Lifestyle Encourages A Fat Belly
According to the Rush University Medical Center, a lack of physical activity encourages the buildup of belly fat. Be more active regularly, by choosing the stairs over the elevator or parking farther out in the lot, but also by consciously exercising most days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends you exercise at least 150 minutes per week at a moderate intensity. Increase that level of exercise to experience more benefits, which include reduced accumulation of belly fat and disease risk.
Getting too little or too much sleep, less than 5 hours or more than 8 hours per night, also correlates with extra belly fat. Being under too much stress, whether its from bills or strict work deadlines, causes your body to pump out more of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol has an effect on where you store your fat and, in many people, it leads to the development of visceral fat.
What Causes Belly Fat
Your body accumulates fat when you eat more calories than you burn. Where your body stores the extra fat largely depends on genetics.
However, theres a strong link between age-related hormonal changes and an increase in waist size.
Women may notice an expanding waistline during menopause, even without changes in overall body weight, because affects where the body stores the fat.
Theres also an association between excess alcohol consumption and increasing belly fat. Though the connection between alcohol and belly fat is still under investigation, researchers theorize its the excess calories from the alcohol that cause the accumulation of fat.
You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
From scrolling through social media to having a late-night coffee, there are plenty of ways we unknowingly keep ourselves awake at night. Aside from feeling tired and groggy the next day, not getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night can affect weight loss, explains Dr Luke.
“When we’re lacking in sleep, our bodys hormones get thrown off balance which can impact our hunger levels the next day. We all have two hormones that affect our appetite: ghrelin and leptin. When we dont get enough sleep, our ghrelin levels rise, and our leptin levels drop. This means that when we’re awake, we tend to eat more but feel less satisfied. Try going to bed a little earlier than usual to avoid this imbalance and remember to remove any distractions that might prevent you from nodding off,” he continues.
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Visceral Fat Produces Harmful Chemicals
Traditionally, body fat was thought to be stored passively in cells, waiting to be used for energy by the body. However, research has shown that fat cells are biologically active and function as an endocrine organ by secreting hormones and other molecules. The activity of visceral fat results in an inflammatory state that is strongly linked to metabolic disease, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of death, even in men at normal body weight.
Where fat is stored in the body depends on genes, hormones, diet and exercise habits, and levels of stress. Foods and beverages containing sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juices, more than two alcoholic drinks a day, inadequate protein intake, and insufficient fiber promote the storage of visceral fat. A sedentary or inactive lifestyle, stress, and poor sleep also increase the amount of visceral fat.
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Why Is The Left Side Of My Stomach Bloated And Hard
When your stomach swells and feels hard, the explanation might be as simple as overeating or drinking carbonated drinks, which is easy to remedy. Other causes may be more serious, such as an inflammatory bowel disease. Sometimes the accumulated gas from drinking a soda too quickly can result in a hard stomach.
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Boost Your Weight Loss And Ditch The Flabby Stomach
At Better Off, we use a non-surgical procedure to target and destroy fat cells in certain areas of the body. This will give you a more sculpted look without the pain and invasion of other fat removal procedures like liposuction.
Of course, for the betterment of your health, youll still want to make positive life changes like eating a more balanced diet and exercising regularly. Our procedure guarantees that youll see better, faster, and longer-lasting results than diet and exercise, alone!
To schedule an appointment or request more information, contact us today!
You Eat Three Large Meals A Day
Contrary to popular belief, eating large quantities of food three times a day isn’t always the best choice for your waistline. The main problem with this way of eating is that while you still can lose weight when doing it right, it may not be the best move for your metabolism. A study published in the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that eating more frequent, smaller meals a day can help control hunger and lower cravings, which can lead to weight loss. To switch things up, try reducing the size of your meals and have some healthy snacks like nuts and fruit if you’re still hungry in between meals.
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One Side Of My Stomach Sticks Out More
If youve noticed that one side of your stomach is bigger, my first question would be: Is it actually due to body-fat? Or do you have an issue with a hernia, a mass or cyst, a bulging organ, or other problems underneath?
Would you describe your uneven belly as a lump? If so, these other explanations become a bit more likely, and it may be worth asking a physician about it.
For example, one of the tell-tale symptoms of an abdominal hernia is a bulge or lump . In this case, the bulge may disappear when you lie down, or it may only be noticeable when you take certain postures or poses.
