Long ago, before I embarked on my weight loss journey, I wrote this letter:
Dear belly fat,
I hate you, men detest you, women abhor you, nobody likes you. My cute,
figure flattering tops and dresses hate you, my low rise jeans and high waist
skirts loathe you, nothing looks good on you... oh, wait! except the hideous
over-sized blouses and dresses. You are so horrible you even make expensive
RL and Armani blazers look cheap and tacky. If you had any sort of self respect,
you'd pack up and disappear from my life and the lives of many men and women
all over the world.
Adios belly fat, hope to wake up in the morning and discover you're gone.
Not fond of you in any way, shape
or form Nina
(on behalf of millions of men and women all over the world).
Well, sad truth is, I woke up the next morning to find the ever stubborn belly fat did not budge but stayed put in my mid riff. It instead grew steadily till I got tired and took charge of my body by embarking on my weight loss journey.
It was then that I kicked belly fat in the behind and sent it to the 'bottomless pit' where it will remain for eternity. However, unfortunately for the millions of men and women world over battling belly fat, the only belly fat I lost was mine as each person needs to lose theirs by themselves. So, stay with me as we embark on an in-depth discussion on the true facts about belly fat. Let's identify What belly fat is, What causes it, How to determine if you are at risk, How and ways to lose it, etc. So, grab yourself a stick of carrot let us get rid of the unsightly, repulsive, unwanted pouch.
WHAT IS BELLY FAT?
Belly fat is excessive fat stored in the abdomen and/or the abdominal areas including the sides and back. Medically it is referred to as central obesity and contrary to general belief, belly fat is not exclusive to overweight people. "Healthy" and sometimes people of moderate weight are centrally obese. Central obesity is a life threatening situation as the fat stored in the abdomen is by far the worst kind of fat. The abdominal fat, visceral fat has been scientifically associated with heart diseases and type2 diabetes. This bad fat finds itself between abdominal organs and interferes with the way the body works and organs function. If you have belly fat and are wondering why you are not losing weight as quickly as some one/people you know, the reason is that your belly fat is greatly interfering with your metabolism.
WHAT CAUSES BELLY FAT?
i) YOUR DNA:
The genes you get from your parents determine the body shape you have and if you are apple shaped (big around the middle), then this post is for you. If you genetically inherited the apple shape, it's no fault of yours, however, if you maintain the apple shape then it's ALL your fault. If your belly fat is inherited, you need to work extra hard as it is difficult to lose genetically inherited belly fat, but it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
ii) YOUR BIRTHDAY:
Age greatly affects your weight and can cause a remarkable increase in your belly fat. This happens because as you get older, your metabolism slows down and affects your digestion by causing the foods you eat to sit longer in your body and store fat. So, as you get older, you must discover things and ways to aid your metabolism function quickly and properly.
iii) YOUR EVERYDAY LAZY DAY:
Continuing your inactive, stationary lifestyle is a huge factor that affects belly fat. Fat is not the prodigal son who would up and leave without cause and/or provocation, you need to work out and I'm not talking about sit ups and long strolls, I'm talking intense work out. (We'll further discuss that at "how to lose belly fat").
iv) YOUR STRESS LEVEL:
Stress makes you lose weight, Right? Hell to the NO, "it don't!". When your stress level is high, your body releases large amounts of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone which tends to aid your body cling to fat. Studies have also shown that cortisol can enlarge your fat cells. The more of this hormones (cortisol) your body releases, the more visceral fat is stored in your abdomen. Cortisol can also make you crave comfort, sugary foods, so you tend to binge when you are stressed.
YOUR NIGHT OWLING:
Stop bragging about not being a sleeper and being very nocturnal. Climb into bed, turn off the lights,television, radio, gadgets, etc and fall asleep. We cannot over emphasise the connection between sleep and weight loss (See previous posts).
YOUR WRONG EATING HABIT/BAD DIETING PLAN:
If it's none of the above and you still have belly fat and not losing weight, then you have been eating the wrong things (processed food/sugar, fizzy/sweet drinks, alcohol, sweets, biscuits, chocolates, bad fat, white bread, fried food, etc.). You don't eat all those? You're on a diet? Then you need to look at your diet again. Skipping meals, eating once a day, starving, eating too little at a time will not get your belly down at all.
YOU ARE SICK/ILL:
If you are certain it's none of the above and you eat well and healthy then you may need to see your doctor as you may be pre-diabetic or have some other medical issues you are unaware of.
TO WORRY OR NOT?
ARE YOU AT RISK?
Now you're wondering if you should worry about your belly fat or not. Let's assess if you are at risk by determining how bad your belly fat is.
Get a measuring tape (the kind used by tailors), remove your top, stand up straight and get someone to measure your waist (the part between your hipbone and under your rib cage). Do not suck in your gut or hold your breath as this will not give you the correct size). If you're a man and your waist measures larger than 40inches (102cm) and 35inches (88cm) for women, irrespective of age and height, you have enormous belly fat and are at risk of heart disease and other metabolic disorders, So, begin to lose weight and begin now. It doesn't matter if you're 1inch or 50inches above target because it can only get bigger.
Be sure to check in tomorrow as we discuss HOW TO LOSE BELLY FAT THE PRACTICAL WAY.
I love you for reading
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