Belly Fat - What It Is and Why You Should Get Rid of It

If you want to lose belly fat, you should think of reasons for getting rid of your excess abdominal fat. One reason is that the bulge in the middle of your body makes you look ugly. But the more important reason is that the excess fat sitting around your belly is not only ugly but also harmful to your health. Some people want to lose belly fat fast for improving their looks. They do something desperate that too in a hurry. They may even see some success. But such success will be short-lived, with the fat returning to its favorite place on their body soon enough.

Therefore, if you are more concerned about your health than about your looks, then you should focus on losing belly fat, not on getting some fast results. Many studies have shown that a majority of men and women in the developed countries like the US, Western European countries, Australia etc. are overweight, though many of them may not consider themselves to be obese. And even those who are concerned about their obesity have their concerns based on the wrong reasons, by worrying about their appearance but not about the impact of their belly fat on their health!

To understand how harmful your belly fat can be, you should know that there are two types of abdominal fat - subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat accumulates just above your abdominal muscles and below your skin. Visceral fat takes its place much deeper, under your muscle, adjoining your organs. It is this fat that makes your belly protrude. Unlike the subcutaneous fat which is soft to touch, the visceral fat will be hard

While both types of fat pose health risks, visceral fat carries more serious health risks. Since visceral fat releases more inflammatory molecules into your body on a regular basis, it can cause serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation, stroke, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

A diet rich in Carbohydrates is the most common cause for visceral fat to accumulate in your body. Excess carbohydrate consumption will often lead to insulin resistance over time resulting in increase in blood sugar levels and other problems.

The only way to reduce your abdominal fat is to reduce the consumption of grain based foods and switch over to a food comprising more of vegetables and fruits that are rich fiber content. You also have to do exercise on a regular basis if you are serious about getting rid of your abdominal fat.

Going for a low carb diet and exercising regularly are the twin requirements for losing belly fat.

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