Do You Have Belly Fat Even With Regular Exercise?
Expertise: Beauty, Health, & Wellness
Experience: 2 years
Indrani is a writer and artist who likes to add a dash of humor to everything she does. She has two years of experience in writing articles across beauty, health, and lifestyle genres. After graduatin... more
Image: iStock
“I promise, I will never leave you”- Yours sincerely, Belly fat. If you are a person who is not so happy with the tire around your belly, well, we feel you! Belly fat is like that annoying, clingy person who stays long after everyone else leaves the party. While fat in the other places of your body is easier to shed, the belly is not one of them. Unlike other places like arms and legs, belly fat puts up a tough fight even when you join activities like gymming. If you have spent a long time trying to get rid of the stubborn fat but couldn’t, it’s time to analyze the root cause of fat accumulation. Read on to know some common reasons why belly fat occurs and how you can stop it from ruining your shape and fitness.
1. Your Diet Isn’t Free Of Trans Fat
Some baked goods, fried meals, and junk food include trans fats that raise calorie intake and increase belly fat storage (1). What’s worse, they transfer fat from other body parts to the abdominal region! The best way to stay safe is to read the ingredients on the package before buying them.
2. Chronic Inflammation
The pancreas pumps out insulin constantly to decrease blood sugar levels (2). However, when the body is inflamed, it makes insulin production less effective. In addition to controlling blood sugar, insulin causes new fat cells to form (3). That’s because inflammation causes insulin resistance, which then drives a rise in insulin production and the formation of additional fat cells, which transforms all the extra calories into fat and prefers to store it in the belly area. This is why you need to lower the body’s inflammatory levels and lose weight around your waist.
3. You Aren’t Eating Enough Healthy Fats
Incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into your diet is crucial for losing weight (4). It can be found in nuts, seeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, and fish oil. They boost insulin sensitivity and aid in weight loss. So the next time you are asked to go on a low-fat diet, do not indulge in fast and processed food. Healthy and natural sources of fat are always welcome.
4. You Have A Long-Term Stress Disorder
The hormone cortisol has been shown to enhance insulin resistance and fat accumulation from around the waist in overweight individuals (5). Decompressing activities such as going for walks or acquiring new hobbies might help you lose weight successfully. Anything that soothes your nervous system is suitable to fight weight gain. The best way is to indulge in activities like yoga and meditation and surround yourself with happy people.
5. You Are Sleep Deprived
The lack of sleep can do far worse than accumulating fat in your belly, but consider it a warning sign. People who sleep less than 5 hours a day have been seen to have more belly fat than others (6). So, no matter what your lifestyle dictates, you must give your body 7-8 hours of undisturbed sleep to function correctly.
6. You’re A Sugar Addict
Foods that are high in sugar, processed carbohydrates, and empty calories slow the body’s ability to burn fat, particularly in the abdomen (7). So basically, if you have been on a diet all day but then took refuge in a sugar-filled juice or drink, it will make you gain more weight. In addition, refined carbs and sugar can be disguised as artificial flavors, colorings, and preservatives in these products. Energy drinks and soft drinks include a large quantity of sugar and carbohydrates, which deposit as belly fat and take a long time to burn through exercise alone.
7. Overconsumption Of Low-Fat Foods
How many times have you walked past aisles of food cans marked ‘fat-free’? Fat-free meals aren’t necessarily better for your health just because they don’t contain fat. There is a big difference between good and bad fat, and that needs to be understood before omitting fats from your diet. Food businesses add a lot of sugar to compensate for the lack of flavor when fat is removed from a product. The trick is to choose healthy fats instead of going fat-free. Avoid trans-fat or saturated fat, which is a part of all fast food items.
By now, you must have realized that the belly is the first place where fat accumulates and the last place to go. So just gymming vigorously might not give you the flat tummy you have been praying for. Also, losing weight obviously takes more time, so you must be patient while at it. The ideal way to lose weight would be to indulge in a healthy diet and targeted exercises to tone the abdominal muscles. So, do you have any activity that has worked for your belly fat? Let us know in the comments section!
