Why You're Not Losing Belly Fat Even You're On Diet And Exercising Regularly

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If you’ve been working out regularly and watching what you eat, but you still can’t seem to get rid of that stubborn belly fat, there may be a “hidden” cause and it has nothing to do with diet or exercise.

Belly fat is harder to lose than fat in other areas of your body.

That’s why you’ve probably noticed that when you diet to lose weight, your upper body is first to shrink while your belly remains more or less the same.

The reason stomach fat is so difficult to get rid of is because it’s heavily influenced by your hormones. Though your stomach fat isn’t the only area that’s controlled by your hormones, it happens to be the most sensitive.

The hormone Cortisol which is the stress hormone is the main suspect for the stubborn belly fat.

Here are 3 questions you need to ask yourself to see if there’s something other than diet and exercise that may be hindering your progress:

* Are you sleeping enough? (7-9 hours per night)

* Do you feel tired all of the time?

* Do you need caffeine in the morning to get going? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, cortisol may be to blame.  And if so, the solution is pretty easy.

Here are some simple but effective dietary tips that you can include to further help you reduce cortisol levels in your body:

- Get more spinach in your diet.
Spinach has magnesium which help balance your body’s production of cortisol.

- Eat more citrus fruits.
Research has shown that citrus fruits like oranges and kiwis have high content of vitamin C, which help slow the production of cortisol.

- Make sure you’re getting enough healthy omega-3 oils in your diet.
These healthy fats not only inhibit inflammation, but also help lower cortisol levels and reduce stress.

- Consume dark chocolates.
Dark chocolate has high levels of anti-oxidants that help decrease inflammation and slow the secretion of cortisol.