Don’t only try to reduce belly fat to look nice in your swimsuit; lose it because having belly fat is more dangerous than being obese.
Obesity has been a major public health concern for more than a decade since it has been related to a variety of chronic and life-threatening disorders.
However, scientists and health professionals have been raising awareness about the greater dangers of abdominal and visceral fat.
You may believe that having belly fat is OK as long as your BMI remains within the healthy zone, but you would be dead wrong.
Having a flat stomach isn’t only for show.
The most recent study, and the first to focus on the health hazards of abdominal fat, found that having a “spare tire” around your belly is more dangerous than being obese.
You read that correctly.
You might have a normal BMI, but if you have abdominal fat, you are more likely to develop major problems than obese people.
A healthy BMI is not the only indicator of good health.
Why People with Belly Fat Have More Reason to Be Concerned Than Obese People
The findings of the aforementioned study, which were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, were recently presented in a CBSNews.com piece.
“[But] in this study, we really established that a person may be centrally obese and have a normal BMI, and that person is at a higher risk for major health problems,” Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiovascular specialist at the Mayo Clinic and the study’s primary author, told CBS.
The study involves evaluating data from 15,000 participants, U.S. adults aged 18 to 90, in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, as well as follow-ups over a 14-year period.
“Normal-weight adults with central obesity — measured by waist-hip ratio — have the worst long-term survival compared to any other group, regardless of BMI,” Lopez-team Jimenez discovered.
In fact, the data showed that people of normal weight with fat around the midsection were twice as likely to die as people who were overweight or obese based on BMI.”
What Your Abdomen Says About You
It turns out that having a flat belly is about more than just looking beautiful.
Abdominal fat is one of the most difficult to lose and one of the simplest to accumulate.
People with flat tummies have strong control over their bodies and health in more ways than one.
There are various reasons why abdominal fat is more dangerous than fat elsewhere in the body.
In fact, if you are slender except around your belly, you are more likely to acquire Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and liver disease, among other things, than someone who is fat.
This is due to the fact that excess abdominal fat is a sign of additional fat deposits, or visceral fat, throughout the body.
Fat deposits accumulate in the viscera (the areas inside the abdominal cavity), notably around the internal organs: the heart, liver, pancreas, and intestines, as the term indicates.
Toxins produced by visceral fat impair the functionality of various interior organs.
Visceral fat, for example, creates cytokines, which are damaging substances associated with an increased risk of heart disease, insulin resistance, and malignancies of the esophagus, colon, and pancreas.
A few extra pounds around your midsection should not be underestimated.
You may not even be overweight, let alone obese.
Your sole trouble spot may be around your waist, which you may easily dismiss.
Because visceral fat is stored deep inside the abdominal cavity, many people create a false feeling of security about their health and don’t know they have a major problem until it’s too late.
This lack of worry due to their assumed “healthiness” is also a primary reason why abdominal fat is hazardous.
The long and short of it is that if you have extra belly fat, especially if you have had it for a long time, your odds of having substantial reserves of visceral fat are exceedingly high, as are your risks for connected disorders.
You may also believe that being overweight, or even obese, is preferable to being average weight if having excess belly fat puts you at risk for illnesses.
For obvious reasons, this is not the solution you should pursue.
Furthermore, heredity has a role in determining where extra fat is deposited.
Some people acquire weight initially in their thighs, buttocks, and upper arms while maintaining small/skinny faces; most women who develop fat readily in their upper arms also retain the excess fat in their breasts.
Others, on the other hand, carry their excess weight around their waist.
To reduce the risks of disease connected with extra belly fat, you don’t need to create a six-pack.
The most essential thing is to lose the excess weight and build a strong midsection, with or without six-pack abs.
It’s also vital to understand that your BMI should not be used to assess your overall health.
If you are prone to accumulating belly fat, you must begin actively focusing on modifying your diet and exercising more frequently and consistently in order to get rid of it and keep it off.
It’s not for show; it’s for your long-term wellness.
Lose the tummy fat by loving yourself well.
