You might be trying to lose belly fat because it makes you feel less attractive; or, you might be doing it because you’re worried about the impact it has on your health and quality of life. The first reason might be the more obvious and observable one, but both motives are completely valid and worth considering.

Belly fat is linked with higher risk for developing various health issues. It is a strong risk factor for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some types of cancers, says Samuel Klein, MD, the director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

You can lose tummy fat without exercise and it is just about going back to the basics. It is time to go back to eating healthy, staying active, living a stress-free life, getting enough sleep and disciplining yourself.

How to Lose Belly Fat Without Exercise

1. Eat lots of protein and fiber

Eating these two groups will work in your favor in many ways. It’s even better if you can include protein and fiber in every meal or snack you consume.

Here are some of the benefits of eating protein and fiber:

– This will help you to balance your blood sugar levels and prevent insulin resistance. It slows the absorption of carbs and sugars (a combination of certain foods can lower the meal’s glycemic load – the speed at which food gets absorbed into the blood as glucose). This would make you less likely to store fat or develop diabetes. You can also consume ACV to get similar effect.

– Proteins are harder to digest and take longer to metabolize and use. This means that you lose energy as you burn them. They make you feel fuller quicker and leave you satiated for longer. This is also one of the 3 secrets for losing 88 pounds in 1 year.

– Fiber will help you pass food through your system effectively, and avoid constipation. It will also help you to avoid bloating and flatten your stomach.

You should keep two things in mind when implementing this rule:

The protein you eat shouldn’t be just any kind of protein. Find a healthy source of protein. Go for the lean protein such as
•    poultry (but remove the skin and fat)
•    seafood (broiled or steamed)
•    beans and peas
•    eggs
•    nuts and seeds

It’s best to get your fiber from vegetables. Fruits contain fiber too, but some can be high on sugars (therefore have a high glycemic index – they affect blood sugar and insulin more), so you don’t want to be eating too many. You can find more information about it in my post on how to reduce your glycemic index and lose weight.

2. Eat the non-starchy carbs and limit the starchy ones

A starch is a complex carbohydrate. It’s a polysaccharide, so it contains a long string of sugar units, particularly glucose. This explains why starches cause a big spike in insulin production and become problematic. They require digestion before becoming available to the body. They’re first broken down into simple sugars and then the body can use them as energy.

The most common sources of starch include:
–    Potatoes
–    Winter squash
–    Sweet potatoes
–    Corn
–    Wheat
–    Other grains

Non-starchy vegetables are typically flowering parts of the plant. Lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers and tomatoes are all considered non-starchy vegetables.

I’m not saying you should throw out all the starchy foods. Especially because starchy vegetables carry a lot of goodness. They are full of vitamins and fiber and will fill you up.

3. Consume unsaturated fats

Unsaturated fats CAN, believe it or not, help you shed pounds! This is good news for all avocado and olive fans.

As I’ve mentioned in my e-book Blast Your Belly Fat, new research is showing that unsaturated fats can make you burn off more energy. How handy!

And one more scientific fact: eating monounsaturated fats moves the fat away from the midsection! This is exactly what we’re working towards here.

Let’s look at some food examples:

•    Extra virgin olive oil
•    Avocado
•    Nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts
•    Olives

4.    Eat frequently

We all sometimes forget to eat or we postpone our meal for so long that by the time we get to eat, we’re famished and ready to eat for two.
When we don’t eat for long periods of time, we’re also more likely to reach for unhealthy snacks to suppress the grumbling stomach. We crave fatty and sugary food galore, which clearly signals hormonal imbalance.

If you want to lose belly fat, you need to eat frequently, in small amounts, and the right foods. You want a steady supply of energy provided by proteins, healthy fats and healthy carbs. If you do that, your belly fat will leave you sooner than you ever expected!

By eating frequently, you prevent the uncontrolled blood sugar spikes and you keep your insulin levels stable.

Skipping meals is often seen as an attractive way to lose weight but this is a bad thing to do if you want to lose weight.

You should be eating every two to four hours. You should be eating for fuel, not fun, every two to four hours.

You might even need to graze all day long sometimes, and look like a cute koala. The body will need some time to get used to the new routine and ‘the new you’, so you should really stay away from the unhealthy cycle of highs and lows. And the way to do is to avoid hunger.

This might sound a tad strange, but as I’ve mentioned in my e-book, Blast Your Belly Fat, that belly fat has often little to do with the amount of food you eat. It’s more about WHAT you eat, HOW you eat it, and how you FEEL.

By eating often, you might even notice that you’re eating less. And you’ll feel more energetic.

5. Drink plenty of water

Drinking plenty of water is one the 12 simple tweaks for weight loss. Water play an essential part in your weight loss journey. It’s one of the easiest yet most commonly overlooked aspects of losing fat. When your body is dehydrated, it slows the metabolism and sends signals that your brain mistakes as hunger. Drinking a water will help curb your appetite much quicker and keep you from excess calories.

Don’t forget about the WATER! When you feel hungry, the first thing to do is to reach for your water bottle. Remember that a hunger cue and a thirst cue can get confused by the body. You can also consume this cinnamon and honey weight loss drink.

6. Relax

Experts believe that when you are under stress your body produces more of the hormone cortisol (make sure you are aware of the warning signs of high cortisol levels).

Elevated levels of cortisol may contribute to weight gain, especially making it hard to lose belly fat. Stress also triggers your sympathetic nervous system to go into overdrive. Researchers believe that chronic stress may contribute to obesity by causing people to eat more.

Use these meditation techniques to reduce stress.

7. Get enough sleep

Sleep deprivation causes obesity. Sleep is vital for our metabolism and weight control. When we don’t get enough sleep, our hormone balance suffers, and the way we store and process carbohydrates is altered.

If you have irregular or insufficient sleep, cortisol levels will increase as well. Cortisol is a stress hormone. When your body feels under stress, it stores fat around the belly.

There are of course differences between people. Some can thrive on 5 hours a night, while others can’t function unless they get 9 hours of sleep.

You need to distinguish between the time you spend in bed, and the time you actually get some good quality sleep. You might be in bed for 10 hours, but if you only get 5 hours sleep due to different factors disturbing you (stress, noise, pain), that’s not going to be enough for your body and mind.

As a rule of thumb, for our bodies to function well, you should get at least 7 hours sleep a night, on a regular schedule. Aim to be in bed at roughly the same time every night.

If you find it hard to fall asleep, try this simple recipe for a great sleep or try these tricks to fall asleep when your mind in busy.

8. Start walking

There is no need for a specific “exercise” here! While walking is a type of physical activity, the aim is to incorporate walking as part of your daily routine.

Depending on how often you walk, you can manage to easily lose one pound per week or more. Think about it, in less than five months you can be 20 pounds lighter without spending hours at the gym and without going on a diet. Just by making a few tweaks to your routine you can greatly increase the number of steps that you take daily.

Find out how much walking you need to lose weight and why walking is featured in my e-book 70 Habits for a Great Health.

Other Things to Do to Lose Belly Fat

If you want to lose belly fat fast, you also need to avoid certain food groups and specific foods as well. It is also important to learn how to cook delicious meals that can specifically help you lose belly fat. You can even accelerate your fat loss by doing certain types of exercises. Unfortunately I cannot cover all this information in one post but you can find all this information in my e-book Blast Your Belly Fat.