Belly Flab Kills: How to Save Your Life (And Look Good in the Process)

Our bodies each have a different favourite place to store extra fat. Some people are prone to carrying most fat on their thighs and hips. Others may carry more around their midsection, while some gain fat uniformly all over their body. Of these problematic areas, fat stored around the midsection is an arch nemesis for many.

People have many affectionate names for the weight we carry around our gut; beer-belly, love-handles, jelly-belly, tum-tum, muffin-top, spare-tire... but do not let these cute names fool you. Belly flab is the most dangerous and harmful kind of fat you can have on your body. Losing belly fat is also more difficult than losing fat anywhere else on the body.

Why is belly fat dangerous?

The latest research shows that the place where your body carries any extra weight you put on directly affects your cumulative health. While being overweight is in itself unhealthy, belly fat is worse for your health than fat anywhere else in the body. Losing belly fat should be your first priority even if you feel that you are physically fit otherwise.

The problem with belly fat is that it is not limited to subcutaneous fat - the layer of fat just under the skin, but also includes visceral fat - fat tissue embedded deep inside your abdomen, ensconcing most of your inner organs. Regardless of what you weigh on the scale, having too much visceral fat puts you at high risk for heart disease and stroke. It makes it harder for your body to use its own insulin effectively- a condition known as insulin resistance. Belly fat is also held directly responsible for certain cancers, sleep apnoea, premature death, and hypertension. Are you scared yet? Because you should be.

How much is too much?

So how can you know if you have too much belly fat? The easiest thing to do is simply measure your girth. Using a standard tape measure, take a reading around your stomach. Make sure you stand straight and don't suck in your breath. Without stretching the measuring tape too tightly, measure around your stomach. For men, a measurement of over 35 inches and 40 inches for women is indicative of an unhealthy belly fat concentration.

So what can I do?

Ideally you should include a good abs workout in your regular regime and eat healthy to avoid gaining fat in the first place. But if that ship has already sailed and you find yourself with a less than satisfactory fat concentration around your belly, you must focus and follow an effective strategy to lose belly fat. It is common knowledge that spot targeting belly fat is impossible. But losing weight overall will help shrink your waistline and help reduce the dangerous layer of visceral fat as well.

The only effective strategy to lose belly fat is to keep track of the following two things:

• The calories you burn daily

• The calories you consume every day

Neither one will work in isolation. Just exercise alone will not magically melt your belly fat, similarly just eating healthy won't cut it either. Visceral fat responds to specialized diet to lose stomach fat and a good abs workout combo. This diet plus exercise strategy helps lower total body fat and battle the bulge.

How do I burn calories?

Include physical activity in your daily routine. Abdominal muscles can be toned by doing a good six-pack abs workout in your regimen. In addition, strength training exercises are recommended at least twice a week. For most healthy adults, moderate aerobic activity, such as walking briskly, is recommended for 30 minutes five times a week, and vigorous cardio activity, such as running, at least thrice a week. If you have more weight to lose or have specific fitness goals, you may have to exercise more.

How do I control my caloric intake?

Follow a healthy diet. In addition to exercise, clean eating is essential to lose belly fat. You should cut processed foods and carbs from your diet, replacing them plant-based foods, such as vegetables, whole grains and fruits. Whole carbs give you energy to fuel your exercise and help you burn more calories. Choose lean protein sources such as low-fat dairy and fish. Limit saturated fat and processed meats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like nuts, nut butters, avocado and olive oil boost your metabolism. Eliminate processed food with food that contains protein, fibre, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. Even while making healthy choices, make sure you keep portion sizes in check since calories can add up.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with the requisite exercise and diet is tough, but making a few hard choices and sticking to them consistently will add to your self-confidence and make you look and feel great. A very pleasant side-effect of a healthy lifestyle is that you not only preserve your health and keep sickness at bay, but also look younger and better. Losing belly fat takes patience and effort. As with every lifestyle change, be sure to consult your doctor before getting started and for help staying on track.