Belly fat is one of the most frustrating areas of a woman’s body to lose weight from.

In our private support group “how do I lose belly fat” is one of the most commonly asked questions and although we can all 100% agree on the fact that we love our bellies for carrying around our children in them most mums do want to reduce their size a little bit or tone them up a touch.

So what is the best way to lose belly fat?

What we can guarantee, is that by eating a high lean protein diet with healthy snacks, such as healthy mummy smoothies, AND with a decent amount of exercise 4-5 times per week (The HIIT training on the 28 Day Challenge is excellent for this too), you will be able to reclaim that once tight and toned stomach you once had (or once wished for).
And by following a nutritionally balanced eating and exercise plan like on the 28 day weight loss challenge – you can do this.

People will tell you, that you cannot target your stomach via diet and that exercise is the only way to get rid of the excess fat. We believe, that we have shown throughout all the weight loss success stories that are shown on the Lose Baby Weight site that the food you choose relates back to tummy weight loss. A few further ways to speed up fat loss, is to use a variety of supplements.

The best supplements to use

A probiotic is one supplement that will greatly help in digestion, which therefore will help flatten the tummy and increase you chance of losing the last bit of body fat. And increasing fibre in general is a great way to improve digestion. Good news is that the healthy mummy smoothies are high in fibre – you can also read more on digestion here
Fish oil – like the Healthy Mummy Fish Oil capsules – are another great tool in speeding up fat loss as it is thought to positively influence metabolism, meaning that you’ll digest your food more quickly, to activate enzymes in your body that are responsible for burning fat, which also means that your body burns fat more easily, and also helps to reduce insulin resistance. Studies have shown that taking fish oil supplements in conjunction with doing regular aerobic exercise can help you to burn off up to 26% more calories per day and more body fat than if you didn’t take any fish oil supplements.
If you are still finding it hard to lose the tummy fat, try cutting dairy and or wheat from your diet (the healthy mummy smoothies are free from dairy and wheat). These two groups of food cause a lot of bloating and fluid retention and could be just the thing you need to get rid of those last few kilos. Try using almond, soy or lite coconut milk instead of regular cows milk and wheat free wraps instead of regular bread. You will not miss them after a week or two, so give it a try.
Pregnancy and child birth can also deplete women of various nutrients such as iron and iodine, so it may be worth getting a blood test or complete thyroid panel to rule out any deficiencies if you are getting stuck with your weight loss efforts. A great natural medicine practitioner can also check for genetic irregularities that your GP may not test for, such as the modern day ‘Fat Gene’. It is a simple and affordable DNA test which can greatly help in difficult cases.

What else do you need to know about losing tummy fat?

At Lose Baby Weight, we help 1000′s of mums to lose weight and lose tummy fat

We have hundreds and hundreds of weight loss stories and before & after photos on our site from mums on our plans and they all show how mums have lost tummy fat on our plans and how we understand on our plans how you can do this

This is especially so on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge – where we use HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) as the 30 minute at home exercises on the Challenge each day and this is one of the best ways to burn away body fat and tummy fat

You can see some great pictures of mums on our plans below and click here to read stories 

1)Understand Stomach Fat

There are two types of fat which are found around your stomach area: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat (this means “under the skin”) is the fat you can see and grab, while visceral fat lies further inside your body and surrounds the vital organs in the stomach area.

Too much visceral fat is what forces the stomach outwards and is what leads to your stomach sticking out.  To see more information about the two types of stomach fat click here.

Although most of us are very self-conscious about the (subcutaneous) fat they can see, research shows that the visceral fat – in people of any size – could be the bigger threat to our health..

2) How to lose stomach fat

1. Breastfeed. If you are a breastfeeding mum, then breastfeeding can really help you lose stomach fat as it can help your uterus go back to its normal size more quickly. If you are not breastfeeding – don’t worry – we have lots of over ways to help!
2. Eat healthy foods. If you are filling your body with more and more fatty and processed foods each day you won’t see your stomach fat decrease. By eating a diet rich in protein, wholegrains, fruits, vegetables and nutrients then your body will function better and eliminate toxins and fat. Use meal plans over the challenge and smoothies
3. Reduce your alcohol consumption. Alcohol, especially sweet fizzy based drinks and beer make it nearly impossible to lose stomach fat and puts extra stress on your liver to clear out the toxins. This extra pressure on your liver can make it very hard to build muscle which is key to losing belly fat. Click here to see why the liver is so important in weight loss
4. Exercise your whole body. Sadly there is no such thing as ‘fat spot reduction’ and we can’t tell our body to simply lose fat from a specific area i.e. the belly. The key is to exercise your whole body and as you do your body will seek out excess fat stores that will be used to fuel your exercise session. However you can strengthen and work your core so it is strong and when you do lose all over body fat you will have abs to show off
5. Strength Training. Spending hours doing cardio exercises will only get you so far when it comes losing belly fat. The real secret is to add a few strength-training exercises in to your routine. The most effective way to lose belly fat is to build lean muscle in its place. Muscle gets very hungry when exercised and the more you work them the more they seeks out fat stores all over your body to fuel it. Try and include major muscle group exercises into your routine to see your belly fat disappear – such as squats which work the bum and thighs
6. Keep yourself Motivated. If you want to lose stomach fat you will need to stay motivated for longer than a few days. We all have times when we want to give up, but it’s important to push though the hard times because the end goal is worth the effort.

3) Get Accountable

Take your measurements and weigh yourself. It is important not to only rely on the scales as it can be misleading. But taking measurements and weighing yourself will give you a more accurate indication of your weight loss and tummy fat loss.

Click here to see our guide on how to take measurements correctly

4) Beat the belly bloat smoothie

Bananas are a well known source of fibre.
Together with the healthy mummy smoothie mix the bloated tummy smoothie contains 8g of fibre to help relieve constipation and promote a healthy gut.
Yoghurt is full of beneficial gut promoting bacteria’s that will help in restoring balance.
Greek yoghurt has no added sugar and is a beneficial way to get your daily dose of probiotics.
Mint leaves relieve the tummy of bloating and pain by dissolving large gas pockets.
They are easy to grow in the herb garden and may be a great way to aid in chronic stomach bloating.

• 2 x tbsp of Vanilla Healthy Mummy Smoothie mix
• 1 tsp honey
• ½ medium banana
• Handful of mint leaves
• 1 tbsp greek yoghurt
• 200ml unsweetened almond milk

Blend for 2- 3 minutes

Nutrition stats per serve

• Calories: 221
• Carbs: 25g
• Protein: 14g
• Fat: 6g
• Fibre: 8g

Need to stock up on Healthy Mummy Smoothies? Then see our shop here
And join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges here

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Special considerations

• Have you had a C-section? Click here to read Australia’s most highly awarded Post Natal Physiotherapist & Exercise Specialist, Lisa Westlake’s advice on exercise post C-Section
• Do you have muscle separation? Click here to read our advice
• Have you recently had your baby – please read Lisa Westlake’s advice here on advice and information about exercise post pregnancy

And if you want to purchase any of our product you can see our shop below

See our shop here