While belly fat isn’t something people love carrying around, you shouldn’t aim lose weight just to look good in your bathing suit-losing belly fat can also lower your risk of certain diseases down the road. Belly fat is caused by more than excess calories; it is linked to insulin resistance, high stress, poor fitness, irregular sleep and an unhealthy gut. Here are nine habits you should avoid to banish your belly fat ASAP.

Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners can disturb the gut’s delicate microbiome and confuse your brain-it thinks its getting something sweet because of the taste, but the calories don’t come-and this actually prompts insulin secretion and therefore belly fat storage, perhaps even more forcefully than sugar would.

Don’t Go Crazy on Carbs

Eating refined carbs like bread, rice, pasta and cookies will increase our belly fat. If we want to lose it, we should focus on eating nutrient- and fiber-rich carbs such as vegetables and low-glycemic fruits.

Don’t Eat Added Sugar

Unlike foods and drinks which naturally contain sugar, added sugars don’t have any nutritional value. Highly addictive, they are consequently endangering our health. Added sugar puts pressure on the liver, where it’s unable to process sugar completely and turns that sugar into fat.

Don’t Forget Your Gut

An unhealthy gut cannot absorb nutrients and remove waste efficiently. Highly processed foods, preservatives, artificial coloring and flavoring, chemicals and sugars destroy the normal flora of the gut. When that happens, the belly becomes bloated and distended.

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Don’t Forget to Sleep

You should be getting those 7-8 hours of sleep a night, which keeps hormones in check and helps suppress your appetite and lower cravings the next day. Poor sleep habits affect stress levels, hormone regulation and metabolic rhythms.

Don’t Stay Sedentary During the Day

Even if you go to a workout class, staying sedentary for the majority of the day can prevent belly fat from budging. Every time you move up the stairs rather than up the elevator, or walk around the block instead of staying on the couch, you keep muscles a little more toned. Take every opportunity to move as much as possible!

Don’t Ignore Stress

If you keep putting off stress, it’ll just get bottled up and cause you to maintain high stress levels, which can increase cortisol and lead to fat storage predominantly in the belly.

Don’t Eat Late at Night

It’s best to get your in calories in earlier in the day rather than late at night when you don’t have time to burn them off and they can spike your blood sugar. Try eating dinner earlier, and if you really do need a snack before bed, keep it small and high in protein and low in sugar (like some cottage cheese).

What is the biggest challenge when losing your belly fat?

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