How to Lose Weight Around the Middle

If you lose the excess weight from around your midsection, you can improve the quality of your life --you'll lower your risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and certain cancers. If you've been doing crunch after crunch trying to reduce your middle, you should know that crunches don't reduce fat; they only tone the stomach muscles. To lose weight, you need to combine regular exercise and healthy eating habits.

Instructions

• 1

  Eat a small meal every three hours, so you don't feel deprived. This will also keep cravings at bay and stimulate your metabolic burn. Reduce the size of your breakfast, lunch and dinner, and add two snacks or small meals.

• 2

  Consume unprocessed foods in their natural state as much as possible. Fill up on fruits and vegetables. Eat lean protein, such as fish and chicken, to maintain muscle tissue. Limit, but don't exclude, starches such as whole-grain pasta, brown rice and oats. Avoid fried foods, sugar and processed foods.

• 3

  Cut 500 to 1,000 calories from your daily diet, to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. The U.S. National Library of Medicine reports that losing more than 2 pounds per week isn't recommended, because it makes your body react as if you're starving, retaining fat instead of burning it.

• 4

  Step up your physical activity level by jogging, biking or swimming three days of the week for 30 to 45 minutes per day. Increase your metabolism, so you burn fat from your entire body, including your belly. Perform cardiovascular exercise five to seven days of the week for speedier weight loss.

• 5

  Maintain muscle tissue by strength training, using free weights, body weight, or weightlifting machines. Create a weight lifting routine that targets your entire body. Perform exercises such as crunches and sit-ups for the abdominals. Do dumbbell curls and triceps dips for the arms. Squat and lunge to tone your legs. Sculpt your shoulders and chest with overhead dumbbell presses and push-ups. Keep your abdominals pulled in tight when performing weight lifting exercises.

• 6

  Prevent the release of the stress hormone cortisol by staying calm and relaxed, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco. Manage stress by taking yoga and meditation classes. The Prevention website states that cortisol directs fat mainly to the stomach area, and is influenced by stress, alcohol and tobacco.

• 7

  Avoid thirst by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day. Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Water also flushes out toxins, including excess sodium that can cause bloating and excess water weight.