Belly fat is that fat which is inside the abdomen, twisted around your internal organs. It makes your belly stick out. It’s metabolically active. This means that it will increase your resistance to insulin and increase your risk of developing diabetes. It is the easiest to acquire and the easiest of the four different types of fat to get rid of.
Losing belly fat will be different from losing other types of fat. There are actually specific techniques you can use to reduce the potential that you’ll put on more belly fat and to get rid of what you already have.
In fact, you can actually be within normal limits for your weight and still be carrying too much weight in your abdomen. This extra belly fat, or visceral fat as it is also known, will only increase your risk for disease – no matter where your weight falls on the scale. Unfortunately, many people who are within normal limits for their weight are not as motivated to lose the belly fat or visceral fat because the scale says they are just fine.
One of the easiest things you can do to start down the path of reducing your visceral fat is to drink more water and stay thoroughly hydrated. Your body uses the water to flush out the toxins and extra chemicals from your body through your kidneys. Without the water those chemicals will accumulate in your body, more often in the fat cells. Water will also help your body to metabolize fat more quickly and easily.
Another technique to reduce visceral fat is to watch your exercise. One of the strongest triggers in your body to produce visceral fat is cortisol. This is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands when your body is under stress. Your body interprets stress as physical or psychological. Exercise, over 40 minutes in length, is a physical stressor that can increase the amount of cortisol the adrenal glands produce and therefore increase your risk of visceral fat.
Instead, practice exercising for 20 minutes using a PACE program. In the first 3 minutes you’ll warm up and in the last 3 minutes you’ll cool down. After the first 3 minutes you’ll do 30 seconds of the exercise as hard as you can with a 90 second recovery period going slowly. Do 8 repetitions of this cycle and then your 3 minutes of cool down.
This program will increase your calorie burn and reduce your cortisol production. You can do this jogging/running, on the treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine or bike. Whatever cardiovascular exercise you enjoy!
Reduce or eliminate the amount of alcohol and caffeine you use because they also increase the amount of cortisol you produce. Take vitamin C because it reduces the amount of physical and psychological stress you have. This in turn reduces the amount of cortisol you produce.
Eat foods that are low on the glycemic index and don’t spike your blood sugar. These are foods that are high in protein and fat and low in carbs. When your blood sugar spikes, so does your insulin. Insulin will reduce the amount of fat your body will burn for fuel and keep your visceral fat in place.
And, of course, sleep at least 7-9 hours every night. Sleep will also reduce your stress levels and reduce the amount of cortisol you produce. Make a commitment to going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning. Sleep in a dark room – using room darkening blinds or a sleep mask. This normalizes the hormones in your body at night and helps you get more restful sleep.
Resources:
Mercola: Confirmed: Belly Fat is Far More Dangerous than Having a Total BMI in Obese Range
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/10/26/belly-fat-health-dangers.aspx
Time Health Family: Can Love Handles Kill
http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/30/can-love-handles-kill-why-having-a-paunch-may-be-worse-than-being-obese/
NY Times: Brown Fat, Triggered by Cold or Exercise
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/health/brown-fat-burns-ordinary-fat-study-finds.html?_r=0
Joslin Diabetes Center: Turning up the heat on brown fat
https://www.joslin.org/diabetes-research/turning-up-the-heat-on-brown-fat.html
US News: Belly Fat May Hurt Your Heart the Hardest
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/08/28/belly-fat-may-hurt-your-heart-the-hardest
Forbes: Why Love Handles and Belly Fat are so Dangerous to your Health
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2012/09/03/why-love-handles-and-belly-fat-are-so-dangerous-to-your-health/
Harvard: Abdominal Fat and What to do About It
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Abdominal-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it.htm
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