If the bulge is discolored and follows from an injury, it could be from a bulge of blood under the skin. This is known as a hematoma. A normal skin-colored fatty bulge could be a benign growth called a lipoma .
A bulge on the left side of the abdomen could also be an enlarged spleen . This could be caused by various infections and disordersso best to get it checked out if youre concerned.
If you have have other symptoms or pain, this uneven abdomen becomes a bit more concerning, as well.
You can use WebMDs Symptom Checker to put together some symptoms youre experiencing. Heres their list of conditions that include a distended stomach, lump or bulge.
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Sleep Deprivation Can Slow Metabolism
It’s no secret that the average American is not getting enough sleep. But if you’re starting to gain size around the middle, you might want to consider your sleep or lack thereof.
Saeed said sleeping five hours or less each night has been linked to an increase in abdominal fat. “Sleep deprivation decreases your metabolism to preserve energy and stimulates our bodies to store fat,” he explained.
Interestingly, he also pointed out that getting more than eight hours of sleep can also lead to weight gain. “We’re not sure why this happens however, the most common explanation is that more time in bed is less time being active,” he added.
Everyone’s sleep needs are different. However, the right amount of sleep is usually somewhere between seven to nine hours per night.
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Why Belly Fat Can Be So Stubborn
If you were to ask anyone wanting to lose weight which area of their body theyd most like to reduce fat in, the words my belly would come up frequently. This is because belly fat is hard to get rid of. In fact, during weight loss, your abdominal area will often hold onto fat even while other areas of your body are slimming down.
And losing belly fat isnt just good for external appearances. Carrying excess weight around your abdomen can also impact your long-term health by putting you at greater risk for developing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
So why is belly fat so stubborn?
Why Is Belly Fat So Stubborn?
You get fat around the belly for the same reason you get fat build-up anywhere else on the body youre consuming more energy than the body is using. When this happens that excess energy gets stored in the body as fat. Youll never be able to get rid of your stomach fat or any stubborn fat for that matter unless youre burning more energy than youre taking in .
Its more difficult to shift belly fat because it has a higher amount of fat cells that dont respond as easily to the fat-breakdown process . In fact, your stomach fat tends to release more slowly than from other areas of the body. This is because these fat cells have a different type of receptor than normal fat cells they have what is known as alpha-receptor instead of beta receptors, which release fat faster.
How the Body Stores Fat
Youre Eating the Wrong Types of Fat
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What Is Stubborn Fat Anyway
While you may have fat all over different parts of your body, it isnt all the same.
As you lose weight, most people find that they tend to lose it from certain areas much more quickly than from others.
For guys, it tends to be hardest to lose lower stomach fat and lower back fat, whereas it is easier to lose fat from the arms, chest, and legs.
For women, the hardest areas tend to be around the hips, butt, and thighs.
Now, many people will try to reduce fat from these areas using targeted exercises.
So, in the case of lower stomach fat, this might involve doing lots of hanging leg raises or leg lifts.
Unfortunately, you arent going to reduce the fat in these areas by doing a whole bunch of targeted exercises
This is the myth of spot reduction, which is the mistaken idea that you can reduce fat from a specific area.
However, this simply isnt the case, as Ive
Instead, when your body loses fat, it does so in a certain order that you cant easily change.
This is because the fat in different areas of your body is actually physiologically different meaning that it is more difficult for your body to properly mobilize and burn fat from these stubborn areas.
How Can I Reduce Visceral Fat
The best way to reduce visceral fat is through losing weight and diet. Visceral fat responds better to diet and exercise than fat on the hips. Regular exercise can also stop visceral fat from coming back.
Another option is medication, but studies show this is not as effective in reducing visceral fat as exercise. Liposuction does not work to remove visceral fat.
Even though you cannot change your genetics, hormones or your age, you can reduce your risk of disease by:
- exercising for at least 30 minutes every day
- eating a healthy diet
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How Do You Get Rid Of Your Hard Beer Belly
Now that you know whats causing your hard stomach fatand the risks it posesits time to tell it to get lost, literally. One study in the journal Obesity found that when people with extra body fat but a normal Body Mass Index lost five percent of their body weight, visceral fat dropped by 11 percent. If you weigh 200 pounds, five percent of your body weight is only 10 pounds.
