Others have done it, but why aren't you losing that stubborn belly fat? Workout advice and calorie calculator to help get you back on track

It's extremely frustrating when you are putting in great effort to change the way you look and feel, but can't seem to make a noticeable difference.
You started off by seeing some nice results. You lost 5 pounds in your first month and some of your clothes started fitting better. You were then radiating with confidence and looking forward to continue working towards being beach ready for your next vacation, or whatever goal you set for yourself.

But now you've hit what's known as a plateau. Your body has adapted to your workout routine and is therefore not being stimulated enough to make further changes. "I knew it was too good to be true," is what you may be thinking because that stubborn belly fat just won't go away no matter how much you run or how little you eat. What started out as a great and promising feeling, has now turned into frustration and hopelessness.

However, you shouldn't have to feel this way because many others without great genetics or backgrounds in high level athletics have accomplished their weight loss goals. Your body is capable of burning fat and building muscle just like everyone else's, it is just a question of which methods work uniquely for your body. As a result it's important to understand how the body works and the different methods available to you.

How does the body work?

As mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, how starving yourself actually increases body fat, your body's response to exercise is actually a survival response. Muscle and fat gains/losses, athletic performance, cardio level; all survival responses. In addition, the body doesn't want to get rid of fat so easily because the fat, is its stored fuel for emergency situations. As a result, the body adapts to become as efficient as possible at performing exercises by figuring out how to use up as little fuel as possible. This is how you start to receive diminished returns, the point at which the benefits gained is less than the amount of energy put in. This point usually happens after performing the same workout routine 6 times in a row.

Therefore, to prevent your body from hitting a plateau it is crucial that you keep it "guessing".

The bottom line - always change up your workout routines

How do you change up your workouts?
Change the workout parameters - cycle between high volume training (high number of sets and reps at lower intensity) and strength training (lower number of sets and reps at a higher intensity)
Progressive overload - each workout you perform should be harder than the last whether it's increasing the weight, the time under tension, the length of the workout etc
Change the order of your exercises
Change the exercises
Add super sets, pyramid sets and giant sets to your workouts
Take shorter rests in between exercises

Important note - Targeting belly fat

When it comes to losing belly fat, it is important to note that just performing ab exercises is not enough. The fat around your belly is usually the last part of your body to be affected by exercise. It is important to target the whole body in order to speed up the process and burn as many calories as possible. Targeting the large muscle groups such as back, chest and legs in addition to core exercises and smart eating, will blast away that stubborn belly fat.

Bottom line - Target every muscle group consistently to lose the belly fat

How many calories should you consume?

Making sure you are in a caloric deficit is crucial to obtaining fat loss results. It is impossible to out train a bad diet, so use this calorie calculator (found on UltimateFatBurner.com) to help you figure out how many calories you need to consume based on your goals.

If this post was enjoyable or helpful to you, I would really appreciate it if you upvoted or resteemed it, thanks!