Belly Fat in Women: Lose It and Avoid Getting It Back
What does your waistline say about your health? Learn why belly fat increases after menopause, the risks it poses, and what to do about it.
An increase in waist circumference is sometimes considered a characteristic of aging. Women especially experience this as body fat tends to move towards the abdomen after menopause.
However, the effects of increased belly fat can make it difficult to zip up your favorite jeans.
Research shows that belly fat poses serious health risks. But the risk posed by belly fat can be reduced.
What causes belly fat?
A person's weight mostly depends on the following four points:.
1 Calorie intake per day.
2 Calories burned per day.
3 age
4 Genetic factors
If you eat more calories than you burn daily through food, you are more likely to gain extra weight, including belly fat.
Aging can also have an effect. As you age, muscle mass decreases. For those who are physically inactive, the problem is even worse.
Loss of muscle mass reduces the rate at which your body uses calories, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight.
Many women find that belly fat increases as they age, even if they don't gain weight. This may be due to a decrease in estrogen levels, which affects the distribution of fat in the body.
Genes also affect an individual's chances of becoming overweight or obese. Genes also affect where the body stores fat.
Belly fat is deeper than skin.
The problem with belly fat is that it's not only the layer of fat under your skin, called subcutaneous fat. Abdominal fat also includes visceral fat. This type of fat is found deep in the abdomen and surrounds the internal organs.
Regardless of a person's overall weight, excess abdominal fat increases the risk of:
1 High blood pressure
2 An unusual amount of fat in the blood.
3 Lack of sleep.
4 Heart disease.
5 Hyperglycemia and diabetes.
6 Certain cancers.
7 stroke.
8 fatty liver
9 Premature death from any cause.
Measure your waist circumference.
To find out if you have belly fat, measure your waist circumference:
Stand up straight and place the measuring tape around your stomach (just above your hip bone) to measure.
Tighten the tape measure so it fits snugly against your body but doesn't dig into your skin. Make sure the tape measure is even all the way around.
Relax, exhale, and measure your waist. Do not strain your stomach while taking measurements.
For women, a waist measurement greater than 35 inches (89 cm) indicates an unhealthy amount of belly fat and a higher risk of health problems. In general, the larger the waist circumference, the greater the health risks.
How to lose belly fat
You can strengthen and sculpt your abdominal muscles with sit-ups or specific abdominal exercises. However, doing these exercises alone will not get rid of belly fat. The good news is that adopting the same diet and exercise strategies that reduce weight and total body fat can also reduce visceral fat. Try the following tips:
healthy diet. A healthy diet requires:
1 Eat more plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits and whole grains in your daily routine.
2 Choose lean sources of protein, such as fish and low-fat dairy products.
3 Limit your intake of processed meats and saturated fat (found in meat and high-fat dairy products such as cheese and butter).
4 Eat moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. This fat is found in fish, nuts and some vegetable oils.
5 Choose portion sizes wisely. Calories naturally accumulate, even when you make healthy choices. Reduce portion sizes at home.
Share your food with others when eating at a restaurant. Or eat half and take the rest home. Do this strategy for at least 3 months.
6 Replace sugary drinks. Choose water or other sugar-free beverages.
Stay active.
The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that most healthy adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, such as brisk walking, or at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise, such as running.
Doing this training at least twice a week is recommended. If you want to lose weight or reach certain fitness goals, you may need to exercise more.
There is evidence that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help reduce belly fat, as can strength training.
Losing belly fat takes hard work and patience. To lose excess fat and prevent regaining it, lose weight slowly and steadily. Ask your healthcare provider for help to start losing weight and keep it off.
