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Before starting a diet, it's important to focus on reducing fat while maintaining or increasing muscle mass. Losing muscle alongside fat can negatively impact your health by causing musculoskeletal pain, physical injuries, and metabolic disorders. Here are four essential tips to help you eliminate visceral fat, build a beautiful physique, and maintain a healthy diet:

Source of this article: Professor Lee Jin-Bok, a Specialist in Family Medicine


5 Key Tips for Eliminating Visceral Fat and Toning Up


1. Balance Your Diet:

Choose whole grains over refined carbs, and ensure you consume enough plant-based and animal-based proteins. Strive for 70-80% of your daily meals to be nutritious, with the remainder burned off through exercise. To lose weight quickly, consider cutting out refined carbohydrates, which can help reduce visceral fat and improve your overall health.


2. Exercise Regularly:

Post-meal walks and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be highly effective ways to burn fat. Aim for at least 20-30 minutes of walking after meals, and about 15 minutes of HIIT workouts, 2-3 times a week. Moderately intense walking for 30 minutes to an hour is ideal if you have more time.


3. Sleep Well:

Quality sleep is crucial for weight loss, as it helps regulate body fat, metabolism, and hormones. Ensure you get enough sleep during the night, especially between 10 PM and 2 AM when growth hormone levels are highest. Sleeping well will also help regulate appetite-controlling hormones like leptin and ghrelin.


4. Essential Nutrient Intake

Maintaining a balanced nutrient intake is vital when starting a diet. Modern dietary approaches emphasize the connection between nutritional imbalances and obesity, underlining the importance of specific nutrients, such as B vitamins, vitamin C, arginine, and probiotics. Including these essential nutrients can significantly support your weight loss journey.

However, consuming health or nutritional supplements without proper guidance can lead to health issues. Misinformed overuse of health supplements may result in negative side effects. It's recommended to consult a medical professional before choosing dietary supplements or functional foods.

While over-the-counter diet supplements may offer some help, solely depending on such products without making lifestyle changes is not encouraged. Dieting can be challenging and may even create health risks due to excessive use of health supplements. Implementing positive lifestyle habits in conjunction with nutritional support is essential for effective and sustainable weight management.


5. Intermittent Fasting:

Intermittent fasting is a beneficial approach to weight loss and overall health maintenance that is particularly important for people in today's world. Historically, humans survived by alternating between periods of eating and fasting, but modern society has developed unhealthy habits of constant consumption throughout the day, night, and even early morning.

The goal of intermittent fasting is to align our biological clocks by eating during daytime hours and resting at night. This practice involves gradually extending the fasting period, typically starting with a 12-hour fast and then increasing it to 14 or 16 hours. This method has been shown to enhance overall health, regulate blood sugar levels, and support weight loss efforts.

However, some individuals overlook the advantages of intermittent fasting, often because they consume unhealthy foods during permitted eating windows. It's crucial to focus on consuming nutritious foods during the allocated meal times.

At its core, intermittent fasting involves eating during the day and resting at night. Morning people should have an early breakfast, finish dinner early, and rest afterward. Night owls can start their meals later in the morning, eat dinner a bit later, and then extend their fasting duration. By adhering to this routine, individuals can maximize the benefits of intermittent fasting.


In conclusion, it's essential to adopt a balanced diet, regular exercise, proper sleep, and intermittent fasting for successful weight loss and a healthy body. Adopting sustainable practices instead of relying on short-term supplements or extreme diet methods is key to achieving your goals.