So, how much belly fat do you have? Surprisingly, everyone has some amount of belly fat. However, excess fat may start building up in unusual places due to too much weight gain. Belly fat is classified into two types –visceral and Subcutaneous fat.
Visceral is the excess fat surrounding your organs while subcutaneous sit beneath the skin. Most of the belly fat is a result of visceral fat instead of subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat offers to cushion around your organs, but too much of it tends to be more detrimental than subcutaneous fat. Carrying excess fat around the abdomen is linked with different health risks, including heart diseases, diabetes, strokes, and high blood pressure. Belly fat may form due to various reasons, but the most common reasons include a poor diet, stress, and lack of exercise. Although there are several ways of losing excess body fat, specific weight-loss strategies can target the fat in the midsection areas. Some of the easy ways of losing excess belly fat include:
Poor dieting is one of the primary causes of excess belly fat. You can get rid of the excess belly by eating a well-balanced diet rich in nutrients. Healthy dieting incorporates the five main food groups, including fruits and vegetables, starchy food, proteins, dairy, and fat (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats). Therefore, ensure you shift from trans fats as they cause inflammation and may eventually lead to obesity. Trans fats are found in high-carb diets, including junk foods and baked foods.
For a healthier diet, ensure you eat food with plenty of soluble fiber and high protein. Soluble fiber takes in the warmth and forms a gel that assists in slowing down food as it goes down through your digestive system. Some high-fiber foods include flax seeds, avocados, legumes, blackberries, shirataki noodles, and others.
High protein intake surges the release of the fullness hormone PYY, which reduces appetite and enhances fullness thus leading to weight loss. However, incorporate a good protein source found in both animal and plant protein.
Food with added sugar has harmful effects on your health and contributes highly to excessive weight gain. This is because excess sugar has a high amount of calories that don’t have any nutritional benefit in the body. The added sugar contains a considerable amount of fructose, leading to fat accumulation around your middle section –abdomen and liver. A more detrimental effect is when you take liquid sugar since the brain doesn’t register liquid calories the way it does for solid calories. It is essential to know that even healthier sugars such as natural honey can lead to belly fat gain, primarily if used excessively. Therefore, if you want to get rid of belly fat, consider reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, especially the liquid sugar that comes from sugar-sweetened beverages such as sugary sodas, fruit juices, and other sugary drinks.
Apart from reducing abdominal fat, regular exercise helps keep away diseases, promotes a healthy life, and increases your chances of living longer. Although there are no specific exercises that target belly fat, some exercises such as weight training, cardiovascular and aerobic exercises such as swimming will help significantly in reducing excess belly fat. Depending on the amount of fat you want to shed, you can embark on moderate to vigorous exercise each day.
Fruits and vegetables offer complex carbohydrates which contain a low amount of calories. Fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber which inhibits the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with visceral fat accumulation, thus leading to blood sugar regulation.
To cut excess belly fat, reduce your stress level since stress contributes significantly to belly fat. Stress activates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol, the stress hormone, tends to increase appetite when produced at high levels, thus leading to abdominal fat storage. You can reduce your stress levels by engaging in fun activities such as practicing yoga, as they help relieve stress.
Sleep is crucial to your overall health as it permits the body to relax, heal and recover. Getting sufficient quality sleep can help shed excess belly fat since you tend to burn calories while sleeping.
You have a higher risk of developing health problems if you have excess belly fat. Shedding excess belly fat is not an overnight activity. It requires effort and commitment while embracing an active lifestyle and sticking to a healthy diet.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation or advice related to your health or finances. No reference to an identifiable individual or company is intended as an endorsement thereof. Some or all of this article may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and it may contain certain inaccuracies or unreliable information. Readers should not rely on this article for information and should consult with professionals for personal advice.