Lose Belly Fat - 2 Simple Steps to Jumpstart Your Belly Fat Loss

You are eating right and exercising 5-6 days per week. Somehow, you don't seem to be losing belly fat.

Do you know that stress and lack of sleep can hamper your efforts to lose belly fat or build six pack abs?

Stress and Belly Fat

Stress is a part of everyday lives.

It causes some people to lose appetite while others crave to eat more. When you are stressed or threatened, your body releases hormones that tell you to fight or flee. Unfortunately, many people tend to be a victim of their circumstances and choose not to take action.

Since your body has no clue if you fought or fled the situation, it replenishes nutritional stores depleted from the energy expended on stress - which creates hunger craving.

Do you find yourself eating cakes, chocolate and sweets when you are stressed? Not surprising when the body's preferred source of fuel during stressful situation is sugar - which is also the worst culprit for causing fat storage.

Eating when you are stressed is also known as comfort eating. You may feel better and calmer at the time. But if you let this habit persists, eating becomes automatic whenever you are under stress. You end up in a deadly cycle of more stress and worries as a result of additional pounds gained from comfort eating.

What To Do With Stress

Individuals deal with stress in their own ways. Here are some actions you can take to manage stress.

1. Surround yourself with positive people. 2. Exercise regularly. 3. Aim to sleep 8 hours every night. 4. Talk to someone who may be able to help or advise you. 5. Take a vacation. 6. Realise that some things in life are beyond your control.

Never blame stress for making you fat. You have a choice NOT to give in to eating comfort foods. Don't let stress control you.

Sleep and Belly Fat

There is a positive relationship between the amount of sleep you get and level of belly fat. Medical evidence proves that lack of sleep is related to obesity.

How Lack Of Sleep Causes Belly Fat

If you are sleeping 5 hours (instead of the recommended eight hours) a night, then you have 3 waking hours to consume calories which can easily add up. By sleeping the recommended number of hours, you'll be surprised how much lesser calories you consume. For those of you who are sleeping less than 8 hours per night, just get more sleep. You'll be surprised how you lose belly fat faster.

When you are not sleeping enough, your body releases a stomach hormone called grehlin which increases your appetite. Lack of sleep also reduces leptin in your body, which decreases appetite and tells your brain that you are full so you stop eating.

How To Maximize Quality Of Sleep

1. Sleep before midnight. Maximizing nighttime sleeping hours enhances sleep quality.

2. Before going to bed, spend some time reading to help you to relax.

3. Avoid consuming stimulants like tea, coffee and caffeinated soft drinks in the evening.

4. Aim to get 8 hours of sleep every night.

5. Exercise regularly. Train hard in your workout and you'll sleep like a baby!

6. If you have to make up for any lost sleep, take 20-minute power naps whenever needed.

7. Turn off the T.V. several hours before bedtime.