Which should you cut back on first if you want to trim belly fat — carbs or fat? You might think that dietary fat goes straight to your middle, but research suggests that too many empty carbs is really the first thing to do your belly in.
Dueling Diets
In a study, healthy overweight men and women went on two consecutive 8-week diet interventions. The first diet period was focused on weight maintenance and the second aimed for weight reduction by cutting calories. Through each phase, the participants followed either a reduced-fat or a reduced-carbohydrate diet. When all was said and done, both groups lost weight. But it turned out that the group on the reduced-carb diet — which, incidentally, also focused on quality, low-glycemic-index carbs — lost 11 percent more deep belly fat compared with the group on the low-fat diet. Plus, the low-carb group lost more fat mass overall. Shrinking the amount of belly fat you have is always a good idea for your health, because too much visceral — or intra-abdominal — fat increases your risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.