Anyone can have belly fat — and what is super annoying is that not only does it affect appearances, but it comes with a plethora of health problems. While the subcutaneous fat located just below the skin merely poses cosmetic concerns, the visceral fat around internal organs is associated with health issues such as abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Why Does Belly Fat Happen?
What exactly causes belly fat? When overeating and under-exercising, you’ll end up with unused calories. Everything has to go somewhere, so your body will store this energy as fat, likely in the belly, hips, thighs, and butt.
Who Has Belly Fat?
Anyone can have belly fat - it doesn’t discriminate. However, it’s particularly common among older women, as the lower estrogen levels caused by menopause can cause the body to disproportionately distribute fat to the abdomen. It’s a physiological change that nearly all women experience during menopause — even those who have never had much fat! The body can often transition from storing fat in the hips and thighs (creating a pear shape) to the abdominal area (resulting in an apple shape).
Aging men also struggle with belly fat as well. The change is slower and steadier for men than women, as men of all ages are already more likely to store fat in their abdominal area.
You can also blame your genetics, as people with certain genes are more likely to store fat around the waist.
What Can You Do About Your Belly Fat?
While belly fat may seem unavoidable (unfortunately, you can’t change your genetics or stop the aging process), the good news is that it’s not hopeless. There are a few things you can do to combat this problem.
First, not surprisingly, have a healthy diet. Eat unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, and plenty of protein. Cut out sugary beverages, watch your portion sizes, and consume limited amounts of sugar.
Doing a bunch of abdominal exercises can help build your muscles, but it won’t help you get rid of belly fat. You still need to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat regardless of what exercises you do. That being said, if you build ab muscles, they will pop out more when you lose the fat!
You will want to have a solid plan of resistance training to build muscle and increase your metabolism, but you can also add other physical activities that are fun for you! This could be hiking, biking, swimming, or any sports you love. After all, having an intense workout routine that gets you results isn’t any good if you can’t follow it. The most important part is being able to be consistent.
Results tend to be faster in the beginning when starting a new workout and food routine — however, belly fat is notoriously stubborn. If you hit a plateau, and you notice your caloric deficit is too low (for instance, 1200 calories for women is too low and not sustainable long term) - you will want to reverse diet out of this while changing your exercise routine. It’s always good to create new stimuli so your body doesn’t keep adapting.
In terms of a reverse diet, consuming an extra 150-250 calories per day while keeping up strength training will increase your metabolism and help your body burn more fat in the long run. Similarly, switching training gears for a few weeks can prompt your body to burn more fat and get you past that plateau. For instance, if you’ve been lifting sets of 8-12, you can switch to a strength phase of heavier weights at sets of 1-4 reps.
Above all, be compassionate toward yourself! Plenty of people have belly fat — and it’s not easy to get rid of. If you need some help reducing your belly fat, contact me at happyhelen@gmail.com today!