5 Essential Breakfast Habits To Reduce Belly Fat Faster

Last updated on : June 23 2021

Breakfast And Belly Fat

Showing off a great silhouette in a fabulous outfit is one of the top reasons women want to shed excess tummy fat.

Fortunately, there are a few different ways to achieve the goal, including techniques like non-invasive fat-reduction, tummy tucks, or just plain old watching what you eat and exercising.

If you want to try a more natural approach to a flat belly (including the reduction of both subcutaneous and visceral fat), a healthy diet and plenty of exercises is the most obvious way to go.

To help you with the challenges of losing extra inches from your waistline, we’ve got some fantastic advice about the relationship between your breakfast habits and the pursuit of a perfect abdomen.

1. Watch Your Pre-Workout Eats

There's a strong argument for limiting your carb intake before a workout to burn more belly fat. 

When you start your workout, your body primarily uses carbohydrates for fuel. Your body works this way because carbs are far easier to burn than fat. However, as you continue to exercise (at a sustained fat-burning heart rate - about 50% to 85% of your maximum heart rate), then your body begins to burn fat.

Eating a dose of carbs before your workout will have your body burning these first. So a 300 calorie carb fuelled breakfast coupled with a 300 calorie workout burn will see your fat levels at a steady state. 

Starting your workout in a fasted state leaves your body fewer carbs to burn, and therefore, you begin to burn your fat stores sooner. This study of 273 participants found that fat burning was higher during fasted exercise and that participants burned more glucose and insulin (carbs in other words) during non-fasted exercise.

Other studies (here and here), however, show there is a limited difference in fat loss between women who exercise fasted and after eating. So it's essential to test out the impact on your body by trying out a mix of pre-workout meals and fasting.    

But don't confuse fat and calories. To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn over any given period. This so-called negative energy balance, if applied rigorously, will eventually see you shed your fat stores for a leaner you. 

Summary: Carefully consider what you eat before exercising. Test out different pre-workout meals to find one that works for you and your particular exercise regime. Additionally, try avoiding breakfast before your morning workout and instead, exercise in a fasted state to burn belly fat faster.   

Read: How To Be Healthy Fit And Sexy, Can Coffee Help You Burn Fat

2. Eat More Breakfast Protein

Eating a breakfast that keeps you satiated for longer will keep you off unhealthy snacking later in the day. In particular, consuming a low-carb higher fat morning meal (read more protein and less refined sugars, fruit and starches) reduces your temptation for sugary, unhealthy snacks later on.

One particular study into the benefits of a high protein breakfast in overweight and obese teenage girls showed that the girls stayed fuller throughout their day. And that they were less likely to eat an unhealthy midday or evening snack. 

Although it sounds counterintuitive eating fewer carbs and increasing your fat and protein intake will eventually reduce your unhealthy snack cravings (see the studies below).

Your cravings diminish because your body learns to burn fat for energy instead of carbs. Fat burning provides us with consistent steady-state power. Not the mad sugar rush we feel after a carb-laden snack followed by the inevitable energy lows.  

Summary: Eat fewer carbs and in particular more protein for breakfast to curb your cravings for unhealthy snacking. See the science here, here and here supporting this conclusion.

If you must snack, do it mindfully - in other words, don't snack on unhealthy refined sugars and treats. Try eggs, mixed nuts, greek yogurt, berries, cottage cheese, or even dark chocolate - all low carb higher protein foods.

Read more: Is The Atkins Diet Right For You? 

3. Beat Breakfast Bloat

Although not strictly a reduction in belly fat eliminating bloat can make you feel slimmer. Just like you've lost a few pounds of fat around your stomach.  

There’s nothing worse than having a bloated, uncomfortable tummy all through the day and your breakfast may be the culprit.

Make sure your breakfast provides you with energy and nutrition but isn't irritating your digestive system and making your belly look swollen.

Don't overeat breakfast. If you eat big meals and feel uncomfortable afterward, the chances are you're overeating. Try eating smaller portions more often to rid yourself of the bloated feeling caused by overeating.

Chewing your food better will reduce the amount of air you consume, reducing bloat. And because you are taking longer to chew, it will likely lead to you eating less. This study explains why.