The weight gain/weight loss formulae are easy to remember: if you eat more than you burn, you gain weight; if you burn the same amount as you eat, you maintain your weight; and if you burn more than you eat, you lose weight. To lose belly fat, you must burn more calories than you consume and avoid specific meals.
As you become older, your body’s capacity to burn calories reduces because your metabolism slows down; this is why losing weight becomes more difficult as you get older.
And there is all the more incentive to start exercising while burning calories is still comparatively simple.
After all, developing good behaviors takes time.
Begin preparing your mind and body as soon as possible so that keeping a fit and healthy physique as you age becomes much simpler.
Losing a few pounds around your waist will greatly enhance your health.
It will take time, as well as a lot of patience and devotion, to build a flat stomach.
However, the advantages make all of the effort worthwhile.
Here are 11 strategies to help you lose extra belly fat and keep it off in the long run.
1. Aim for a gradual and consistent weight decrease each week.
It might be one kilo or two; keep track of your progress to stay motivated.
2. Increase your fiber intake.
Fiber makes you feel fuller longer and promotes a healthy digestive tract.
The more full you feel at each meal, the less likely you are to overeat and indulge in unhealthy/fattening meals.
The key is to fill your plate with as many fruits and veggies as possible.
3. Experiment with portion control.
Consume smaller servings more frequently.
This approach functions in two ways:
To begin, you restrict your food intake to what your body requires and effectively burn, avoiding any surplus that will simply be deposited as body fat.
Second, you maintain your metabolism.
When you only feed your body what it can burn, you condition it to maintain your metabolic rate high.
Because you have conditioned your body to expect a consistent supply of appropriate food, the tiny but frequent meals you consume are easily processed.
When you eat fewer but larger meals, your body goes into survival mode, slowing your metabolism and storing the majority of the food as fat since the fuel it requires arrives less frequently.
4. Increase your physical activity throughout the day.
If you want to shed extra belly fat and keep it off, a schedule of sustained strong aerobic activity is the way to go.
Experts recommend at least 150 minutes of brisk walking or jogging each week.
This may be spaced out equally across the week, and even throughout the day.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or at least the first two or three flights before utilizing the elevator.
Instead of driving, walking, or riding your bike to and from the restaurant or grocery store.
Increase the number of times you climb the stairs at home.
Watch and master easy aerobic exercises online; 10–15 minutes each day will make a significant impact if done consistently.
5. Build abdominal strength with basic strength training routines.
Doing these exercises a few times a week, in addition to regular aerobic activities, will help you lose those extra pounds around your tummy faster.
6. Put on some muscle.
In your arms, buttocks, and tummy.
It makes no difference where.
The greater your muscle mass, the more fat you burn.
You don’t need to bulk up; you just need to tone up.
7. Avoid sitting for long periods of time.
Take regular pauses from sitting at your desk or on the couch.
Simply stand for a few minutes, stretch your muscles, march in place, and perform some squats.
8. Limit your sugar consumption.
Fruit juice may appear to be a healthier alternative to soda, but most pre-packaged drinks are likewise heavy in sugar.
Staying hydrated with water is still the best option.
To feel fuller sooner, drink water before every meal and frequently during the meal.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help keep hunger at bay. You may easily fulfill a sweet tooth by eating a banana or an apple instead of a cookie.
Doughnuts pale in comparison to a peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread.
9. Avoid eating processed meals.
These are rich in not just sugar, but also salt, bad fats, and a variety of chemicals.
All you receive are empty calories that will be absorbed by your stomach.
10. Ensure that you get adequate sleep.
Sleep deprivation strains the body, affecting your energy levels and metabolic rate.
11. Think about taking up yoga.
It increases flexibility and is an excellent approach to improving core muscles.
A final word of encouragement
To permanently lose belly fat, you will need to give yourself a lot of tough love.
But such love offers back something far more pleasant than any immoral food pleasure; the satisfaction also lasts a lifetime, as opposed to the fleeting joy you get from unhealthy eating desires and behaviors.
Begin making these adjustments right away and keep your eye on the prize — long-term health!