Q Do Men 👨 tend to collect more belly fat than Women 👩?
Q Does sleep matters in belly fat? 😪
Absolutely, many studies have linked inadequate sleep with weight gain, resulting in an increase in abdominal fat. Take at least 7 hours of sleep. Those who slept 5 hours or less per night were 30% more likely to gain 14 Kg than those who slept at least 7 hours.
Main Idea: Short sleep or poor-quality sleep can lead to weight gain, including belly fat accumulation.
Q Do women tend to gain belly fat during Menopause (the period in a woman's life (between 45 and 50) when menstrual periods permanently stop)? 👩
Gaining belly fat during the menopause stage is very common among women.
At puberty (between the age of 10 and 14), the hormone estrogen signals the body to begin storing the fat on the hips and thighs in preparation for a potential pregnancy. This fat isn't harmful, although it can be extremely difficult to lose in some cases.
Menopause officially occurs one year after a woman has her last menstrual period. At this time, her estrogen levels drop dramatically, causing fat to be stored in the abdomen, rather than on the hips and thighs.
Some women gain more belly fat than others during this time. It could be due to genetics, or the age at which menopause starts.
Hence, hormonal changes at menopause result in a shift in fat storage from the hips and thighs to visceral fat in the abdomen.
Q Does the calories from alcohol 🍷also addon belly fat? 😉
Excess calories may be from alcohol or sweetened beverages -- surely increase belly fat. Yes, alcohol has an association with an increased waistline. The fact is when you drink alcohol, your liver is too busy burning off alcohol to burn off the fat, leaving you with a central obesity. Cutting down on alcohol may help reduce your waist size. I am not in favor of saying - you need to give it up, however, limiting the amount you drink can help. 😃
A survey conducted on 2,000 people, concluded that all those who drank alcohol daily but averaged less than one drink per day had less belly fat than those who drank less frequently however consumed alcohol in more quantity on the frequent days they drank.
Q Could Belly fat result in serious issues also? Is it more dangerous than other fats in our body?
The excess accumulation of belly fat is more dangerous than excess fat around your hips and thighs. Belly fat is linked to serious health issues such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and also stroke. The main cause of this type of fat is the wrong choice of food intakes, lack of nutritional guidance, poor lifestyle etc.
Q Does Fatty foods, such as cheese, butter, and meat, are the biggest cause of belly fat?
Absolutely, the excess calories of any kind can increase your waistline and contribute to belly fat. To be honest, there is no single cause of belly fat. Diet, Age, Genetics and lifestyle all play a vital role in the belly fat. Changing dietary habits can help you fight belly fat: Before buying something, always check Labels. The reduction saturated fats, increase the number of fruits and veggies you eat, and control and reduce your portions.
Small Change: Reduction in Saturated Fats (Less than 30 grams for man and 20 grams for women daily), Increase Fruits & Veggies.
Q Which fats put up your weight but also can move the fat from other parts of your body to your belly?
The Trans fats, created by partially hydrogenated oil, add the amount of fat around the belly and also redistributes fat tissue to the abdomen from other parts of the body. Trans Fat is formed when liquid oils are converted into solid fats. Trans fats is found in foods such as pastries, margarine, cookies, and fried foods.
Try to change: Cut down intake of Trans Fat to 2 gram or less per day. Use oils such as Olive, Sunflower oils or Coconut Oil.
Q What can promise fight belly fat?
In combination with exercise, green tea could help you lose weight. It seems a little expensive, however, it contains substances such as Catechins and the antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) which helps in stimulate the body to burn calories resulting in the loss of belly fat. It boosts Metabolism. Blueberries also show promise, at least in rodents.
Small Change: Try Green Tea of any brand for a period of at least 2 weeks. It shows drastic changes when combined with exercise. If exercise not possible at least drink Green Tea instead of regular ones.
Q Junk food contributes to belly fat or there are other factors also.
Junk-food options are generally high-fat, calorie-dense foods that are eaten in good quantity -- hence contributes a lot to overconsumption of calories, weight gain, and an increase in belly fat, condition says if eaten frequently. We hardly see any nutritional information provided by fast-food restaurants, but studies have shown that when this information is made available, out of 7 from 10 people tend to pick lower-calorie meals.
Try to change: Try having Brown Bread Sandwich, Popcorn, Yoghurt, Fruit Drinks, Soya Chips, Oatmeal Cookies.
Q Is replacing diet soft drinks with regular ones is a good way to trim belly fat?