Overeating fiber for breakfast can be the culprit of belly bloat. Foods like beans, lentils, and some whole grains can produce large amounts of gas, making you bloat. Additionally, fattier foods can make you bloat because they can take longer to move through your digestive system. 

Check in on your overall diet too because things like a high salt content and too much alcohol, as well as an excess of carbs, can cause tummy bloat.

Summary: Several factors contribute to bloat. If you suffer, keep a food diary to understand what foods affect you most, and eliminate those that do.

Alternatively, there are many natural remedies you can try. Try adding some ginger to your diet, which is known for its soothing effects on the tummy.

4. Control Your Sweet Craving

Some of us like a sweet pastry for breakfast and, surprisingly that doesn’t have to be an outright no. Eating something sugary in the morning at the very least means your body has the whole day to work off the extra calories.

However, high amounts of sugar can cause a spike in your energy levels and make you crash by mid-morning.

If you can, try to stay away from processed food and refined sugar (entirely if possible), to keep tummy fat at bay and reduce the likelihood of a chronic illness further down the track.

If you can't resist something sweet in the mornings, try instead to replace refined sugars with something a little more nutritious. With a bit of recipe tweaking, you can create some natural, tasty treats that blur the line between breakfast and dessert - without bloating your tummy or piling on the kilos too much.

Replace white flour with Spelt, and refined sugar with honey or maple syrup. With this simple tweak, (and some others here) you can bake more healthy treats from carrot cake to doughnuts.

Spelt is a type of wheat known for a range of health benefits, including weight management. It has more fiber and protein than white flour and is nutrient-rich too, plus it has less gluten. 

The not so great news, however, is that the sugar replacements are, well, still sugars which aren't good. And so the above recommendations are only a partial solution. 

Summary: For your sweet treat at breakfast, although you can put in effort finding reduced sugar alternatives, it's still sugar. So it's a case of moderation and balance being vital.

5. Fast Instead

We’ve just pushed the idea that a nutritious breakfast is an essential part of losing excess stomach weight and getting a flat tummy.

But the fact is, many people can’t face eating breakfast. If you're one, it’s essential to know why you don’t like breakfast so you can implement a mindful dietary response.

If you're skipping breakfast but bingeing over lunch, it might be that you need to retrain yourself to take some food earlier in the day. Or, you can consider the advantages of fasting to turn your missed breakfast into a weight loss opportunity instead. 

These days more and more people fast as part of a healthy lifestyle. They might, for example, eat an early dinner and forgo breakfast to create a bigger fasting window.

Fasting might be an excellent option for those who don’t want to eat breakfast and can undoubtedly be a great weight loss tactic to help flatten your tummy. But beware, don't try fasting until you're correctly informed and have consulted with your doctor or a professional healthcare provider.

Summary: if you can't stomach breakfast, try fasting instead. However, ensure you educate yourself about how to fast correctly and talk to a healthcare professional before you start.

The End Game

Starting your mornings the right way, with a healthy breakfast, is generally the best way to maintain motivation and ensure a successful day.  

And as it turns out, eating a healthy breakfast with natural fat burning foods, or fasting instead, can lead to weight loss and improvements in your waistline. But only if your overall calorie intake for the day is less than what you burn - this means watching what you eat and curtailing your sugar cravings.

If we give in to our cravings, the rest of our day can quickly go downhill. Feelings of disappointment and failure can often lead to emotional eating. That’s why it’s essential to get your breakfast routine right, know your body, and understand your food triggers.

Realize also that extra weight on your tummy is not healthy, and a potential health risk. So don’t let your only motivation for losing belly fat be for a flatter stomach but contemplate your long term health as well.

Remember to consult your doctor or health care provider before making any changes to your diet or exercise routines.

Read more: Habits That Are Unproductive—And How To Quit Them

Found this post helpful?

Don't forget to share on Pinterest.

Related Articles

• Healthy Eating - How To Do It
• 11 Practical Ways To Lose Weight Without Diet Or Exercise
• What Is A Keto Diet And Is It Healthy For You?
• 11 Bedtime Routines To Lose Weight
• 12 Weight Loss Diets To Try Today