How strict should one get with their diet to lose belly and hip fat?

Question

I am 6ft and currently weighing 83Kgs. I keep fluctuating on this weight from 82 to 85 kgs. I was 95kgs and managed to lose 13kgs with running, gym and rollerblading and skating.

I also made some diet changes like eating within 1200 calories limit.

But there are times I go for a party have some beer or some junk food. I leverage this by going to my regular workout. This has helped me to maintain my weight.

What I want to know is how strict should one be to lose belly and hip fat. I know there is nothing like spot reduction. Is it that if a person wants to lose fat he should eat clean, for like 6 to 12 months or till his belly is flat, without eating any junk food for the period of time. Do I have to give up all the bad food? Or is it that belly fat takes it time to lose?

Answer 1

As mentioned, sticking to a diet requires effort, focus, and dedication. If you want to eat some 'bad' food, eat a little less of the clean food. Maintaining the calorie deficit is most important.

I lost 18 kg (127 tot 109) with dieting and cardio in the last 8,5 weeks. And I cheated with pizza once, but on that day I still didn't eat more then 2000 calories (while being 1.93 m and weighing 112 kg at the time).
For your size and weight, you should eat around 1600 kcal daily. And what works for me—it might be bro science, but my coach swears by it—is to have one cheat day in the week where you eat the amount of calories and macros that are needed to maintain your current weight. Because as my coach explained, after multiple days of not enough calories, your body goes into starvation mode and you don't lose much fat.

The most important thing is, as also mentioned, to maintain the healthy lifestyle even after reaching your goal.

Answer 2

As you may know, at your height, 83kg is not an unreasonable weight. However fat distribution is important. Gut or visceral fat is linked to higher levels of heart disease, and should be dealt with. It will be costly to discover if you have internal fat round your vital organs, so even though outwardly slim, some individuals still carry internal fat. What is usually classed as junk food is as a rule best avoided, and a good Mediterranean diet should be followed, it is enjoyable and healthy, stick to that and moderate the booze, you can't go wrong with that. Good luck!

Answer 3

To attain any goal, it requires effort, focus and dedication. First of all, you need to cut down anything that's putting in excess of calories into your body. Eating clean is the best thing to do, but every human has temptation for what they like, so once a while it's okay, but don't get overwhelmed by junk and always stick to a limit. They day you eat more, make a point to workout a bit more.

Also, eating healthy should be a habit to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Even after you attain your goal, you'd not like to spiral down again. So, try to cultivate the habit of healthy eating and healthy living. It's not an easy thing to do, but it fetches great returns on a long run.