Most of the men who have a bulging belly know they don’t appear that great. But, there is a lot to it than just unsightly belly fat. What every man with a rather big belly should know is that there are few legitimate health reasons as to why he must consider losing some of that weight.
As a matter of fact, belly fat is much different from fat that is accumulated elsewhere in the body. According to a study, this fat around your belly is visceral fat which lodges deep-down around the abdominal organs [1]. Belly fat acts like a different organ altogether and releases substances in your body, that can increase your risk of developing certain diseases.
How Belly Fat Impacts Gut Health?
Various studies have shown that belly fat can be actually dangerous [2]. Though, it can be due to your sedentary lifestyle or due to genetic predisposition. It is a sign that your body’s chemistry is really out of whack. There are various chemical substances that your belly secretes out to your vital body organs including liver and heart. These secretions include:
Cortisone: High levels of this hormone are linked to heart diseases and diabetes.
Free Fatty Acids: These are released directly to liver and can gradually impair your ability to break-down insulin that might lead to diabetes.
PAI-1: This is a potential blood-clotting agent that can cause heart attacks and increase risk of strokes.
CRP: This protein causes inflammation in the blood vessels, making them more vulnerable to artery clogging plague.
Abdominal obesity can lead to around 39 different diseases including cancer, heart diseases and diabetes.
Accumulation of belly fat or visceral fat which is very dangerous has to be stopped the moment you notice increase in your waist size. Here are some lifestyle modifications which when followed regularly will definitely help in keeping visceral fat at bay.
Know the Food Plan
To help you with the best food plan, we roped in Thomas Incledon, trainer and nutritionist to create a diet program that focuses on three basic micronutrients. Let’s know what to focus on.
Pay Attention to Your Protein
If you really want to shrink your abdominal size, consume high-protein diet. Protein makes you feel satisfied, builds muscles, increases metabolism and eventually makes us lose weight. In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, Danish researchers asked 65 people to consume one diet out of a 12 percent protein diet or 25 percent protein diet [3]. The participants who ate low-protein dieters lost 11 pounds on an average, which is not a bad result. The participants who consumed high-protein diet lost 20 pounds on an average and almost twice abdominal fat as the low-protein group lost. You can include few of these protein rich foods in your diet.
Go For Healthy Fats
Consume enough fats in a day and make sure that they constitute around 30 percent of your diets. Fats help you feel more satiated between meals by reducing your appetite. Additionally, it provides all the essential fatty acids required for optimal health. Fats can really make you feel fuller and satisfied. A word of caution; go for healthy fats only and choose your fats wisely.
Count Up Your Carbs
If you are consuming enough fat and protein, your total calorie intake would be perfect. Since you will feel full, you won’t binge eat or consume calorie-dense snacks. The rest 45 percent of calories you have to get from carbohydrates. This is all enough to give you plethora of tastes and your body; a perfect combination of slow-burning and fast-burning fuel.
If you keep all of this in mind, there is nothing stopping you from getting rid of belly fat. Just remember to keep your calories between 2,400 to 2,800. Try to balance out your calories for a day by consuming less during dinner, if you have had a hearty lunch.
Know Your Exercise Plan
While changing your diet can reduce your belly fat significantly. You also need to become active to accelerate the effects of sensible eating. This powerful combination of diet and exercise can help you achieve a permanent gut reduction. You should start building new habits and schedules that give you an overall healthier lifestyle.
Coming to what is the best exercise for losing all that belly fat, it is just anything that you love to indulge in. Few studies suggest that for most of the guys, especially big guys with bigger bellies, weight lifting works.
According to a study conducted in Harvard in 2014, men who did 20 minutes of weight training daily had much less chances of age-related abdominal fat accumulation as compared to men who spent same time in aerobic activities [4]. It implies men can cut their belly fat most with weight training. It would be important to note that if you are focusing on weight training, do not leave out cardio completely. You can try tabata-style workouts and Interval based HIIT. Alternatively, you can perform cardio and weight training on alternative days for best results.
Remember, it is not impossible to get rid of that unsightly belly fat once you begin to follow our recommendations. With a little dedication and determination, what awaits is a leaner you with much reduced midsection.
