What Is Belly Fat
Abdominal fat, or belly fat, can be either subcutaneous fat or visceral fat the first form can be seen, and the second is found deep within your abdomen and around the organs. Even if you are not overweight, you can have visceral fat. It is important to lose belly fat because of the risk it poses to your health. This includes an increased chance of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. If the circumference around your waist measures more than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women, this is considered abdominal obesity. Losing weight will help to improve blood vessel function, lower cholesterol levels, and increase overall well-being.
First Renew Your Mindset
Before you even begin to slash those fatty pounds, you need to change your attitude. What attitude is that? Well, lets review.
When you were young, you were able to stay up late for hours and hours, sleep only a few, and wake up feeling as refreshed as a baby after a long nap.
You managed to juggle jobs and school and relationships without breaking a sweat. And you went hard in every aspect of life because you did not want to go home.
Well, I hate to say it, but you are not a kid anymore. You need those extra hours of sleep. You need to cut back your stressors. And you need to take some time to just be.
None of those things will make you weak or a hippie. Theyll make you smart. Theyll make you healthy.
So, now that weve settled that, lets delve a bit deeper into how you can change your mindset.
Add Some Asparagus To Your Menu
Instead of your usual starchy side, try adding some asparagus to tonight’s dinnerâyour belly will thank you. Asparagus is a good source of inulin, a prebiotic fiber that’s been linked to reductions in waist circumference and belly fat accumulation. Research also suggests that inulin can help support the growth of healthy gut bacteria, giving your immune system a boost in the process.
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Exercise And Dieting Helps You Lose Belly Fat
So what can we do about tubby tummies? A lot, it turns out. The starting point for bringing weight under control, in general, and combating abdominal fat, in particular, is regular moderate-intensity physical activity at least 30 minutes per day to control weight and lose belly fat. Strength training may also help fight abdominal fat. Spot exercising, such as doing sit-ups, can tighten abdominal muscles, but it won’t get at visceral fat.
Diet is also important. Pay attention to portion size, and emphasize complex carbohydrates and lean protein over simple carbohydrates such as white bread, refined-grain pasta, and sugary drinks. Replacing saturated fats and trans fats with polyunsaturated fats can also help.
Scientists hope to develop drug treatments that target abdominal fat. For now, experts stress that lifestyle, especially exercise, is the very best way to fight visceral fat.
What Foods Help You Lose Belly Fat
In order to lose overall body fat, you’ll need to be in a caloric deficit, which means you burn more calories than you consume.
“It is important to reduce the consumption of foods high in trans fat, refined carbs, and highly processed foods with added sugars,” says Lapaix. However, avoiding food groups to burn belly fat is only a temporary solution caused by a caloric deficit, and the real key to keeping belly fat off in the long run is to create an individualized balanced diet that you can maintain long-term, she says.
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Focus On Weight Loss In General
Weight lossalone can effectively reduce visceral fat, says Dr. Butsch. By losing 10% ofyour body weight, you may lose up to 30% of your body fat.
Talk to your doctor about a weight-loss method that is right for you. While there are lots of options to choose from, Dr. Butsch recommends you avoid fasting for long periods. Prolonged fasts cause the body to hold onto the visceral fat, making it tougher to lose. If fasting is your jam, an intermittent or time-restricted fasting approach may be more effective for losing belly fat.
Measure And Keep Track
One of the easiest things you can do for your body is weighing yourself. Simply hop up onto that scale every single day and track your weight.
As you continue to change your diet, exercise, and mindset, youre going to need to see what works and what doesnt. Weighing yourself will help you do that!
Plus, itll get you into the habit of accountability.
If you know youll be checking your weight in the morning, you may think twice about grabbing that midnight, sugary granola bar.
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Why Lose Belly Fat
If you are overweight, reducing your overall body size is probably a good idea. But belly fat deserves special attention. Research has shown that holding abdominal fat can be particularly problematic for your health.
Numerous research studies have shown an association between an increased waist circumference and an elevated risk for heart disease and other conditions, including metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
So how big is too big? If you measure your belly just above your hip bones and your measurement is over 40 inches then you are at an increased risk for certain conditions, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Hiit Vs Traditional Cardio
HIIT is a cardio workout that focuses on short, high-intensity training rounds. Typically, a person needs to do HIIT two or three times a week with rest days in between. There are several benefits of HIIT, including burning a larger number of calories per workout and completing your workout in a shorter period of time.
Traditional cardio routines can vary from low to high intensity. For example, you can walk briskly or play a game of basketball .
So which is better for weight loss? That may depend on you and your needs. A study published in September 2018 in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise looked at the effects of unsupervised HIIT versus traditional cardio over 12 months. The researchers found that men were more likely to adhere to a HIIT routine over 12 months, but the overall percentage of those who completed the yearlong program was about 20 percent.
The study did show that the people who stuck with the HIIT program for 12 months saw a greater reduction in visceral fat and weight than those who didn’t stick with the program. However, the study also showed that the health benefits for both the HIIT group and the traditional cardio group were roughly the same.
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Lose Belly Fat For A Teenage Guy
Many factors play a role in weight gain, including genetics, but excess calorie intake and not getting enough exercise are the biggest reasons teens gain weight. “Weight gain” is more aptly described as body fat gain. A teen boy can be lifting weights and building muscle, which will lead to weight gain, but if he’s still eating more calories than he needs, he’ll continue to increase his fat stores at the same time.
Calories are energy currency, and boys need enough to support their physiological functions, daily activities and exercise. When they get more calories than they need, the body stores the excess as fat, saving it in the fat cells for future needs. To lose fat, boys need to get into a calorie deficit, in which the calories they consume are fewer than the calories they expend each day. Then the body will be forced to tap into the stored fat for energy, and fat stores will decrease.