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There are, as you no doubt know, many healthy ways to lose five percent of your body weight. Start with these easy tips for burning more fat, making eating easier by eating foods that are closer to nature, and by minding your microbiome, those all-important bacteria that help your body out in so many ways .
Emerging research also suggests that sodium-linked glucose transport inhibitors, which are used to treat people with diabetes, can reduce visceral fat and generally help you lose weight. “This does point to the possibility that there may be some physiological mechanisms that target visceral adiposity,” Dr. Barbara Kahn, the George Richards Minot Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Harvard Health Watch.
If do you have a hard beer belly, don’t panic. But you should take it as a sign that now is a good time to make a few changes to your lifestyle that will bring your belly back to where you and your health both want it.
Don’t Stress Over Genetics
If you tend to pack the pounds around your middle rather than your hips and thighs, then you’re known as apple-shaped. This genetic predisposition means ridding yourself of belly fat will be harder, said Dr. Kashyap, but not impossible.
Again, you can’t lose fat only on a certain part of your body. So if your genetics have you carrying it around your middle, focus on losing weight all over, said Dr. Cheskin.
Says About Your Own Health
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You’re Doing The Wrong Workout
Contrary to popular belief, you can’t spot target fat loss. Your body more or less decides on its own where the fat is going to be shed from. But you can strengthen certain parts of your body. Both cardio and strength training can help you shed pounds, so it’s important to perform a combination of both. Torch calories with cardio like running or spinning and strengthen your abdominals with ab workouts like planks, crunches, and mountain climbers. Switch up your workout routine with some tummy-targeting exercises, and incorporate these ways To lose your belly in 14 days to get a slimmer stomach in just two weeks.
Try An Abdominal Massage
found that abdominal massage is helpful in reducing malignant ascites, which is a buildup of fluid in your abdomen.
Press gently with your fingers to perform this abdominal massage:
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Aging And Hormonal Causes Of Lower Belly Fat
As you age, belly fat tends to accumulate hence the term, middle-age spread. You naturally lose muscle mass as you age, and excess calories are more easily stored as fat, particularly in the belly.
Hormonal changes also make belly fat develop. Women, in child-bearing years, tend to gain fat in their hips, thighs and buttocks to supply a reserve of energy during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As their levels of estrogen drop during menopause, fat migrates more to the belly. Men always have a tendency to develop belly fat, but theres no known physiological reason why. Once hormone levels of testosterone start to reduce in men after age 40, belly fat gain expedites.
You Sit Down For Most Of The Day
If you work an office job, you may not get as much activity during the day as you should. Try to find ways to move around in a sedentary setting. Take the stairs, walk to the nearest café instead of ordering takeout for lunch, and try biking to and from work instead of driving. Any activity during the day counts!
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Tactic #: Supplement With Yohimbine
Finally, there are certain supplements that have been shown to help reduce fat from your lower stomach and other stubborn areas.
One of the most effective of these is yohimbine, which studies have shown is particularly effective at targeting stubborn fat.
However, in order for it to be effective, you need to take yohimbine in a fasted state. This is because insulin actually inhibits yohimbine from working properly.
Also, I should note that yohimbine has been shown to increase blood pressure, so if you suffer from high blood pressure then you should probably avoid taking it.
In terms of specific brands, I would recommend Primaforce Yohimbine,
Sedentary Lifestyle And Physical Inactivity
A sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest risk factors for negative health events. It involves prolonged sitting throughout the day .
Even if a person is physically active, meaning they engage in physical labor or exercise, prolonged sitting may increase the risk of negative health events and weight gain (
47 ).
In one study, researchers reported that people who performed resistance or aerobic exercise for 1 year after losing weight were able to prevent regaining visceral fat, while those who did not exercise had a 2538% increase in belly fat .
Another study showed that those who sat for over 8 hours each day had a 62% increased risk of obesity compared with those who sat for less than 4 hours each day .
Its recommended that most adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity each week and engage in regular resistance training.
Further, try to limit sedentary behaviors and prolonged sitting. If sitting is part of your work, try to incorporate standing breaks every 3090 minutes by standing for 510 minutes or taking a quick walk around your office, home or neighborhood.
Summary
A sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity are associated with a number of health risks, including weight gain and increased abdominal fat. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week.
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