure that I did > 10,000 steps per day- even on days when I'm not at the gym. If you've got an office-based job then 10,000 steps per days is extraordinarily hard to achieve every day.

The weight will simply melt off. I had to reduce my exercise regime to avoid losing too much weight and i'm one of those people that puts on weight very easily if I don't exercise.

I would also avoid a diet-only regime. I don't believe in diets. Simple healthy eating with moderate exercise will ensure you have a decent BMI and body fat percentage and that you are healthy.

Increasing muscle mass (through weight-training or resistance training) will increase the number of calories you burn per day and will tone your body.

[PeteSmith]

I have found Cycling to be the best method by far, the weight really does fall off, and it's fun too. I also swim, but i find this helps tone more than it does shed fat. I do a couple of hours cycling/swimming 3/4 times a week, changing my routine every so often.

Watching what you eat and your calorie intake is important - lay off the junk food and opt for the healthier options. Drink plenty of water. And most important find something you can stick to, both routine wise and diet.

Remember everyone is different - so what works for someone else is not guarenteed to work the same way for you, find something that works for you.

[moogle]

I have found Cycling to be the best method by far.

Uh huh!
I riding 60km sure makes you hungry after a ride and you can eat so much and not put on weight

[samir883]

I'm sure by now you have got your answer with all the real helpful posts on here.

Step one would obviously be to stop drinking but if you didn't want to do that then leave the beers behind and stick to spirits.

Step two would be to have a decent routine. Wake up early and before breakfast go for a jog or a run, usually this is a good way to cut fat off. Eat breakfast so you don't pig out at lunch or have junk and snacks inbetween. Also make sure the breakfast isnt a fry up, stick to the porridge, weetabix, fruit and if toast then brown with olive oil spread.

Step three to losing the beer belly is doing lots of CV excercise. Running, jogging, cycling, swimming. Do these at varying paces and build up stamina then really push yourself. Just remember when it gets really tough and burns inside thats when ur getting rid of most the fat. No point doing 20 mins of it and when it begins to hurt stop as you wont burn much fat off just lose the calories you took in from the previous meal.