Key Steps for Reducing Belly Fat

• Exercise: Trims subcutaneous fat as well as slows down the build- up of visceral fat.

• Diet: When you lose weight on any diet, belly fat is usually lost first. People who eat at least 10 grams of soluble fiber per day build up less visceral fat over time.

• Sleep: Sleep deprivation increases your levels of a hunger hormone and decreases the levels of the hormone that makes you feel full. Lack of sleep also plays havoc with your fat cells which leads to overeating and weight gain.                    

• Stress: Although unavoidable it does cause weight gain. Our emotions play a huge role in our eating habits. Many people tend to over eat when faced with stress. If this continues to be a problem for you seek counseling to help you deal with this.

Lose Belly Fat

The amount of flab you have around your middle has a big impact on your health. Fat is stored in two ways- one you can see and one you can’t see.

Subcutaneous Fat

Subcutaneous fat is located just under the skin and is visible around the thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen. Although most people are self-conscious about the fat that is visible, the fat you are unable to see, the visceral fat, may be the bigger problem, even for thin people.

Visceral Fat

Inner or visceral fat provides the necessary cushioning around the vital organs in your body. When a body is obese, it runs out of safe places to store fat and begins storing it in and around the organs, such as the heart and liver. Having too much fat around your organs increases your chance of developing high blood pressure, type2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, liver disease, and certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer.

Although CT and MRI scans are the most precise way to determine how much visceral fat you have, they are costly and not necessary. The easiest way is by simply using a tape measure and measuring your girth. Measure yourself while standing up and make sure that the tape measure is level. If you are a woman, your waist size should be less than 35 inches, and less than 40 inches if you are a man. If you have more abdominal fat, this is an indication that you probably have more visceral fat.

Some people have a genetic tendency to store visceral fat, so even thin people can have too much. With this being said, even thin people should exercise regularly. Exercise is the only way to decrease the amount of extra visceral fat in the body.