Diet and Excercise to Trim Belly Fat

Researchers in Israel randomly assigned 278 sedentary adults (mostly men) to one of two diets for 18 months. The diets were Mediterranean low-carb or low-fat diet. After 6 months, half of the participants also did an exercise program of 45 minutes of aerobics and 15 minutes of strength training 3 times a week. The Mediterranean group was instructed to eat more vegetables, beans poultry and fish and less lamb and beef and an ounce of walnuts a day. The low-fat group was told to eat vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans and to avoid sweets and high-fat snacks. At the finish, both groups lost weight but those who exercised lost more deep belly fat (the worst kind).