Why Your Lower Belly Fat Never Goes Away (It Is Not What You Think)

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YffemgG3Gmo

Lower belly fat that will not go away is one of the most common complaints I hear. The internet is full of gurus who say: try this workout, try this diet. There are endless methods for getting from point A to point B. But nothing contradicts the science itself.

In this article, I want to explain what is really going on, and give you the method that I used to build my own physique, and that I have used with many clients.

You cannot target belly fat

The first thing to understand is that every human body is built differently. Some people store more fat in their legs than in their belly. Others store more in their chest. You cannot copy somebody else's plan and expect the same outcome. Your approach has to be specific to you.

And you cannot target a specific area of the body to lose fat. It is as simple as that. You can train one body part all day, and you will still lose fat from areas you did not train. I know it can sound strange, but that is how the body works.

For me, I noticed that I lose fat from the top of my body downwards. My legs are the last place that fat leaves. Could I have targeted them? No. It is simply how I am designed.

There are hundreds of videos telling you that you can burn belly fat with one specific workout. In reality, that is not how it works. A great physique comes from a combination of many small things you do in your everyday life, in addition to your workouts. Everybody is so focused on the workout that they miss the rest.

It is a never-ending journey

Let me also be honest: you will probably never feel completely satisfied. This journey does not really end. But that is fine, because we are ambitious people, and we are always looking to improve.

What I will give you is the result of 12 years of experience, condensed into a few minutes. When I started, I spent years bulking, cutting, bulking and cutting. I could not forge the physique I wanted until I came across a study that changed the game for me.

The gut changes everything

Many people focus on diet. Many focus on the workout. It is overwhelming, and when we have too many choices, we end up making none. We are also impatient, because we live in a world that wants everything fast. That is understandable, but good things take time.

The study I found was about the gut. I came to see that the gut is the second heart of the body, where so much of the action happens.

If your stomach sticks out, there is a good chance you are bloated and holding water. In my experience, many people who look fat are not as fat as they look. They are carrying water retention, and their gut is not in a healthy state. As a result, their metabolism seems to concentrate everything around the belly, which pushes it outward.

The gut is responsible for absorbing your food. If it does not absorb properly, your recovery suffers. If your recovery suffers, your performance suffers, and then your sleep. It is a domino effect. In my view, a healthy gut is responsible for most, if not all, of the progress you make with your body and your shape.

Step 1: Fix where your food comes from

I am not going to tell you to stop eating processed food or to focus on quality, because we should all agree on that already. We should also agree that you should not drink anything full of chemicals.

What I changed was where I buy my food. Supermarket chains sell mass-produced food, and it can contain many additives that our bodies struggle to process. If you keep eating that way, you will not get far.

So I started going to local vegetable markets and to the butcher. The meat was grass-fed and more organic. Yes, it can be more expensive, but it is what it is. Fat loss and weight loss are two different things. If you want to lose fat, focus on high-quality nutrients.

Step 2: Stop overtraining

The next thing few people pay attention to is recovery. Overtraining is probably one of the reasons you have stubborn belly fat. Overtraining keeps your cortisol high.

If you break down muscle tissue every single day without giving it the chance to heal and repair, you are not making progress. You are causing more damage to tissue that is trying to repair itself.

Cycle training: how I fixed it

I introduced cycle training. I no longer show up five times a week for six, eight, nine months straight. Instead, I break the year into cycles.

One cycle is two months of consistent heavy lifting, followed by a week off. Another is two and a half months of pure consistency, followed by ten days off. These repeat. I usually train four times a week, with three days of recovery, because recovery determines your results. The months you build show up in the mirror after the rest.

On a chart, it looks like this: you work hard and go up, then take a week off for a small dip, then go up again for another two months. Up, down, up, down, and up overall. That is where the magic happens.

If you train for six months straight, the line goes up and up, and then it flattens out. I believe that is where around 90% of people get stuck. And if you train on sore muscles, you are not doing your body as much good as you think.

What you do during recovery matters

Recovery is not just the absence of training. What you do during that time matters too. Stretching became a major pillar of my lifestyle. I also added the cold plunge and the sauna.

Many people get the sauna and cold plunge combination wrong. They go cold plunge, sauna, cold plunge, sauna. That is not how you recover faster. For your muscles to recover, you need heat.

You could do 15 minutes in the sauna, a cold plunge, and then back into the sauna, and finish there. Leave the session in a warm state. That helps your muscles recover.

If you want to get bigger and build more volume, remember that a cold plunge or cold shower may block muscle growth. For me, the cold plunge was more for performance. I did not see a size difference when I used it. I did it on rest days, not after workouts. After training, use the sauna, and focus on active recovery.

Sleep: the number one reason people get injured

Another essential part is sleep. I believe it is one of the main reasons people get injured. People go to the gym when they are tired, after a long day, and push everything they have. That leads to injuries.

You need at least seven to eight hours. Many people say it, and it is true. I wear a Whoop band to track my sleep, because it gives me data I can work with.

To sleep well, I sleep in the dark. I close the curtains and keep the room dark and cold. That helps your body recover much faster, and a good blanket helps too. You also need to stop screens at least an hour before bed. I like to read a book, spend time with friends, or take a walk, then come home, shower and sleep.

Supplements: only the ones with research behind them

Now let me talk about supplements. There are hundreds on the market, but I use only six that have science behind them. I have used them for years. If you take supplements, make it for recovery. Before a workout, I would take caffeine, creatine, citrulline and arginine.

