Is it just a beer belly or is it more?

You are in a hurry to go to work and have a meeting scheduled in the forenoon. You want to dress impressively, so you start raking through your outfits, trying to locate an appropriate one. Ahh, you’ve found one at the back that you might have almost missed. You wore it only a couple of times last year. Excited at your jackpot finding, you stand in front of the mirror, eager to see how it looks on you. You pull on the pants only to find that they don’t fit anymore. You see a bulge around your tummy and wonder how this happened. Could it be from the few beers you shared with pals during happy hour after work? You scowl as you consider the idea.

Even those who have flat abs have some belly fat, normally. However, excess belly fat has a different impact on health than other types of fat. While some of your fat is immediately beneath your skin, other portions of it are located deeper inside, around your heart, lungs, liver, and other internal organs.

Even for slim people, the deeper fat, sometimes known as “visceral” fat, may provide a greater health risk. Not all fat is created equal. Subcutaneous fat, which accounts for about 90% of the total body’s fat, is the squishy fat you feel when you poke your belly, or rather beer belly. Visceral fat, which makes up the remaining 10%, is tucked away in the tissues surrounding the liver, intestines, and other organs.

You might blame beer for your pot belly, but guess what?

Imagine you’re a caveman living a long time ago. One day as you’re out hunting, a huge grizzly bear appears in front of you. Your body starts to overflow with adrenaline as your stress reaction kicks in, sharpening your senses and getting you ready for fight or flight. Your body releases stored glucose from your muscles and liver in this situation because you need instant energy to react appropriately.

Let’s jump to the present. Even though you might not regularly come across grizzly bears, your stress response system is still functional and prepared to defend you from unexpected dangers. The pressures of today, however, are very different. You deal with deadlines, gridlock, and challenging work settings instead of bears.

Imagine you have a job that is incredibly stressful. You worry a lot about managing your workload, dealing with challenging coworkers, and meeting deadlines every day. The hormone cortisol, which aids your body in responding to stress, is released in response to these chronic stressors. Cortisol has positive effects in tiny quantities, but chronically high amounts might have negative consequences.

The storage of fat, particularly in the abdominal region, is one of the results of chronic cortisol release. This happens as a result of cortisol’s interaction with the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar levels. When cortisol levels are high, they can prevent insulin from working properly, increasing hunger and a propensity for high-calorie comfort foods. The extra calories from these foods are frequently turned into fat storage, especially around your waist.

So, even if you don’t regularly guzzle down beers, stress levels and the ensuing cortisol production might cause belly fat to accumulate. Although visceral fat can be stored in other places as well, the belly is a common location where stress-induced fat deposition occurs.

In a controlled study, male Cynomolgus monkeys who lived in a stressful environment brought on by frequent social changes developed more belly fat than their non-stressed mates.

Research shows that women who have a greater Waist-Hip-Ratio are less likely to connect with others in affiliative ways, such as smiling, nodding, or waving. Women who had higher levels of chronic financial or professional stress were more socially subservient, had lower self-esteem, and had more visceral fat.

Check if it’s just bloating or a paunch!

If you have bloat, you’ll often have increased gas, notice that your stomach becomes rounder after meals, and experience intermittent fullness. However, if you’ve had a fuller stomach for some time, fat is more likely to be the culprit.

If you think you could have bloating problems, start by eliminating dairy from your diet and observe how you feel. If, after a week or two, it doesn’t seem to make a difference, you can add it back in. Look more closely at the amount of fibre you consume. If it’s on the higher end, you might want to cut back and see how you feel.

In conclusion, while drinking beer and eating too many calories might cause weight gain, stress and the ensuing cortisol release also significantly contribute to the buildup of belly fat. So, In order to maintain a healthy weight, here are 4 ways to control your stress levels, get regular exercise, and eat a balanced diet

1. Practice deep relaxation, one of the best methods for reducing stress and shedding the beer belly!

Here’s one of my fat Diet’s deep relaxation sessions for you to unwind:

2. Apart from targeted-ab exercises, strengthen your back as well!

Compared to subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is actually simpler to shed. This is because it breaks down faster and your body may flush it through sweat or pee. In 2 – 3 months, if you exercise regularly, work your ab muscles hard, breathe deeply into your belly, and strengthen the core, you should start to see effects. Exercise may also lessen the effects of stress.

Here are a few core workouts from Myfat Diet that you can use to shrink your waistline!

Pilates Scissors

Lie on your back, inhale, and lift both legs and your upper body a couple of inches off the floor. Exhale, raise your right leg until your knee is directly over your hip, and gently hold the right shin for a count of 20. Lower your head slightly and then repeat with the other leg.

Spiderman Lunge 

Start in a high plank position, and raise your right leg off the floor until it’s at about hip height. Pause and feel the burn. Then step your right foot forward, to the outer edge of your mat next to your right pinky finger. Switch to the other side. Perform 5 reps with each leg.

Bridge Hold With Leg Lifts

Holding the bridge, lift the left leg straight up toward the ceiling. Keeping your hips up, slowly lower the left leg down toward the ground. Then switch and raise the right leg straight up toward the ceiling and perform leg lifts on that side. Do 5 reps on each side.

Bridge Butterflies

Start bridging up by putting your feet together at the bottom and spreading your knees hip-width apart. Take a deep breath in and open up your knees in the butterfly stretch. Exhale and return to your starting posture. Repeat 10 times.

Dirty Dog

Get onto your hands and knees. Inhale and raise the right knee to the side as high as your flexibility will allow. Exhale, extend the right leg behind you, and point your left arm out straight in front. Switch to the other side. Perform 10 reps on each side.

Spiderman Plank

Get into downward dog pose, inhale, and extend the left leg back into Down Dog Split. Exhale, and bring your left knee towards your elbow. Switch to the other side. Do 10 reps on each side.

Superman Hold

Give your back a lovely, even curve, by raising your hands and feet off the floor to the same height. Do not elevate your legs too high. Hold the pose for a count of 30 and then release the pose and relax. Repeat 5 times.

Elbow Plank Leg Raises

In an elbow plank, keep your pelvis parallel to the floor. Inhale and lift your left foot off the floor, hold for three seconds, then lower the leg. Repeat on the other side.

Bridge Marches

Start in bridge pose with your knees bent, feet hip-width apart and your arms resting by your sides. Exhale and bring the knee toward your chest. Inhale and return your foot to the floor and repeat on the other side.

3. Up your intake of whole grains for a smaller waist size!

According to research, visceral fat (beer belly) was reduced by about 10% in those who had three or more servings of whole grains and those who avoided more than one serving of refined grains per day.

For instance, one serving of whole grains is equal to one slice of 100% whole wheat bread or a half cup of oatmeal, while one serving of refined grains is equal to one slice of white bread or a half cup of white rice.

So, instead of a white flour bagel for breakfast, try a bowl of whole-grain cereal, and replace refined-grain snacks and side dishes with whole-grain options like Chickpea Freekeh Salad or Bulgur pilaf.

4. Replace high levels of saturated fats with MUFAs and PUFAs!

Keep in mind that not all fat is bad. To fight belly fat, take more good fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Olives, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, almonds, peanuts, eggs, and fish are high in MUFAs.

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines, flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil, safflower, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and corn oils are excellent sources of PUFAs. will reduce belly fat