THE 12:12 DIET PLAN: THE BEST WAY TO LOSE BELLY FAT

Getting rid of belly fat is quite a challenge in itself. Excessive accumulation of abdominal fat, especially visceral fat, can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and cancer. The body’s metabolic rate reduces with the advancement of age. The other reasons could be genetics, hormonal imbalance or willpower.

The single most important thing people can do to prevent the further build-up of belly fat and get rid of existing belly fat is to be committed to a physical activity, and better yet, a physical lifestyle. Along with good exercise, one should follow a good diet. Dietician Nikita Agarwal, the founder of Life Health and Nutrition Clinic, shares the best way to tackle belly fat for beginners.

According to her, “Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern which includes a particular time period of fasting (with no food or very little food) and non-fasting for a considerable time span. It helps in losing weight and visceral fat from the body, and is one of the best ways of losing weight effortlessly.” 

Intermittent fasting is of various types:

16/8 method

5:2 diet plan

Eat-stop-eat method (depending upon the duration and calorie portion.

For beginners, the 12:12 diet plan is the best bet. 12:12 is a type of intermittent fasting where the body's fat is used as a source of energy in the place of glucose. In this plan, you cannot eat throughout the day, but in a limited 12 hour period, and you then have to fast for the next 12 hours.

This 12:12 diet plan helps a person in many ways.  Apart from losing weight and belly fat, it helps in reducing bloating with foods like dairy and grains. It also helps one reduce the habit of mindless eating/binge eating or midnight snacking due to boredom or mood swings. The break between eating clears out inflammation, helps get rid of damaged cells, thus preventing cancer, and also promotes healthy gut microbes.

Choose your food intelligently for the 12-hour window. Your intake should be low fat, complex carbs and high protein.  Say a strict no to processed food.

The 12:12 diet plan yields amazing results. However, you need to seek advice from a professional diet consultant before diving into this plan, as it is certainly not for everyone to follow, especially pregnant and breastfeeding women, underweight people and those with medical conditions including diabetes, low blood pressure, etc.

 A combination of nutritious diet and exercise can become a powerful way to trim your belly.