Potbelly.Beer belly. Muffin top. Spare tire. Regardless of what you call it, excessbelly fat is frustrating.

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For most people, the appearance of excess weight around the midsection is their biggest concern. But obesity medicine specialist W. Scott Butsch, MD, says the bigger issue is the increased health risks that come with belly fat.

Abdominalfat is visceral fat, stubborn fat that surrounds the organs deep within theabdomen. Researchers have proved that excess visceral fat increases a personsrisk of metabolic diseases, including:

Dr.Butsch says belly fat affects men and women differently: Men are more likelyto havemore belly fat (orvisceral fat) than premenopausal women. But aftermenopause, women begin to gain more weight in their abdominal area.

An easy wayto gauge abdominal weight gain is to just pay attention to how your pants fitor the notch on your belt, says Dr. Butsch. If things are tight, then thatmay be an early warning sign of potential health problems.

Waistcircumference correlates to visceral fat. For men, a waist circumferenceapproaching 40 inches indicates increased risk. For women, 35 inches raises ared flag.

Patientswant to know why they cant just do sit-ups to melt away the fat, says Dr.Butsch. When you do sit-ups, youre increasing muscles in the abdomen, butthat doesnt specificallytarget the visceral fat that is around the organsdeeper in the body. Instead, Dr. Butsch recommends these strategies to trim thebelly fat:

Weight lossalone can effectively reduce visceral fat, says Dr. Butsch. By losing 10% ofyour body weight, you may lose up to 30% of your body fat.

Talk to your doctor about a weight-loss method that is right for you. While there are lots of options to choose from, Dr. Butsch recommends you avoid fasting for long periods. Prolonged fasts cause the body to hold onto the visceral fat, making it tougher to lose. If fasting is your jam, an intermittent or time-restricted fasting approach may be more effective for losing belly fat.

Exercises that increase the heart rate and make you sweat help you lose weight in general both visceral fat and the subcutaneous fat under the skin. Aerobic exercise burns overall calories and helps you reduce total body fat.

Dr. Butsch says the key to losing abdominal visceral fat seems to lie in a combination approach. He suggests trying 20 minutes of whole-body strength training plus a cardio routine to strengthen muscle cells and increase fat burn.

Fructose, or sugar, causes fat cells to mature faster, specifically in the visceral fat. A diet filled with fructose-containing sodas or drinks not only increases your calorie intake, but it impacts how the belly fat develops.

If youre feeling stressed out, especially right now that were in the middle of a pandemic, your body is likely releasing the stress hormone, cortisol, into the bloodstream. This can not only lead to weight gain, but theres also a strong link between an increase in cortisol and higher amounts of visceral fat.

Do your best tode-stress if you want to whittle your middle. Dr. Butsch states yoga,meditation, therapy and physical activity as ways to dial down your stresslevel.

Follow this link:
Want to Lose the Belly Fat? - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

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