**Creatine monohydrate.** It supports performance, and you may notice a change within the first two weeks. It is among the most researched supplements and is considered very safe. Some people do not process creatine well, so there are different forms, such as micronised creatine. Experiment, because this is a process of elimination and observation.

**Citrulline.** It supports blood flow and oxygen transport.

**Arginine.** It supports oxygen transport, and it is linked with muscle synthesis and growth.

**Ashwagandha.** I use a specific form, because it can calm the nervous system, and that helps you recover. I take it two months on, one week off, to let my body rest.

**Vitamin D3 and K2.** These are good for your tendons, muscle growth and bones. Many people do not get enough from their diet.

**Magnesium, omega-3 and a multivitamin.** Magnesium helps calm inflammation after your workout, and I take it at the end of the night. Omega-3 is a game changer for many people.

Supplements are not a replacement for meals. That is why I do not use whey protein. I do not eat processed food, so any protein that goes into my body is real food.

Before I selected any supplement, I did a blood test to see where my body was lacking. That is important if you are aiming for longevity, performance and looking good. Please speak to a doctor before you start any supplement.

Stress: the real enemy of belly fat

When it comes to belly fat, your number one enemy is stress. Stress is the reason many people have belly fat they cannot shift. You cannot target belly fat directly, but stress affects your nervous system, which affects your gut, which affects how you absorb food.

Take person A and person B. They eat exactly the same meal. Person A has low stress and low cortisol. Person B has high stress and high cortisol. Person A absorbs the nutrients properly. Person B absorbs only part of the meal. The state you are in when you eat is crucial. It helps determine whether you build mass, cut, or see the results you have been working for.

I lived this myself. In a previous relationship, I was extremely stressed for four years. I was exhausted from work and everything else, and I began losing my hair. Since I stopped carrying that stress, it has been growing back. You need to be in control of your emotions, because they affect the state you are in when you eat.

Hydration and eating habits

None of this will work well without proper hydration. I aim for roughly three to five litres a day, and I prefer water that contains minerals, because your body needs minerals to function. Check with your doctor about what is right for you.

Set aside time to eat. Do not eat while watching TV, and do not eat while working. Ask yourself: am I eating, or am I working? Do not combine the two, because it stresses you out, and that can keep you fat.

Also, avoid drinking while you eat. I see this often in restaurants. When you eat, eat. When you finish, drink. Sipping in between is not the best thing for your stomach, and it can contribute to acid reflux.

VO2 max and your heart

The number one indicator of good health, in my view, is your VO2 max. You can look good and have a great body, but if your breathing and oxygen are not good, it affects the rest of your metabolism.

How do you improve it? Through intense cardio. Building muscle and being big is good, but it taxes your heart. Your heart has to work harder to move blood around your body. Your heart is a muscle too, and you need to train it. If you do not, you may notice symptoms like brain fog, a 2 p.m. crash, poor sleep and poor breathing.

During the three days a week when I am not lifting, I do an easy 5 km run as active recovery. When you do active recovery, you need to eat a bit more.

Stop torturing your body

To sum it up: there is no way to directly target belly fat. You are probably not a bodybuilder, so aim for a physique that you are happy with when you look in the mirror, where you look good and feel good.

I used to compete as a bodybuilder. I thought that, since these men competed, it must be healthy. But why did I feel weak? My energy and libido were gone, and nothing worked properly, because I was on an extreme deficit that caused health problems.

Stop torturing your body. Many people follow workout plans and diet plans designed for professional bodybuilders. You are not that person. A customised plan is crucial. Working hard is good, but working smart is better.

On days when you are tired, make wise decisions. Instead of a barbell bench press, use the machine, because it is safer. Keep your ego aside. Ego is behind many injuries, including mine. I ruptured my bicep tendons about two months before recording this video, during a boxing match.

Be careful where you get your information

We live in a generation where information is gold. Social media allows people to give advice without being certified. Just because someone is jacked does not mean they are qualified, or that you will look like them if you copy them.

I have 12 years of experience, I studied at university, and I have coached hundreds of people. So be careful where you get your information. The source matters.

After I paid attention to all of this, the body came as a byproduct. I am fit year-round. I am about 90 kg now, and I am fitter than when I was 76 kg. Do not copy anyone else's workout, diet or supplement plan. Everything has to be customised to you, for the goals you want, in the time you give yourself.

Working hard is great, but working smart is better.

Start here

There is a free 30-day recomp plan through the link below. Download it, give it a try, and come back and tell me how it goes.

Get your free 30-day recomp plan here: https://azermahdi.com/

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YffemgG3Gmo

Disclaimer

This article is for general information and education only. It is not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified doctor or other licensed healthcare professional. I am sharing my own experience and what I have seen with my coaching clients. Reading this article does not create a doctor-patient or coach-client relationship.

Bloating, low energy, brain fog, poor sleep, low libido, and constant stress can have many causes, including medical conditions. If you have any health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or have symptoms that are severe or do not go away, speak to your doctor before you change your training, nutrition, supplements, fasting, sauna or cold exposure, breathing practice, or sleep routine. Never ignore or delay professional medical advice because of something you read here. If you think you have a medical emergency, contact your local emergency services right away.

The client stories and results mentioned here are real examples, but they are not guarantees. Results vary from person to person and depend on many factors, including your health, effort, consistency, and circumstances. Supplements, calorie targets, and training programmes are mentioned only to describe what I do and what I have seen, and they are not a recommendation for you personally.

You are fully responsible for your own health decisions and for how you use this information. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Azer Mahdi disclaims liability for any loss, injury, or damage resulting from the use of, or reliance on, this article.