Fat gain usually doesn’t occur in just one area of the body in addition to stomach fat, a teen boy likely has fat storage in other areas of his body, such as his face and arms. It’s important to understand that boys can’t spot reduce â or target just the abdominal area for fat loss, for example. They have to change their overall body composition, and they’ll eventually see a reduction in stomach fat.
The Different Types Of Belly Fat
Not all fat is created equal. Excess timber around the waist hurts your health in a way that subcutaneous fat the soft layer of chub that sits directly under the skin doesnt. Belly fat is stored in your abdominal cavity, and shares space with important organs like the liver, stomach, kidneys and intestines.
Belly fat is metabolically active, which means its basically an organ in itself but not one youd want to donate.
It excels at pumping out various inflammatory substances, interfering with hormones that regulate appetite, weight, mood and brain function and sending your cortisol levels responsible for stress through the roof. No surprise then, that its associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer.
So far, so tragic. There is, however, some good news. Belly fat may be the most dangerous type of body fat, but since its buried deep within your body, its also the easiest to get rid of. But before we talk about that, its worth identifying the causes of belly fat. After all, its far better to not put the weight on in the first place.
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Tracking Progress And Staying Motivated
Define Intensity And Frequency Of Your Workout
This is something you should really focus on. Intensity and frequency are not the same and dont work similarly for different exercises. For losing your belly fat, you should definitely increase the intensity of all your exercises while frequency is something you can decide on your own depending on your capacity.
In cardio training, increasing your frequency will definitely yield better results. But you should keep the following points in mind while charting your exercise routine.
- First of all, cardio starts burning fat cells only after a certain time of continuous exercise. In general, this time is 20 minutes in case of medium intensity workouts.
- Second, doing too much cardio and that too for a long time can damage your muscles.
On the other hand, strength training gives better results with increased intensity and regularly paced intervals in the frequency. For quick fat loss, increase your weights but allow your body at least one day gap between two weight training sessions.
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You’re Drinking Too Much Alcohol
Can one too many pintsreally earn you a beer belly? Well, yes. As you gulp down your drink, your body turns the alcohol into acetate, which your body cant store. It becomes your primary energy source, and the proteins, carbs and fats swirling around your digestive system are converted to fat by default.
Factor in the excess calories from your drinks with the gut-busting kebab you pick up on the way home and suddenly youre looking at excess fat storage.
Not only does a night on the sauce send your cortisol levels through the roof, it saps your testosterone, which means youll find it more difficult to build lean muscle and burn fat as fuel.
What Are The Causes Of Lower Belly Pooch In Males
Any weight gain may be related to a bad diet and lack of physical activity.
However, whats common for people getting fat in the area of the lower abdomen is that the fat layers are mainly related to increased stress.
In fact, the process that occurs is caused by cortisol, a stress hormone that affects the accumulation of fat layers in this area.
Of course, it is important that you take the problem seriously in this case, and try to reduce the level of stressful situations you are exposed to.
Besides stress, obesity, bad diet habits, and a sedentary lifestyle are other big reasons for lower belly fat.
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Can You Lose Fat From Just Your Belly
No, losing fat from only one area of your body is called spot reduction.
Sadly, it is one of the biggest myths in the fitness industry.
For years, infomercials have tried to sell people the ultimate ab cruncher that is guaranteed to give you a six-pack, the giant elastic band that will burn away arm fat, the springy hinged thing that will give you the thighs of a supermodel, or any other goofy thing you’ve seen online or on late-night TV.
All fallacies, false claims, and items like that should go straight into the garbage!
The only way to reduce fat is to burn it from your entire body with a healthy nutrition plan and efficient exercise regime.
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Is Excess Belly Fat Dangerous To Your Health
Yes, massively!
Excess belly fat has been researched and scientifically proven to cause numerous health problems, such as:
There is GOOD NEWS though my friends all of these health issues can be averted or reversed with good nutrition and exercise.
Following a proven plan will ensure that you minimize belly fat.
Doing so will reduce your chances of being in these high-risk categories.
Belly Fat Impacts Overall Health
Ample evidence shows that visceral belly fat raises cancer risk too. A meta-analysis of recent studies published in Nutrients in 2016 showed that abdominal obesity contributes to the development of lung cancer. Another meta-analysis, published in the journal Bioscience Reports in 2017, showed that visceral belly fat may contribute to the development of colorectal cancer.
Research also shows that visceralbelly fat is associated with brain atrophy and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The adipokines excreted by the visceral fat tissue are likely why belly fat can be a factor in these brain degradations that occur in old age, as shown in 2014 research in The Lancet Neurology.
Needless to say, men need to know how to lose belly fat to improve their health for now and the future.
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The Natural Testosterone Booster Guys 40+ Are Using For More Energy Drive & Results
After age 30, your Testosterone levels start declining. Add in some stress and a less than perfect diet everything gets worse fast. You feel tired all the time. Its hard to lose fat. It feels like you lost your edge. Thats the sad story that happens to most guys 40+. But now, it doesnt have to be that way for you.
Exercise And Strengthtraining: A One
Exercises that increase the heart rate and make you sweat help you lose weight in general both visceral fat and the subcutaneous fat under the skin. Aerobic exercise burns overall calories and helps you reduce total body fat.
Dr. Butsch says the key to losing abdominal visceral fat seems to lie in a combination approach. He suggests trying 20 minutes of whole-body strength training plus a cardio routine to strengthen muscle cells and increase fat burn.
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