Soft Drinks and other Sugar-Sweetened Beverages are loaded with liquid fructose and are the No. 1 source of the increase in belly fat. It leads to increased fat in the lever. If you want to lose belly fat, it's best to completely avoid sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, soda, punch and sweet tea. High-Fructose Corn Syrup has recently replaced refined sugar as the main sweetener in soft drinks which is the potential contributor to the obesity epidemic.
Try to change: Adapt natural Fruit juices.
Q Does eating a diet high in soluble fiber actually helps trim your waistline?
It's best to add whole grains to the diet. The soluble fiber promotes weight loss by helping you feel full, so you naturally eat less. It also helps in decreasing the number of calories your body absorbs from food. For example, instead of white rice, try choosing brown or wild rice. The research concluded that a calorie-controlled diet rich in whole grains can surely trim excess fat from the waistline.
Try to change: Adapt Oats which are richer in fiber.
Q Does Inactivity 🙇 also leads to belly fat?
A sedentary (spending a lot of time sitting down) lifestyle is one of the biggest risk factors for poor health.
Modern generation has generally seen less active as compared to the previous one. It resulted in the rising rates of obesity, including abdominal obesity.
Inactivity promotes an increase of belly fat.
To do: Try limiting the maids for various things at home. Try to do your own household stuff yourself as much as possible which will make your body active. Try joining a Gym if possible.
Q Does Carbohydrates also play any role in Belly Fat?
Certainly, to an extent reducing your carbohydrate intake helps in losing fat, including abdominal fat.
Diets with under 50 grams of carbohydrate per day result in belly fat loss in overweight people, those at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Q Does Belly fat harder to lose than any other fat in your body?
When you try to lose weight, it tends to lose in your midsection of the body. Always start with a well-balanced plan for losing weight including belly fat. Healthy Eating and Regular Exercise if the only way to reduce your waist size.
Try to change: Healthy Eating and Regular Exercise.
Q Does intake of low protein diets results in belly fat?
Certainly, getting adequate protein truly helps in reducing belly fat. High-protein diets help in your increasing your metabolic rate, make you feel full and satisfied.
On the contrary, "low protein" intake may help you gain belly fat over the long term. So make sure you always take the diet rich in proteins.
Various Studies concluded that the people who consume the highest amount of protein have less belly fat.
Q Does exercises like crunches or sit-ups helps in reducing belly fat.
Yes, doing sit-ups, crunches, or other abdominal exercises will strengthen your core muscles and help you lose overall fat, but its hard to say they specifically work on belly fat. The best way to cut down belly fat (or other fat ) is through dieting and exercise. You can start with aerobic exercises, such as running daily for 10 minutes, swimming if possible in summers, cycling, and playing tennis, are some of the best ways to help reduce body fat.
Q Which of the health problems are linked by Belly fat?
Belly fat appears to be worst for the heart. Research has linked belly fat to heart failure, atherosclerosis (a disease of the arteries characterized by the deposition of fatty material on their inner walls), and other cardiovascular problems (relating to the heart and blood vessels).
It also has been associated with osteoporosis (bones gets weaker), dementia (decline in thinking skills), Alzheimer's disease (memory loss), diabetes, colorectal cancer (development of cancer from the colon or rectum i.e., parts of the large intestine), metabolic syndrome (risk of heart diseases), high blood pressure, and other health problems.
Main Idea: Its important everyone should take care of belly fat before it's too late.
Q What diet should one take to reduce belly fat?
Scientific evidence suggests that a calorie-controlled diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oats, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, lean meat, fish should be consumed at the level best if one has attained the age of 30.
Diet should include all the nutrients you need to get back into shape from waistline. It's possible. Recommendation from the experts concludes combining a calorie-controlled diet with just 30 to 45 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
Message in a Nutshell:
There are various factors in the increase in excess belly fat.
Few factors can't have any changed like your genes and hormone changes at menopause. However, there are a good amount of factors we all have in our hands.
Deciding and becoming health conscious in choices about what to eat or avoid, putting a consistent effort to exercise for at least 10 minutes a day, managing your stress levels and practicing yoga can all help you lose belly fat.
Remember: You always have to leave something bad to get something good. Sometimes our mind and eyes are unable to anticipate the causes of sticking to the bad. It's better to leave bad habits and start a new life by choosing healthy fiber-rich diet.
There is a famous quote by Josh Billings:
"Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it"
With health, we don't see the results instantly. It takes time to heal, develop & regain. As we eat unhealthy food, we won't see the change immediately, similarly, if we start eating healthy food, results won't be seen immediately. Keep the focus and believe in yourself.
Next Blog: Practical Easy Steps to Reduce Belly Fat
Ajey Gupta
