The definition of belly fat might sound obvious—it's clearly the fat that sits around your middle, right? Well, not quite. There are 2 types of fat. White fat and brown fat, one is called Visceral Fat, that's the one that doctors are concerned about.
While belly fat (also known as visceral fat) resides around your midsection, it goes deeper than just below the skin. It pads your intestines and other vital organs, Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, professor and chair of nutrition and food studies in the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., told Health.
"The reason it's different than other forms of fat is because it's more metabolically active. It gets into the bloodstream faster than the stuff under your skin," said Dr. Cheskin. "Belly fat has a bad influence on blood cholesterol and blood sugar and all the metabolic diseases."
Excessive abdominal fat places you at greater risk for developing obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. You may have a higher risk of developing obesity-related conditions if your waist circumference is more than 40 or 35 inches for men and non-pregnant women, respectively.1
But belly fat can be independent of overall body fat. In other words, someone who's not overweight could still have a lot of excess fat around their waist. Also, it's normal to carry some weight around your middle. But if you want to trim it down, here are a few things you can do.
Belly Fat Naturally Increases as You Age
As you get older, your body changes how it gains and loses weight. People experience a declining metabolic rate, or the number of calories the body needs to function normally. On top of that, menopause further complicates the metabolic process for some people.
"If [cisgender women] gain weight after menopause, it's more likely to be in their bellies," Michael D. Jensen, MD, chair of the Mayo Clinic Obesity Specialty Council in Rochester, Md., told Health.
In menopause, the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone slows down. Lower estrogen levels may play a role in weight gain after menopause.2
Weight gain may also be caused by metabolism slowing down with age, less-healthful eating habits, and being less active. In addition, you lose muscle mass as you age, so you use fewer calories.
You can't fight aging, but you can adopt lifestyle changes that keep your weight in check. It comes down to exercising more and eating a healthy diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Add More Strength Training
A daily run or spin class is great for your heart, but cardio workouts alone won't do much for your waist.
"You need to do a combination of weights and cardiovascular training," Sangeeta Kashyap, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic, told Health.
Strength training increases muscle mass, which may help your body burn more fat, agreed Dr. Cheskin.3
"When you build muscle, you tend to replace fat with that muscle," said Dr. Cheskin.
"Muscle burns more calories than fat. And therefore, you naturally burn more calories throughout the day by having more muscle," added Kate Patton, RD, sports health and preventive cardiology outpatient dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic. Patton recommended 250 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 125 minutes of high-intensity exercise weekly.
Your fitness goal should be to lose belly fat and not just losing weight. Forget the scale and get a tape measure. Your goal should be to lose inches not pounds.
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