Belly Fat - What Causes Belly Fat

Sunday, July 19, 2009

There are several factors to what causes belly fat, but really there are two that have the biggest effect, poor diet choices and lack of exercising. So, what is belly fat and how can we get rid of it?

Belly fat is bad for everyone but, it can have dire consequences especially for men. Now, as you are aware it is situated on top of the abdominal muscles, but the danger in it being there is because it is stored in and around the liver and other organs, which can cause serious long term health effects and is linked with type 2 diabetes.

Belly fat is also called visceral fat, and is the most difficult fat to lose, and is worse for your health than fat in your bum or legs. It was at one time a health risk associated with middle aged people, but because of the way people are now carrying a lot of weight at all ages, it is something everyone needs to be aware of. It is not the only cost of a stressful lifestyle caused by work problems, health problems, family problems, etc, and is something that nobody wants. Belly fat is completely different from the subcutaneous fat that surrounds our bodies.

Another, more correct name for belly fat is Visceral fat or omental fat -- that is, fat in your omentum, a piece of webbing that hangs off your stomach just beneath your ab muscles, sort of like a mesh apron. Visceral fat has access to your portal circulation, the highway of blood vessels around your organs.

So now we know what it is and what the dangers are, what can we do about our belly fat? Well the clue is in the first paragraph of this article, and that is improved diet and exercising, as this will increase your metabolism and make you burn fat.

Increasing your metabolism to burn stomach fat may sound daunting, but do not worry to much as it is not that bad, and once you get into the swing of your new lifestyle you will come to love it, and the results you get.

Also, do not forget that exercise helps even if you don't lose weight as you are getting all round health benefits because of it. Exercise strengthens your muscles and helps get rid of the stubborn fat. Exercises to lose belly fat can be easy and most importantly fun. As your most probably aware by now belly fat can be an extremely stubborn pest to get rid of. Exercises to lose belly fat don?t have to be high impact aerobics or cardio activities. Although many think that in order to lose belly fat you need to job 15 miles a week, and do 50 sit-ups a day it?s the not the fact, something as simple as brisk walking is a great way to start.

But of course, exercising alone will not answer the problem either. It is best to complement your exercise with proper dieting, and again it is just making some simple choices such as increasing your portions of complex carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables, and reducing simple carbohydrates like white bread and refined pasta. And in addition, to help you lose weight, you should reduce your portion sizes and daily calorie intake. Increased triglycerides can raise the risk of damage to the pancreas. And do not forget to increase your protein as this really helps to boost your metabolism and build lean muscle tissue, but be aware you do not have to be eating lots and lots of red meat for protein as there are other sources to get protein from too.

Article source:

http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/belly-fat-what-causes-belly-fat-458984.html