AVOID THESE FOODS TO LOSE BELLY FAT

Pro Fitness RI is your source for one-on-one personal training in Cranston. We are a fitness center and health club where everything has been designed to help you reach your fitness goals. We offer professionally educated fitness trainers, a robust set of fitness classes, which includes spin, yoga, “rope rage,” and many other gym classes. If you are looking for a gym where you are set up for success in terms of your fitness goals, look no further than our Warwick fitness center!

If you found your way to this post because you were looking for options regarding fitness training in Cranston, you’ll be pleased to know we’ve got you covered on the personal trainer front. That being established, we’d like to discuss a different side of health and wellness in today’s blog. As the title already gave away, we are highlighting a few foods which will help in the ubiquitous effort to lose belly fat. While we can’t guarantee that each person who avoids these foods will have a six-pack in a few months, we can say that making some educated dietary changes is something worth considering for almost all of us.

WHY?

Before we dive into the meat and potatoes of today’s post (don’t worry, we won’t tell you to cut those staples out of your diet), we’d like to explain why we are bothering to discuss nutrition in the first place. The answer is in our name: we are Pro Fitness RI, your multipurpose health club in Cranston and Warwick. We don’t think that fitness is a destination as much as it is a journey and a lifestyle. Because of this, there’s little point in busting your tail at the gym five times a week if you aren’t following through on necessary dietary changes. If you are going to dedicate your time, money, and energy to something like your personal fitness, why not invest yourself completely!

FOODS THAT LEAD TO BELLY FAT

That being said, it’s time to discuss which foods you should be avoiding if you’d like to keep the unwanted belly fat to a minimum. But before we do, we’d like to point out that we are most certainly not medical professionals. We just thought we’d take some of our industry knowledge and offer up a few general tips to point our readers in the right direction. You might find that you’ve read a few of these tips in the past, while others might be new information. Either way, we encourage you to try what works for you, individually. That way, you will better be able to maximize the effects of your workouts!

Alcohol

Let’s start off with one that’s (really) no fun to read about — alcohol. Tragically, it’s appropriate to take Jamie Foxx’s words to heart in this circumstance when he recommends placing the blame on adult beverages, in so many words. Why? Research shows that alcoholic beverages, like most beer and wine, contain very high caloric content. When you couple that with a paucity of nutritional value, the end result is a whole lot of “bad calories.”

The thing is, most people who care about fitness and health already know this, yet few of us follow the rule. Now, we aren’t recommending to completely cut out libations from your diet altogether, but it might be a good idea to periodically evaluate your consumption levels if you find you aren’t meeting your personal fitness goals.

Processed Meats

For some of us in the midst of a strength training regimen, we might think it’s a good idea to try to consume as much protein as possible — irrespective of the source. In the USA, in particular, we are inundated with processed meats, to the point where they have become a staple in many diets. And while it might be tough to believe that something as seemingly harmless as processed meats can have a negative impact, the reality of the situation is that processed meats are full of sodium, fat, and nitrates. Even the processing method involves combining healthy protein with ingredients we have no need for, but are inexpensive. Nitrates, fat, and sodium are all connected with water retention and bloating, so it’s best to avoid processed meats if you can.

Fruit Juice

It’s difficult to be too condemning of fruit juice across the board because some are nutritious (to a certain extent) but are so overloaded with sugars that it will only result in hindering your goal for washboard abs. There is a significant difference between empty beverage calories and useful food calories as well.

Potatoes

We lied! We said we wouldn’t ask you to cut out the meat and potatoes, but that is exactly what we are about to do! Somewhat of a dark horse when it comes to foods worth avoiding (or at least eating in moderation), potatoes are full of empty calories. One baked potato has the same nutritional effect as consuming a tablespoon of sugar. And in a similar way, once you come down from the sugar high and the pursuant “crash,” you’ll be even more hungry than you were in the first place! So, we know it’s tough to read, but if you want to make trimming your waistline a priority, here’s one more way to accomplish that goal!

Granola Bars

Remember when we said that some of our readers might already be aware of a few different foods on our list? Well, we’d be mightily impressed if any of you had granola bars on said list. Regardless, granola bars have begun to be exposed as the phonies of the nutritional snack world. We’ve all seen the labels that highlight fiber, protein, and how “natural” the granola bar is. But most of these major producers are more interested in how marketable those claims are rather than the nutritional value of their product. Most granola bars have processed ingredients and are so full of sugar that all other dietary benefits are practically cancelled out.

Diet Soda

The final food we’d like to recommend avoiding is diet soda. While most of us know that diet soda isn’t exactly great for your health, given their artificial sweeteners and such, many people don’t know that diet sodas have ingredients which stimulate your appetite. If you are looking to control your caloric intake through monitoring your appetite, diet soda should definitely be avoided.

GET THE BEST GYM MEMBERSHIP IN RHODE ISLAND

We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post. Well, check that. We know it isn’t pleasant to learn many of your favorite foods are a detriment to your fitness goals. But at least, we hope that you found today’s post practically valuable.

However, cutting out foods is only one piece of the puzzle. There is so much more that goes into having fitness and wellness be a cornerstone of your lifestyle. Again, fit is not a destination — it’s a way of life! If you’d like to try Pro Fitness RI out for free, you can do so on us with a 3 Day Free Trial Pass. Get yours today!