Stomach Fat

Reducing stomach fat is a struggle for a lot of individuals. Many of us at one point in our lives will be faced with health or image problems due to excess belly fat.

The risk posed by Stomach Fat (Visceral/Abdominal fat)

Visceral fat, more commonly known as belly fat, is excess fat that has accumulated around the midsection and is the body’s way of warning against getting out of shape and becoming unhealthy. The liver metabolizes this stomach fat into cholesterol, which circulates around the body.

However, it is common knowledge that when cholesterol build up in the blood stream, it causes the arteries to narrow down. The chances of getting heart disease, stroke, diabetes or hypertension are greatly increased with excess visceral/abdominal fat. The dangers of being overweight should not be underestimated. A proper understanding of what causes stomach fat can greatly motivate your plans to overcome it.

Causes of Stomach Fat

A sedentary lifestyle in which one does not partake in some form of physical activity on a regular basis is perhaps the main factor responsible for excess abdominal fat. When the food you eat contains a lot of calories and you don’t exercise much, the fat can only accumulate in one place. However, our activity levels do not only affect weight gain, but also the kinds of food we eat. If our meals contain high calorie foods on a regular basis, our body will tend to gain weight quickly.

Another reason that people gain fat around the stomach is as a result of the stress they endure during their daily routine. Stress causes a release of the hormones that produce fat. Smoking is also known to produce the same hormones, hence can be related to excess fat. However, another factor, which is beyond what we can control, is genetics as some people tend to develop stomach fat naturally.

How to Shed off Stomach Fat

When it comes to getting rid of excess fat around the stomach, this can be a difficult task for those who are not properly informed. But the easiest way to accomplish reduction of your stomach fat is by following two key principles, which are diet and exercise. As simple as this appears, many people still do not know which foods to avoid and what exercises will actually reduce their stomach fat. For instance, one exercise that is able to burn more calories is doing squats, taking nuts and olive oils helps to boost weight loss also.