Weight loss in the new year goes hand in hand with a wave of healthy living. But if you can make a lifestyle change to bring about a healthier waistline you could see belly fat drop off quickly – and stay off.
One man is sharing his story in pictures on social media website Imgur; people share pictures for weight loss inspiration.
User Elara760 has posted a series of pictures of himself from 2016, where he is sporting a decidedly rounded figure.
The user explained he is male, aged 22 and 6ft tall – at his heaviest weight in February 2016 he tipped the scales at 275 lbs (19.6 stone).
22 months later the man is sporting a slim, trimmed-down, muscular physique.
He wrote on Imgur: “Finally made a real effort to lose it and couldn’t be happier.”
Explaining how he did it, the 22-year-old said he believed it came down to genetics, “and the speed of which you lose the weight”.
He said: “I forgot to take pictures for a year but it was a gradual loss. The only real loose skin I have is around my lower abdomen.”
In Feb 2016 the youngster was 275 lbs (19.6 stone), and this month he is down to 160 lb (11.4 stone).
That’s an impressive loss of 8.2 stone. And it’s such a big change the pictures of the chap have gone viral – in a matter of days the post has had 45,646 views.
Learning how to lose weight fast and keep it off can be tricky but, with Express.co.uk’s diet and exercise plan created by Gympass and Digme Fitness, you can burn fat from your waist and tone up arms at the same time.
Day one: 20 seconds on / 40 seconds off
Day two: 30 seconds on / 30 seconds off
Day three: 40 seconds on / 20 seconds off
1. Burpees
A favourite of ours and one of the most effective exercises for fat burning and muscle toning as it uses practically every muscle in the body.
2. High knees to mountain climbers
Reach up with your arms above your head and do eight counts of running on the spot lifting your knees as high as you can.
Once you’ve done eight (four on each leg), get down to a press-up position and do eight mountain climbers, bringing your knees up towards your chest alternately. Repeat as many times as you can in the allotted time.
3. Plank star jumps
Get into the press-up position with your hands under your shoulders and your arms straight. Your legs should be straight out behind you, on your toes with your feet together. Bracing your abs and keeping your upper body stable, jump both feet out wide simultaneously, pause, then jump them back together again. Repeat.
4. Squat to shoulder press
Stand with your feet just wider than shoulder width apart and grab a couple of light dumbbells or a couple of tins to hold just above your shoulders. Slowly lower into a squat, hinging at the hips and pushing your bum out behind you. Make sure you can still see your toes, otherwise your knees are going too far forward.
Go down until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground, then come back up to the start. As you return, push both arms up above your head until they are straight, then slowly lower and move back down to a squat. Repeat.
5. Bicycle crunch
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hands gently holding the back of your head. Raise your shoulder blades off the ground and lift your legs up so your knees are at 90 degrees. Slowly pedal them in the air, as if you were riding a bike. You can advance the exercise by twisting and reaching each elbow to the opposite knee as it moves towards your chest.
Digme Fitness is part of the Gympass network, and together with over 1,000 other gyms and fitness studios, we are making exercise excuses a thing of the past.
With a Gympass membership, available either individually or subsidised through your employer, you can choose when, where and how you want to work out. Activities range from ballet to boxing, across 350 UK towns and cities, to offer a gym membership that finally keeps up with your lifestyle.
Daily Express :: Life and Style Feed
