How to Lose Belly Fat – Part 2

The problem is that Body Mass Index relies on total weight and does not take into account muscle mass or fat deposits. And, because muscle is denser and weighs more than fat, two individuals who weigh the same and are the same height can have the same Body Mass Index but one will have a significantly higher percentage of body fat.

If most of the fat is in the abdominal area your health risks are greater than if it is in the hips, thighs or rear end. Researchers have discovered that belly fat is metabolically active and can increase the risk of colon cancer by raising certain hormones that affect cell growth. Today, scientists and physicians use a waist to hip ratio which is a measurement of waist size divided by hip size as a more reliable gauge of risk factors. A ratio above 0.85 for women or 0.90 for men is higher than average and typically indicates a greater risk.

The way to get your ratio is to use a tape measure to measure the distance around your waist at your belly button and around your hips at the widest part. If your waist is 28 inches and your hips are 38 inches the equation would look like: 28/38 = .73. This falls below the 0.85 for women.

The question now becomes how do you get rid of this belly fat, whether it is the kind you see or the kind you don’t? One of the primary ways is to begin to lose overall weight because belly fat is one of the first places that most individuals lose weight. Weight loss is an equation between calories burned and calories eaten. When we eat more calories than we burn we gain weight and when we burn more calories than we eat we lose weight.

Resources:

MayoClinic: Belly Fat in Men: Why Weight Loss matters

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/MC00054

Washington University: Belly Fat May Drive Inflammatory Processes Associated with Disease

http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/8947.aspx

University of Michigan: Missing Link Between Belly Fat and Heart Disease

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122102055.htm

Harvard Health Publications: Belly Fat and What to Do About it

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Abdominal-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it.htm