Visceral fat or belly fat can be harmful as it sits around organs. It is not simple to lose belly fat in one week. This is because you have brought changes in your otherwise sedentary lifestyle. However, before you adopt this lifestyle that would help you lose belly fat and make lean, there are some debunked myths about the routine that you should be aware of:

• Isolating belly fat, does it help?

Belly fat is like any other fat. It cannot be spot reduced. It needs to be removed with a combination of diet and rigorous exercise that will help eliminate fat wherever it is accumulated in the body.

Starving does not help
Although it might help your belly look somewhat reduced in size, it would only be temporary. Our body is hardwired to go into fat storage mode the moment it realizes it’s getting very less food. Hence, eat a hearty breakfast. Consume healthy snacks and healthy fresh cooked meals.

There is more to losing belly fat with just dieting and exercising
There is no doubt that these dieting and exercising are important variables in a weight loss equation. Sleep and stress also play a major role in balancing out the equation of reducing the belly fat. Little sleep and high amounts of stress force the body to produce cortisol hormone. This is an indication for your body to store fat in your mid-section.

Do not stick to just a liquid diet
While cleansers contribute as catalysts in losing that belly fat, depending solely on them will not help you with shedding that layer of fat. Cleansers or liquid diets work best when combined with a healthy diet as they help in flushing toxic agents efficiently from the body. They do not give you nutrients that are required for weight loss.

Don’t expect an overnight change
You might not see visible results by following a proper diet and proper exercise in just a week. Be patient, you will lose belly fat in one week; however, there are chances that you will not be able to see visible changes. If you are 3 to 5 kgs over your ideal weight, you will lose belly fat in one week, but reduction post that week would be hardly visible.

Friendly fat
Yes, the fat stored in your buttocks, arms, and even in your thighs could be healthier than a “beer belly.” As mentioned above, fat stored near your organs, which is called visceral fat, can increase the chances of diabetes or other heart-related diseases.

Cheat meals are for cheaters
This is a prevalent trend among today’s “fitness freaks”–starve or boycott junk food completely for five days and gorge on that cheesecake and bacon cheeseburger throughout the weekend. You need to shed a good amount of calories throughout the week so that you can fulfill your cravings during the weekend.

That being said, you should be aware of certain foods and food products that assist in losing belly fat. Here is a list of some of those food and food products that might help you lose belly fat in one week.

• Proteins
  Ideally, lean proteins such as egg whites, fish, chicken, and red meat are good sources of protein. Our body requires more energy to digest protein; thus, it uses the stored fat to digest lean protein and helps in building muscle. Building muscle also helps in burning fat. It speeds up the body’s metabolism, burning fat exponentially and making you stronger at the same time. The advantage of consuming more proteins is that it helps to grow muscles leaving no or very less room for stored fats.
• Eat naturally occurring foods
  Avoiding white bread, pasta, fatty meats, and sugars and replace them with fruits and vegetables. This will help increase the fiber content in your diet and help in better digestion. Processed foods such as white bread and pasta are difficult for the stomach to process and digest; thus, they remain in the digestive system for a longer time, which in turn increases the belly fat
• Add low-fat dairy to your diet
  Greek yogurt, skimmed milk, and low-fat cheese will help you feel full and reduce the level of calcitriol that increases the fat storage in your body. Apart from eating low-fat dairy products, eat quinoa, apples, bananas, and flax. Being a rich source of fiber, these foods help in better digestion and flush the system, helping in fat reduction.
• Replace your fats
  Consume food rich in monosaturated fats. They are found in nuts, olives, avocados, and flaxseeds. Switch table butter with peanut butter or margarine. This will fill you up for longer duration and provide much-needed nutrients.
• Exercising and high-intensity interval training
  With having proper nutrients, it is important that you stay active. Choosing high-intensity exercises such as running, swimming laps, and cycling will help you stay active and burn fat efficiently. Incorporating high-intensity interval training will help you gain stamina and cut through that belly fat. Core exercises such as planking will help you build stomach muscles and burn belly fat and also increase your core strength.