Eat high-quality protein at every meal
When we say high-quality protein we are talking about protein from animals, eggs, dairy and whey protein, all contain a complete profile of essential amino acids. The amino acids within the high-quality protein will trigger muscle protein synthesis which in turn will help to build lean muscle tissue. The more lean muscle tissue an individual has the higher the caloric expenditure will be at rest, but also the more claories will be burned during training. A high protein diet will also result in feeling fuller longer compared to eating a carbohydrate dense meal. Being fuller longer will result in less overeating and feeling satiated.
Reduce carb intake
Low carbohydrate diets are used to help re-establish insulin sensitivity of muscle cells. As time goes on due to the reduced carbs, less insulin is pumped out of the pancreas and insulin receptors become sensitive again meaning glucose will be absorbed into the muscle cells rather than being stored as fat. This isn’t to say carbs are the devil. The low carb phase is purely to resensitize your muscle cells. Once you achieve that metabolically healthy state, feel free to change up the ratios of your macronutrients and reintroduce carbs.
Probiotics for a healthy gut
Probiotics are found in sources such as yoghurt, kefir, supplements and have a positive anti-inflammatory effect on the body.
The role of probiotics is to boost the gut function and digestion, which together helps reduce belly fat. Studies show including probiotic food sources/supplements help reduce belly fat via enhancing insulin sensitivity and elevating an anti-inflammatory signal named adiponectin that helps the body to mobilize and burn belly fat.
Hypertrophy training
Hypertrophy training is geared toward building lean muscle mass. The set-up of hypertrophy training will be between the 8-12 rep range, 3 sets or more and using a weight of around 75% of your one rep max. This style of training will result in a large caloric output during your sessions and improving lean muscle gain. Remember – the more muscle mass you possess the higher your caloric output will be.
Emphasis on lower body training
As stated earlier, the more muscle mass an individual has the more calories burned. Our legs hold the largest muscles within our body, so the more often we train legs and produce greater lean muscle tissue, the higher our caloric output will be.
Training lower body more often has also been shown to increase growth hormone production and improve insulin sensitivity, balancing out cortisol levels which in turn will reduce inflammation, allowing effective/faster fat loss.
Improve the quality of your sleep
Why?
- Poor sleep is highly linked to belly fat gain. Lack of sleep again will increase cortisol levels and reduces insulin sensitivity, meaning carbs cannot be processed effectively.
- Blood sugar levels - A rise in cortisol will destabilize your blood sugar level. This will make clients crave sugary foods… this results in cheating on their diet.
- Poor sleep will reduce production of leptin (the hormone that tells you, you are full), and increase the production of ghrelin (the hormone that tells you, you are hungry)
Summary
There are three main aspects to think about when it comes to reducing belly fat:
- Diet - are you in a caloric deficit to promote fat loss?
- Hormones - are you keeping a lid on cortisol and its negative effects such as inflammation?
- Is your training set up in a way to increase caloric output during and post-training?
Suggestions:
- A diet incorporating high-quality protein, plenty of green vegetables and low starchy carbohydrates.
- Using the following supplements:
- To reduce cortisol levels and inflammation –Magnesium (500mg), Curcumin (500mg), Fish-oil (2g)
- To improve gut health – Probiotics, Glutamine (10g)
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