Even though it’s tempting to wish for a magic trick that can quickly reduce belly weight, that trick just doesn’t exist. Admitting this fact can lead to frustration when your goal is to slim down in that area. But being realistic about belly weight and how it really works can help you make choices that can naturally promote a healthier waistline. And don’t shoot for overnight results; aim instead to work on habits that your belly likes for the long-term.
First off, your belly is not isolated from the rest of your body. How you treat your whole body health-wise will affect your belly too. Getting hormones tested — including cortisol values, estrogen and progesterone for women, and testosterone and DHEA for both men and women — will give you a snapshot of hormone imbalances that may be obstacles to losing belly weight.
For example, adrenal fatigue and estrogen dominance that may show up in lab results are treatable by combining lifestyle changes and targeted supplements. Hormone balancing treatments can then improve energy and metabolism, allowing for better results from your diet and exercise efforts.
Next, you can look at other lifestyle factors that affect hormone levels, which can then affect the belly area. One of those factors is sleep. Instead of just aiming for a specific number of hours slept per night, you can start looking at how you’re sleeping as well. Are you waking up repeatedly during the night? Is it difficult to fall asleep? Are you on a consistent sleep schedule or an erratic one?
Do you let yourself wind down an hour before bed, or are you working and worrying about the next day (or the current one) right up until your head hits the pillow? And when it comes to the number of hours of sleep, are you getting too little or too much for your individual body’s needs? A naturopath can work with you on promoting better sleep in your routine, but first you can take a closer look at how you’re doing things at home and what may need improvement.
Sleep is a time of regeneration, rest, and ultimately hormone balancing. Even though we’re not aware of exactly what’s happening during those hours on a nightly basis, it is easy to tell that with poor sleep or a lack of sleep, it’s more likely that you’ll feel irritable, moody, low concentration, low motivation, anxiety, and overall stress. When you get good sleep, you can tell the benefits there too of better mood and energy. The hormones that support these areas of health and that need sleep on their side to function well are the same ones that promote better metabolism, healthier blood sugar, and less weight retention around the belly.
The proper kinds of exercise for your whole body that make you feel good are the same ones that will benefit your belly too. There’s no need to do 1,000 crunches per day in order to lose belly weight. What can help is a good mix of cardio that is at a comfortable intensity level along with resistance training (again at a comfortable intensity level). Resist the urge to go full throttle if you haven’t exercised in a while. You’ll want to slowly build up your skeletal muscle strength both aerobically and resistance-wise. This increased physical strength will improve how your body (and belly) burns calories for the long-term, as long as you keep up a semi-consistent routine.
Some people benefit from doing core and balances poses too, such as you’d practice when doing yoga, pilates, or tai chi. Your belly area is at your core, or your center of gravity. When you balance your body on one leg and do fluid movements in and out of balance poses, you’re encouraging your core to be strong so you don’t fall over. The muscles around your belly area come into play so that you stay grounded in basic balance poses.
You can attend a class to strengthen your core or just grab a mat and do simple exercises at home. Feel free to incorporate light 1-3 pound weights with the poses, or just perform them using the resistance from your body alone. Notice the stress relief that can come from supporting your core in this way.
To deter your body from craving too many sugars or carbs at certain times, you can turn to foods or drinks that will change your palate and hunger level (especially during the moments when you may feel tempted to stress eat). Greek yogurt, berries, tart cherries, nut butters, healthy fats like avocado, a small piece of dark chocolate, nuts, and other proteins or fruits can help in that department. Drinking water, chewing gum, or enjoying a mint can help too if you’re truly not hungry and only eating out of stress or boredom.
Paying attention to when you’re eating out of stress and boredom is key. If you know yourself well, you can help yourself get through food urges that have nothing to do with actual hunger. There’s no problem with eating sweets/treats once in a while and enjoying them just like a kid would, but the belly area magnetizes excess calories that are eaten on autopilot out of stress, suppressed emotions, and boredom.
Are you doing this at all, and if so, when and under what circumstances does it happen? Start the training process of breaking these habits by first paying attention to what you’re doing. You can do it non-judgementally, out of curiosity. Think of it as taking notes at first on what you observe. Change can come from observation first.
Fiber in your diet can help you stay full longer, as long as you’re drinking plenty of water too to balance out the fiber you consume. Soluble fiber in particular (such as found in psyllium husk and some in flax seeds) absorbs water in the GI tract and helps slow down digestion so you don’t get hungry too quickly between meals. Insoluble fiber is useful as well to help prevent constipation. Search for foods that you enjoy that can increase fiber in your diet, or take a supplement if needed as well. Your belly loves adequate fiber!
To reduce bloating or distension in the midsection, fiber can be helpful as well, along with probiotics for some people. It can be hard to tell just how much of “belly” includes excess weight versus excess gas from meals. Go ahead and attend to both, because both are important for your overall health. Try not to overeat during meals by shooting for portion sizes that are satisfying your energy needs (and enjoyment of a meal) without going over the top and making you feel sluggish and sleepy instead. Eating slower can give you a better idea of how hungry you actually are.
Antioxidant and metabolic support can be found in certain nutritional and botanical supplements, and these supplements can help improve how your body uses calories from the foods you eat. When you come in for an appointment, we can help pinpoint which treatment fits best for you. A common therapy you may find people using for metabolic support and energy level is green tea for example, either as a beverage and/or as a daily supplement around meals.
Finally — your belly is your core, your center of gravity, and where you feel “the guts” as in courage, or that “gut feeling” as in certain instinctual reactions or responses to life. There’s no benefit from directing very negatively charged thoughts toward your belly/core, no matter how much you’d like to lose excess weight from there. Be gentle with yourself and look for belly-supportive habits that make sense for your schedule and daily demands. Even though it may come up at times, don’t dwell on thoughts or emotions that are making you feel discouraged or disappointed in your belly. Your belly needs positive encouragement from you, as well as a mental break from measuring weight at times (hide your weight scale).
Feel what’s going on in the belly area (including digestion, posture, etc), what it’s asking you for, and how to best support it. When you put everything together and exercise patience toward your body, you’ll find that supporting your belly can come naturally and one step at a time. For additional guidance on a healthy and supported midsection, please contact us for an appointment and individualized treatment plan.