Modern people generally have excess belly fat due to the ready availability of convenience foods and overeating. The benefit of transportation also leads to people walking and exercising less.
Factors Leading to Obesity
Many factors lead to obesity, including the following:● Consumption of high-calorie foods, high-sugar foods, and cold drinks.
● Low physical activity.
● Low birth weights.
● Having obese parents.
● Too much time spent on computers, phones, and television.
● High mental stress.
3 Tips to Lose Weight and Slim Down Your Belly
1. Different Types of Obesity Require Different Food Therapies
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes that obesity results from a lack of regularity or restraint in diet and a sedentary lifestyle. The definition of obesity in TCM is the excess tissues over the original leanest body weight, also called phlegm dampness, or phlegm turbidity.Phlegm dampness is the excess waste accumulated from the dysfunction of the internal organs. It not only refers to fat cells, but also contains high blood lipids, high blood sugar, and other pathological products.
Therefore, TCM treats obesity by adjusting the internal organs first, so as to excrete toxic accumulation from the body to achieve the purpose of weight loss. With few side effects, TCM can also play the role of nourishment and health care.
- Those with spleen deficiency and dampness, poor appetite, loose stools, and edema should eat white lentils, peas, red beans, mung beans, winter melon, cabbage, and carp, among others.
- Those with spleen and kidney deficiency, poor appetite, lumbar soreness, and fear of colds should eat cowpeas, goji berries, lean lamb, and walnuts, among others.
- Those with stomach heat and dampness obstruction, a big appetite, bad breath, dry mouth, and canker sores should eat lettuce, bamboo shoots, lotus root, bitter melon, amaranth, and water chestnut, among others.
- Those with qi stagnation and blood stasis, and who have expanded veins under the tongue and dark lips should eat citron, fingered citron (Buddha’s hand), buckwheat, fennel, rose hips, and hawthorn, among others.
- Those with kidney yin deficiency who often stay up late and sleep late, are prone to irritability, have a dry mouth, and do not drink much, should eat silver fungus, black beans, mulberry, sea cucumber, and black sesame, among others.
Drinking and Eating Principles
- Chew slowly. Do not gobble.
- Eat to only 80 percent full.
- Eat at regular hours and in a fixed quantity.
- Pay attention to the order of eating. It is recommended that the order of eating is: soup → protein food for 2–3 bites → vegetables → starch food left to the end with some remaining protein and vegetables.
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Do not eat fruit after 4 p.m.
2. Massaging Acupuncture Points Can Eliminate Excess Fat
To reduce the problem of abdominal fat, acupressure is an effective method.In the abdomen, you can massage the acupoints of Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Tianshu (ST 25), and Daju (ST 27) 10 to 20 times to promote metabolism, regulate endocrine secretion, improve bloating, edema, and prevent a protruding abdominal.
In addition, you can also massage the head acupuncture points, such as Xiaguan (ST 7) and Jiache (ST 6), to relax the tendons and promote blood circulation. At the same time, this will have the effect of beautifying the face.
Pressing on the acupoints Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) accelerates blood circulation, increases gastrointestinal motility, and eliminates excess fat on the leg.
3. 2 Exercises To Slim Your Belly
Exercising is an indispensable element to losing weight and having a slim belly—and persistence is the key to success. The following introduces two simple exercises specifically for reducing the fat on the belly:Curl-up
Leg raise
Repeat the above exercise at least 20 more times.
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