Losing Belly FatWhat Every Woman Should KnowThe topic of losing belly fat is getting a lot of attention these days what with our collective waistlines increasing faster than the rate of inflation and the rate of heart disease, cancer and diabetes increasing right along with it. But sorting through the misconceptions on how to lose stomach fat can leave many of us either totally confused or so overwhelmed that we just give up in frustration….it’s information overload…some of it is even contradictory! While the experts may never fully agree on the how-to’s, there are a few relevant and unchangeable facts about losing belly fat that every woman should know going in. You don’t have control over where your body fat is stored on your body. Neither do you have control over which parts of your body will lose fat first, short of having it surgically removed through liposuction. You can’t control genetics, another factor that dictates where body fat is stored. Our bodies are complex and intricate ‘machines’ that are hardwired for survival and reproduction. For women, the midsection (stomach, hips, thighs and buttocks) are the most efficient and useful places to store fat. It’s also where we have the most fat cells…and fat is stored wherever you have fat cells. Think childbirth, mothering, etc. for survival and reproduction. Deadly visceral fat is said to take up about 10-15% of a woman’s total body fat.
Visceral fat It produces inflammatory molecules and fatty acids that left unchecked, can significantly increase the odds of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and/or cancer. This cloud does have a silver lining and luckily, visceral fat is also the first type of fat to go when you lose body fat…that’s a good thing. Subcutaneous fat, (the fat just beneath the skin) on the other hand, can be more stubborn and may take more time and effort to lose. Too often women are lured by the promise of fast, easy miracle diets and solutions that require minimal effort. They are falsely led to believe they can force their body to do what’s not natural for it to do. Like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, forcing your body to lose fat through quick-fix diets is just forcing something on it that isn’t in tune with its natural biological function and will always end up in failure along with some nasty side effects. What eventually happens? Simple…your body goes back to its previous weight – plus it tucks away a few extra pounds just in case you subject it to such an extreme condition again. You can’t fool Mother Nature, right? Like Mother Nature, you also can’t fool the innate wisdom of your body. The best weight loss plan is destined to fail if it doesn’t fit into your lifestyle and if it isn’t sustainable long term. We can all develop healthier lifestyle habits given time and motivation. Healthy eating plans are harder to embrace if you suddenly take on an “all or nothing” approach. The best way to lose weight is to look at how and what you’re doing now and make small, incremental changes that are sustainable long term. These small changes have a cumulative effect.
How to Lose Belly Fat Naturally There is no such thing as “spot reducing” exercise to lose stomach fat, blast away love handles…or whatever. Taking on some gut-busting, mother-of-all 6 pack abdominal workout won’t shrink your stomach or just blast those love handles away in 10 days. Even surgical spot reduction like liposuction has its own caveats. The best and the most permanent way of losing belly fat is to take a “whole body approach”. There isn’t a special diet, exercise or gadget for losing belly fat that will magically flatten your stomach regardless of the claims made. It’s a slow and steady approach that will ultimately get you to what you feel is an ideal weight for you.
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