Whether you’re just looking to trim those last few inches or you’re looking to drop Biggest Loser style pounds, there are a few super fat burning foods that will get you big results and a flatter belly. While they’re not some kind of super secret Holywood diet, these little gems will help you get a jump start on attaining your weight loss goals and they’ll also give some added kick to any well balanced fitness and nutrition plan.
The first and most important “food” you need to add to your diet to get a hard body belly is water! One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight and get toned is they continue to drink calories. Eliminate soda, beer and wine from your daily routine and replace them with water. As with everything, moderation is the key. A small glass of juice in the morning or a small amount of your favorite beverage on special occasions is fine, but when it comes to those 20, 32 or 40 ounce gas station guzzlers and the cans of soda at work, choose good old zero calorie H2O instead. Your mid section will thank you. For me, switching from my favorite sweet dark delicious soda, to something lighter and whiter made the eventual transition to mostly water with a rare soda as a treat a lot easier.
Now that you’re properly hydrated, it’s time to make like Popeye and reach for the spinach. My impression of spinach was that it was soggy dark green and down right nasty. It would show up on occasion and pollute an otherwise perfectly delicious meal. It doesn’t have to be that way though. While I’m still not a fan of some cooked spinach, there are many delicious ways to get it into your diet. Use it instead of lettuce in your salad. Add it to that turkey sub at Subway. Mix it with salsa and use it as a dip. Stuff it inside of fish and grille it. The possibilities and recipes are endless. Raw spinach is packed with more healthful benefits than cooked spinach so try to use raw spinach whenever you can. If you grimace at your first few recipes don’t give up. Keep at it until you find a way to get this super muscle building source of omega-3 into your diet.
With the nutrition of spinach in your corner, the next best food for a flat belly is the unsung hero of the dieting world. It’s the carrot. For a lot of nutritional reasons, carrots should be at the top of everyone’s must have list, but the real reason to put the carrot right at the top is because it’s one of the best substitute foods. Let’s face it, eating is about habits as much as hunger. A bag of baby carrots makes a great replacement snack for almost any sinfully fried, cheese coated treat you can find. It won’t taste nearly as delightful, but it’s a small sacrifice to make so you can start to look good in that swim suit. Substituting bad foods for good foods to reduce calories is one of the keys to a flat belly and in that battle carrots are definitely your friend.
Finally, to really trim your belly you should consider having a burger! No, we’re not talking about a heart attack special at the drive through; we’re talking about a high protein low calorie extra lean hamburger. As reported in the May 2005 Journal Of Nutrition,diets with more protein helped to reduce the waist to hip ratio on most people. Substitute some of your traditional carbohydrate intake for some protein instead and not only will you feel better, you’ll look better. If you’re not into burgers, there are plenty of high protein alternatives available.
