7 tips to shred belly fat FOR GOOD!

After having a baby, one of the main things that we women tend to focus on is losing pregnancy weight from the stomach area.

All those months of stretching to make room for a baby often leave the tummy a lot softer than it was pre-baby, and conditions like ab separation can occur. There are also hormones at play which can make ‘operation shred fat’ quite tough.

We’ve listed 7 EASY ways that you can give your body a helping hand to shred fat (and make sure you check out the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge for loads more ideas and inspiration!)

7 tips to shred belly fat

These tips require no starvation diets, removal of food groups or unrealistic exercise schedules. In fact, these are all realistic and basic knowledge that sometimes we can forget with all the information out there. Get results like Healthy Mummy Sascha (pictured above) who lost 5 stone on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge! Read more tips from Sascha here.

1. Make it a lifestyle

Following a healthy eating plan such as the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge will help you achieve this. In essence, it’s about eating food in as natural a state as possible and reducing your intake of processed foods.

Shredding fat and keeping it off long-term means making changes that YOU can live with. As everyone is different, and different routines may work for some and not others, trial and error are what it’s all about here.

To ensure you’re not over-restricting calories follow the Challenge meal plan which you can customise to suit your personal needs, and find an exercise program that adequately challenges you, The Healthy Mummy exercise hub has over 350 exercise videos, and offers sufficient variety so that you can maintain your fitness.

Using the huge Healthy Mummy support community, when you have down days (which we ALL do), lean on the other mums going through the exact same thing as you, find solace in each other, join your local consulting group, exchange recipes and meal prep ideas with each other. The support at The Healthy Mummy is endless!

2. Exercise

Trying exercises that target the stomach and core, as this is many women’s problem area, such as the plank and core exercises. Discover this how this mum (of five!) has lost her belly fat here.

The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge also has a Tabata (high-intensity interval training) exercise section where you can find exercise videos aimed at blasting fat in short bursts with short rest periods i.e. it smashes the calories! Read  more about Tabata here.

3. Eat foods that reduce bloating

Sometimes bloating is actually the issue at hand. Eating certain foods can help the body to reduce the bloating that can make you feel frumpy.

Incorporate broccoli, parsley, bananas, nuts, berries, peppermint, and apples into your diet as these are all bloat busting foods.

See these nutritionist-approved tips to beat the belly bloat. Drinking more water can also assist with this.

4. Get your metabolism firing

You can also include foods such as ginger, garlic, cinnamon, chilli, turmeric, and cumin in your diet. These foods fire up your metabolism which turns your body into a fat burning machine.

Check out 10 of our favourite metabolism boosting snacks here.

5. Add protein to your main meals

Protein keeps you fuller for longer, which means you shouldn’t feel like reaching for a sugary snack after your meal as you will be comfortably full. Think nuts, salmon, lean meats, tofu, eggs, yogurt, tuna and cheese.

Upping your protein in a controlled way provides sufficient amino acids to maintain muscle mass, while keeping your total calorie count under control.

Eating more frequently will also help shred the fat. Yes that’s right, eating more! Calculate how many calories you want to consume per day (use our BMR calculator), and spread this number evenly across 5-6 meals, instead of having 3 large meals which will leave you feeling sluggish.

6. Get your heart rate up

Any sort of exercise is going to help with your total calorie expenditure, so get moving!

Chase the kids around the park, walk to the beach, stroll to the shops instead of driving, dance around the sitting room or try an exercise DVD. There are so many ways to exercise that don’t involve expensive gym memberships.

Find out how this mum lost over 7st. WITHOUT a gym membership (and learn how you can too!)

7. Reduce sugar

When you eat sugary, fatty foods (think donuts, chocolate biscuits, pastries) you are often left feeling unsatisfied – you want more and more as you just don’t feel full. Excess sugar consumed is then stored as fat.

By reducing the amount of these kinds of foods that you eat, and choosing high fibre and high protein foods (like these Weetabix Balls, pictured below), you will feel more satisfied and will be less likely to overeat. Satisfy your sweet tooth occasionally, but try limiting your intake of sugar to fresh fruit or bake some of our healthy snacks from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge which have natural sweetness like dates, coconut and vanilla.

Check out 10 slacks to slay tummy fat here.

Want to beat the belly bloat for good? Check out the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge!

With thousands of recipes, and hundreds of fat burning exercises and 24/7 support, The Healthy Mummy 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge can help YOU hit your goal weight faster.

Our Challenge includes:

• 28 days of at home exercise routines (no gym needed) – with video instruction
• New CHALLENGE THEME each month – so you’ll NEVER get bored
• Customisable and breastfeeding friendly meal plans
• Time-efficient exercises for busy mums – under 30 mins
• Challenge combines Pilates exercises with interval and circuit
  training (HIIT)
• Suitable for basic to advanced fitness levels
• Home to thousands of EASY-TO-MAKE recipes!