Abdomen

Overview of Abdomen Fat

Abdominal fat is common. As people get older, they often find that their waistlines expand. It can be frustrating when your clothes do not fit or you feel self-conscious about your belly.

There are three types of belly fat, including visceral, intramuscular, and subcutaneous. Visceral fat is the most dangerous kind. It surrounds the organs in your abdomen and is associated with health risks. Having this kind of abdominal fat increases your chances of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure

This kind of fat is bad for your health even if you are within the normal range for BMI.

Causes of Abdomen Fat

A range of factors can contribute to belly fat. Knowing the culprit of your abdominal fat can help you develop a targeted approach to getting rid of it.

Decline in Leptin

Leptin, the hormone that tells you when you are full, reduces with age. This may cause you to feel hungry more often. You may overeat and find it difficult to create a calorie deficit.

Stress

Stress can lead to an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone. This hormone is linked with fat storage in your abdomen.

Sugar Intake

There is some evidence to indicate that eating too much sugar makes you hold on to belly fat. As you age, these sugars become even harder for your body to process.

Excess Exercise

Too much exercise can trigger cortisol production. Rest time is just as important as exercise to helping you lose belly fat.

More Beta Cells

Stomach fat is harder to lose. You have two types of fat cells: alpha and beta. Areas with more beta cells like the stomach, hips, and thighs are harder to target.

Not Eating Enough

Alternating between fad diets and your normal eating pattern can have a negative impact on your metabolic rate. Each time you subject your body to weight cycling or fluctuations in your weight, your body becomes less efficient at burning the calories you consume. Starvation or fad diets cause your body to hold onto fat and lowers the baseline of calories needed to maintain your body’s normal functioning. In other words, you have to eat even fewer calories to maintain or decrease your weight.

Hormones

Aging can cause hormonal imbalances that make it harder to lose belly fat. It can be especially difficult for women who experience a drop in estrogen, which can trigger abdominal fat storage.

Genetics

Genes can be a big factor in why you store abdominal fat. Your diet and lifestyle are important, but a genetic predisposition to fat storage can be challenging to overcome.

Lower Metabolic Rate

Some people have slower metabolic rates than others. Women tend to have lower metabolic rates than men, and there is a variation from individual to individual.

Exercises for Abdomen Fat

While there are exercises that can target certain muscle groups to help you build muscle, exercises cannot target a particular area for fat loss.

However, a healthy diet and exercise routine can make you lose weight all over your body, which will likely cause at least some fat loss in your abdomen. Any exercise that is effective for weight loss can help you lose belly fat.

The key to any good fitness routine is to pick something that you enjoy and is unlikely to cause injury. That way you will be more likely to stick to it.

In addition to helping you lose abdominal fat, exercise can reduce stress and decrease your chances of developing certain diseases.

Aerobic Exercise and Weight Training

Aerobic exercise is good for fat loss, including in the abdomen. Aim to get around 30 minutes a day to help you lose belly fat.

• Fitness classes
• Swimming
• Biking
• Running
• Brisk walking
• Elliptical or stair-climbing machines

Aerobic exercise alone may not be enough to lose weight. Consider combining it with weight lifting for the best results.

HIIT Training

Interval or high-intensity interval training combines intense bursts of exercise with lower intensity exercise and rest. You can apply this approach to cardio or weightlifting. The benefit of this approach is that it can be a great way to pack a lot of activity into a short period of time. It can be an effective tool for people who do not have much time for a workout.

Why It’s Hard to Lose Abdomen Fat

If diet and exercise have not been working for you, age, genetics, and hormones may be playing a role. We have gathered the reasons it can be so difficult to lose belly fat below.

Too Much Alcohol

Alcohol is calorically dense, and liquid calories can spike your blood sugar, which is not beneficial to your waistline. You do not need to stop drinking alcohol to lose fat in your abdomen. One drink a day may provide some health benefits.

Aging

Your metabolic rate declines with age, which means you must eat less to maintain or lose weight. Post-menopausal weight gain is more likely to cause belly fat.

Ineffective Workout Routine

Simply relying on cardiovascular workouts will not give you the same results as cardio and weightlifting. You also need to make sure that your workout is challenging enough. Aim to exercise with full intensity for at least some of your workout. HIIT workouts may be helpful here. To lose belly fat, keep in mind that endless crunches may build abdominal muscle, but they are not as effective as an intense full-body workout for losing belly fat.

The Wrong Fats

A common myth is that eating fat leads to gaining fat. However, healthy fats are an essential part of maintaining a healthy weight. The saturated fat in certain animal products is associated with abdominal fat. However, healthy fats found in olive oil, avocado, seeds, nuts, and fatty fish are beneficial for weight loss. Additionally, these foods can be filling and help you stay full for longer. Keep in mind that these foods are calorically dense, so you will need to control your portions to create a calorie deficit.

Too Many Highly Processed Foods

All food is processed to some extent, but aim for the most minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The more processed food is, the more likely it is to cause inflammation and the weight gain associated with it.

Poor Stress Management

Stress can cause you to hang on to excess weight. You may think that this is because you are more likely to eat less nutritionally sound foods when you are anxious, but there is evidence that stress, regardless of what you eat, can make it more difficult to lose weight. Cortisol makes it challenging to lose weight, especially in the belly area. Exercise is one option to help you manage your stress. You might look into other techniques like meditation or assessing your daily routine to look for ways to reduce or eliminate stress.

Inadequate Sleep

Not sleeping enough is associated with weight gain. Aim for seven to eight hours every night.

Your Body Shape

Some people are genetically predisposed to carry weight in the middle. Getting rid of belly fat can be much more difficult in this case.

How Laser Fat Removal Works for Abdomen Fat

Laser lipo is a gentle and effective form of non-surgical stomach fat removal. Laser stomach fat removal is a great option when diet and exercise alone are not sufficient. This targeted approach to stubborn belly fat can help you with stomach sculpting.

Your clinician will apply the laser to your abdomen, which will cause the fat cells to release the fat stores into your body. The released fat will be eliminated naturally by your body, and there is no damage to the tissues.

Typically you will need six treatments, each taking about 30 minutes. There is no pain, downtime, or side effects.

Importantly, the Emerald Laser does not damage the tissue or alter your fat cells like other laser fat removal techniques.

What to Expect After Getting Laser Removal

Speak to your medical provider about what kinds of results you can expect from your Emerald Laser treatments. Ask how much weight and how many inches you can expect to lose. Laser fat removal is not a technique designed to produce dramatic results, but it is great for targeting pockets of stubborn fat. There is no downtime, so you can immediately get back to your routine and enjoying the results of your treatment.

Contact a medical provider of Emerald Laser today to sculpt your stomach and get your confidence back.