Weight Loss Foods & Exercise for the Apple Shape

Depending upon how you typically gain weight, losing weight can be difficult. Often, apple-shaped bodies, or those who gain weight around their midsections, can be the most challenging to change with diet and exercise. With a combination of smart eating, cardiovascular exercise and toning exercises, even apple-shaped women can reshape their bodies into something closer to an hourglass.

The Belly Fat Diet

Celebrity trainer Jorge Cruise proposes a diet specifically aimed at slimming apple shaped figures and losing weight around the belly in his book, “The Belly Fat Cure.” Cruise attributes abdominal fat and weight gain to insulin levels and suggests a diet plan that will slim apple-shaped figures. Protein, fat and vegetables are fine, but processed foods and most fruits are not acceptable on the diet. Small amounts of whole grains and sugar are allowed, but no more than 15 grams (g) of sugar total per day. While cutting sugar and processed foods is certainly helpful for dieters, Yale University researcher David Katz, M.D., suggests that unlimited fat and a lack of calorie control is cause for concern.

Smart Dieting

Fortunately, for most people, abdominal fat comes off first when you lose weight. Opting for a calorie-controlled diet focused on whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean protein sources and fruits and vegetables will help you to lose abdominal fat quickly. Refined carbohydrates may increase insulin levels and encourage abdominal weight gain. You should choose good quality monounsaturated fats, like nuts and avocados, to help with weight loss, according to the Flat Belly Diet. The “Prevention” website states that controlled portions of healthy fats may boost satisfaction and reduce hunger.

Exercise

We all hope that crunches and sit-ups can improve an apple shape. In reality, however, aerobic exercise is the key to reducing abdominal fat. Strength-training exercises can only improve muscle tone and appearance. Once you have lost weight, they won’t budge your belly fat alone. Sixty minutes of daily exercise, like brisk walking, will help you burn abdominal fat. Choose a full body aerobic workout, and opt for a more strenuous workout–if your body and health can take it–to make you slim faster.