Effective Ways to Help You Lose Belly Fat

What is belly fat?

Belly fat, also known as visceral or ‘hidden fat’, is a type of body fat beneath the abdominal wall that surrounds the liver, intestines, and other organs. Although belly fat makes up just a small percentage of total body fat, having an excess amount of it can negatively affect your overall health.

What causes belly fat?

Your genetics will determine the shape of your body and how it stores belly fat, but environmental factors can also play a key role.

A poor diet consisting of heavily processed foods, excess sugar, and an inactive lifestyle are the main causes of belly fat buildup.

Stress can also cause an increase in belly fat by triggering the release of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. High cortisol levels can signal your body to conserve energy, which means you’re more likely to hang on to fat around your midsection.

Effective tips to help you lose belly fat.

While you can’t exactly target belly fat specifically, taking healthy measures to lose weight and help shrink your waistline can help you it. With that in mind, here are some effective ways to make that happen.

Eat a healthy diet of whole foods.

Replacing unhealthy, processed foods with whole foods like lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, complex carbs like beans, whole wheat, brown rice, and quinoa, and healthy fats is a great way to reduce excess belly fat.

A big part of eating a healthy diet is avoiding processed foods. Packaged snack foods often contain trans fats, added sugar, and excess salt—three things that make it difficult to lose stubborn belly fat.

Get moving.

Adding aerobic exercise into your routine, such as going for a walk, can help burn excess belly fat.

According to Hopkins Medicine, exercise can work off belly fat in particular because it reduces circulating levels of insulin, which would otherwise signal the body to hang on to fat. Exercise also causes the liver to use up fatty acids near visceral fat deposits.

Exercise can also help you reduce stress levels, which can be helpful when it comes to preventing excess belly fat.

Get plenty of sleep.

Getting a good night’s sleep is important for many aspects of your health, including weight. Studies show that not getting enough sleep can increase hunger and appetite levels, which can cause you to overeat. 

Plus, when you’re tired, it’s not as easy to maintain healthy habits compared to when you’re well-rested. This could cause you to crave foods that are higher in calories for a quick energy boost.

Moderate your alcohol use.

High alcohol intake can lead to health issues, including excess weight gain, and is associated with belly fat accumulation. Alcoholic beverages are generally high in calories and sugar. Consuming too much alcohol can also increase your appetite and decrease inhibitions, which can lead to unhealthy food choices.

In summary, while some belly fat is necessary to help protect your internal organs, having excess belly fat can be bad for your health. However, being mindful of your diet, including exercise in your health and wellness routine, and making healthy lifestyle choices can all prevent or help you get rid of unwanted belly fat.

Sources.

Information for this article was collected by the health and wellness experts at GOLO using the following sources:

National library of medicine - visceral fat

Harvard health

National library of medicine - sleep and fat

Johns Hopkins medicine

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