HOW TO LOSE BELLY FAT THE EASY WAY

Belly fat is the unhealthy fat that has accumulated around your abdomen.  There are two types of body fat, visceral and subcutaneous body fat.  The fat that is deep inside your body is called visceral fat. This type of fat surrounds your organs and is often called “hidden” fat because it hides itself in the liver, intestines, and other organs.  About 10% of your body fat is visceral fat.  You may have a flat stomach but still have visceral fat.

Visceral fat is more dangerous than the other fat called subcutaneous fat. It’s more dangerous because it increases the risk of many serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer’s, colorectal and breast cancer, and stroke.

Who gets visceral fat?

Both men and women can get visceral fat. More men get visceral fat but that changes after menopause in women. Women who have given birth also tend to get more visceral fat. As we age, we tend to put on more weight and more fat.  The amount of fat you gain depends on several factors including genes, hormones, your birth weight (under weight babies will tend to gain more belly fat later in life).

How to measure your visceral fat?

An image scanner such as a CT can, or MRI can accurately measure the amount of visceral fat you have. But if you do not have access to these devices, you can measure your waist, calculate your BMI (body mass index), and get your hip-to-waist ratio.  For women, a waist size of 35 inches is a sign of visceral fat. For men it is 40 inches.

What is Subcutaneous Fat?

Subcutaneous fat is the outer layer of fat that you see around your abdomen. About 90% of your fat is subcutaneous fat. When you squeeze your skin, the jiggly loose soft tissue is subcutaneous fat.  Women have more subcutaneous fat then men. That is why when they gain weight, they tend to get more fat all over their bodies including their arms, legs, buttocks, thighs, and abdomen.