How to Lose Belly Fat in 2 Weeks of the Zero Belly Diet

How to Lose Belly Fat in 2 Weeks of the Zero Belly Diet

So you want to lose weight and you want to do it, stat. While rapid weight loss isn't really the best strategy (it's not always safe or sustainable) and focusing on how you feel (compared to the number on the scale) is usually more effective at achieving your goal, sometimes you have a fast-approaching deadline, like your best friend's wedding, that strengthens your resolve to strive for it. Hey, you're not alone – many people would like to know how to lose belly fat in two weeks. Spoiler alert: I was one of those people.

I struggled with an extra 25 pounds growing up, and I thought it was my genetic destiny to have a fixed amount of belly fat - but that was until I set out to learn more. In my 20-plus years in health journalism, I've been on a mission to learn everything there is to know about, yes, belly fat. But nothing I've learned has fascinated me as much as recent research showing how we can override our fat genes to lose weight. With what I've learned over the years and from those insights, I began to formulate my own advice on how to lose belly fat in 2 weeks.

The result? Zero Belly Diet, a plan that offers readers the best ways to lose belly fat in 2 weeks. I developed the Zero Belly Diet around the science of nutritional genetics, the study of how our genes are turned on and off by the foods we eat. Simply making a few changes to your diet and lifestyle can help improve your gut health, curb inflammation, and turn off your fat genes. If you ask me, this is the ideal plan for people who want to know how to lose belly fat in 2 weeks.

Before you skip straight to my tips for losing belly fat in 2 weeks, a quick reminder: It's pretty hard to see how to lose weight - some might say it's impossible - so no single food or ab workout will help you magically "melt away" belly fat. just belly fat. However, what you can do is lose belly fat while also reducing fat in other parts of your body. How? Below are some of my tips for losing belly fat (and other things).

Take a brisk walk before breakfast

Before I shared the Zero Belly Diet with the world, I used a 500-person test panel to field-test my plan. Panelist Martha Chesler incorporated morning walks into her Zero Belly program and saw immediate results. “I saw changes immediately,” she reports. In less than six weeks into the program, Martha Drop achieved her weight loss goals (and more) by combining the Zero Belly Foods with a pre-breakfast walk.

This morning ritual works on two levels. First, one study found a link between early morning sunlight and a lower BMI. Researchers speculate that morning light helps regulate your body's circadian clock. Turning off your body clock can change the way your body processes food and lead to weight gain. But what really amazed Chesler was the improvement in her cardiovascular abilities. Before starting the Zero Belly Diet, Chesler's heart rate typically rose to 112 beats per minute (bpm) within moments of starting her exercise bike workout. "After the first week and a half, I couldn't get my heart rate above 96 beats per minute with the same workout," she says. “It was great to see a change in the mirror, and even better to know that good things were happening that I couldn’t even see.” (In addition to morning walks, try these exercises that can help burn belly fat in 2 weeks.)

Start with some high-fiber oatmeal

Naturally sweet oatmeal recipes in Zero Belly Diet were the key to panelist Isabel Fiolek's dramatic 13-pound weight loss. “I happen to have a huge sugar addiction,” Fiolek says. “But the recipes were surprisingly satisfying to my sweet tooth.” Fiolek also made dramatic health progress: A scan after her six-week Zero Belly Diet revealed that she had reduced her total cholesterol by 25 percent and her blood sugar levels by 10 percent.

So cook oatmeal and top it with some fruit. What is so special about this combination? Each contains soluble fiber, which helps lower blood cholesterol levels and nourishes the healthy bacteria in your gut. By doing this, you cause your gut to produce butyrate, a fatty acid that reduces fat-causing inflammation throughout the body. (Try these two-minute oatmeal recipes that will make you an oatmeal fanatic forever.)

Choose red fruit over green

If you want to make a simple swap that will help you lose belly fat in 2 weeks, start by eating red fruits instead of vegetables. That means Pink Lady over Granny Smith apples, watermelon over cantaloupe, red grapes over green. The higher levels of nutrients called flavonoids — particularly anthocyanins, compounds that give red fruits their color — calm the effects of fat storage genes. In fact, red-bellied drupes such as plums have phenolic compounds that have been shown to modulate the expression of fat genes. (Related: What Are These Phytonutrients Everyone's Talking About?)

Load up on avocados

For test participant June Caron, eating fresh produce like avocados was one of the best ways to lose belly fat in 2 weeks. The 55-year-old lost six pounds in the first week of the 2-week belly fat loss program. “Learning to eat real, chemical-free, fresh food was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she says. “I’m never hungry and I still lose weight.” Glowing skin, healthy nails and better sleep were the bonuses of the Zero Belly Diet, says Caron.

Avocados are a one-two punch for losing belly fat. First, they're packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (aka good fats) that curb your hunger; A study in Nutrition Journal found that participants who ate half a fresh avocado for lunch were 40 percent less likely to want to eat for hours afterward. Second, unsaturated fats, such as those found in avocados, appear to prevent belly fat storage. (These creative ways to eat avocado will help you increase your intake.)

Blend a plant protein smoothie

Test participant Bryan Wilson, a 29-year-old accountant, lost an impressive amount of weight in just six weeks on the program and attributes his success to the Zero Belly Diet shake recipes. "I love the shakes. I added them to my diet and almost immediately I lost the belly fat," says Wilson. "I crave sweet foods and the shakes were a great alternative to bowls and bowls of ice cream I would have had."

Protein drinks can help you burn belly fat in 2 weeks, and they make a delicious, easy snack. But most commercial drinks are filled with chemicals that can disrupt your gut health and cause inflammation and bloating. And the high doses of whey used to boost protein levels can increase the bloating effect. The Zero Belly Diet Solution: Try vegan protein that gives you the same fat-burning and muscle-building benefits, but without the bloating. (Here's a complete guide to easy-to-digest plant proteins.)

Power-up with eggs

You'll find lean, filling protein in every single bite you take on the Zero Belly Diet. The muscle-building macronutrient is fundamental to the plan on how to lose belly fat in 2 weeks. Additionally, eggs are one of the easiest and most versatile delivery systems in the universe. They are also the best dietary source of a nutrient called choline. Choline, also found in lean meat, seafood and kale, attacks the genetic mechanism that causes your body to store fat around your liver. (That's why eggs are one of the best foods for weight loss.) The One Zero Belly Diet recipe, a breakfast hash with sweet potatoes and farm-fresh eggs, became test participant Morgan Minor's breakfast favorite after just three weeks on the program, the firefighter was proof that the plan is full of the best ways to lose belly fat in 2 weeks.

Drink citrus-infused “spa water”

One of the plan's top tips on how to lose belly fat in 2 weeks? Start each day by making a large pitcher of "spa water"—that's H20 filled with sliced ​​whole lemons, oranges, or grapefruit—and make sure to sip your way through at least eight glasses before bed. Citrus fruits are rich in the antioxidant D-limonene, a powerful compound in the peel that stimulates liver enzymes to flush toxins from the body and give a kick to sluggish bowels.