Lose belly fat - at last you can get rid of that fat on your belly!

Everyone has them – those ‘problem zones’. Most people cite their stomach as their greatest concern. The Summer is approaching and with it the annual push to get into shape. The fight against those unwanted stomach rolls is not easy and is often unsuccessful. This can be extremely demoralising. Especially if you have spent a reasonable amount of time doing situps in the gym and are following an extreme diet. But why is belly fat so stubborn? Have you ever wondered whether maybe you are going about your goal in the wrong way? In this article we show you, how you can finally get rid of your belly fat.

Our body can store fat in various places. This sounds a bit strange but is completely normal. One of the ways it stores fat is as visceral stomach fat. This is both the most unpopular and unhealthiest fat for the body. One of the reasons for this is that we are often unable to notice it at first. It forms around the inner organs and not directly under the skin. Therefore it is possible for even very skinny people to have this dangerous stomach fat. The talk is of “skinny fat”.

The danger with stomach fat is that it emits individual fat components into the blood, increasing the cholesterine levels in the blood and with it the risk of a heart attack. Visceral fat reduces the functioning of the effected organs, and increases inflammation in the body which leads to other symptoms. It also causes the brain to produce less leptin. Leptin is responsible for the feeling of satiety. The result is a viscious circle, because without leptin and the feeling of satiety, you eat more and gain even more stomach fat.

Every person puts on weight uniquely. Where it tends to get stored depends on various factors. Everything which influences our hormone balance effects this fat distribution. In particular, our gender, nutrition, daily activity level, and fitness level play a decisive role. On top of that, our sleep quality and lifestyle – in particular stress levels – can have a considerable effect.

Ground rule: Stomach fat comes about from consuming too much energy. If you supply your body with more energy than it needs, then this excess energy will get stored in the form of fat cells for the “bad times”.

• Belly as fat store: The stomach is the preferred area for fat storage, since there it can protect the organs against the effects of the cold weather and against physical impact.
• Industrially processed foods: These are both poor in nutrients and very high in calories. Despite their high calorie content, your body still feels hungry after eating such foods, due to their lack of nutrients. The risk of you overeating is therefore greatly increased. (Tip: you can easily calculate your nutrient requirement with our BMI calculator).
• Day-to-day stresses: A stressful daily routine can make it difficult for people to eat fresh and cook healthily. As a result they often grab for processed foods with poor nutritional value. The quick bread roll from the bakery for breakfast, the bean hotpot from the microwave and the cherry yoghurt for desert: All of these daily snacks and meals promote the build up of belly fat.

Alongside nutrition, the psyche plays a large role:

• Stress: Day-to-day life has become more and more stressful over the years. We rush from one appointment to the next, are pushed to meet deadlines, get stuck in traffic, and alongside all that we organise household chores and do the daily shop.
• Our constant availability: enabled by our smart phones, both privately and publicly, and the pressure of comparison coming from social media. This often triggers the desire for total perfection, which realistically speaking we can never expect to achieve.
• Better living conditions and increased choice in almost every aspect of our lives creates stress: we have an unprecedented choice of food, holidays, technology, a partner, a career, information, etc. The feeling that we constantly need to buy or do something, but we’re not quite sure what, is overwhelming. The burden of choice, so to say: The flipside of abundance.

• Cortisol and adrenalin: They block the insulin receptors which are necessary for regulating metabolism. They lose their ability to function properly which has a strong effect on our blood sugar, our metabolism, and all the associated body systems. This can lead to metabolic syndrome or even type II Diabetes which are becoming more and more common.

Visceral fat is very dangerous, because it builds up directly around the organs. Diebetologists describe stomach fat tissue as being very metabolically active, since it releases about 200 chemical messengers. Alongside the Leptin-cycle, the released chemical messengers strengthen interleukin-6 harmful inflammation processes in your body. In addition it stimulates the production of CRP (C-reactive protein), which is one of the strongest indicators of ilnesses such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure.

If you would like to know whether you already have unhealthy belly fat, you can do a quick check. It is vey simple, grab yourself a tape measure and you can get started.

Instructions – this is how to measure your belly fat correctly:

• It´s best to take the measurement in the morning on an empty stomach
• Take the tape measure and wrap it around your body between your lowest rib and the upper edge of the hip bone
• Orientate yourself with your belly button
• Don’t try to kid yourself –  relax your stomach muscles
• Take a deep breath in and out, then take the measurement. For men your result should be under 102cm and for women under 88 cm. If so you can be comforted

Is your measurement above what it should be? Then you need to take action and make some lifestyle changes because a higher stomach fat value increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Upfit’s tailor made and standardized nutrition plans will help you to get rid of your unhealthy stomach fat for good.

One often hears the phrases ´I have bad genes´or ´if I just do 100 sit ups a day it will be fine again´. But you shouldn´t just dismiss this topic so quickly. Many people don´t have a clue how to go about getting rid of their stubborn belly fat and when they continue to try and fail it can be very demoralising. Why is stomach fat so stubborn?

Simply explained stomach fat contains different receptors than for example the fat on our feet. In escence it is just normal subcutaneous fat, but with an unfavourable distibution of insulin-, alpha- and beta receptors. In short: There are too few beta receptors for catecholamine (adrenalin and noradrenalin) to attach themselves to, to clear out the fat cells. Insulin receptors free up the way inwards but block the way outwards, alpha receptors release glucose but block lipolysis. What you need to do is therefore: greatly reduce your carbohydrate intake, to reduce the production and attaching of insulin as well as intensive sport to distribute more catecholamine and to stimulate Beta oxidation. Giving up is not an option. Even if it sounds like a hopeless cause: you can get rid of your stomach fat!

The answer is unfortunately no- you cannot target your weight loss to your belly. Neither with 300 situps a day nor 15 minutes of planking at a time. Unfortunately there are still countless myths and theories telling us how easy it is to achieve a sixpack in 2 weeks. Below we clear up the top 3 myths about belly fat:

No, unfortunately not. Every person has a sixpack- you need it to stand, to walk and to maintain your posture. However for most people, their six pack is deeply hidden. It is simply covered by a layer of fat.

Of course our genes determine certain characteristics, which we cannot change. These include our height, and eye colour. However, everybody can achieve a flat stomach with the correct nutrition and exercise.

We used to believe this, but nowadays we know that it depends on the type of fat we consume. Fat can even help you on your way to a flat stomach. Of course, fat also contains a lot of energy, so a large proportion of fat in your diet can quickly lead to a calorie surplus and hence weight gain.

However don´t let this put you off, you can lose your stomach fat: Through a Definition Plan you can reduce your body fat percentage and make your muscles visible. Losing body fat from a particular area is not possible, but is it not actually nicer to define your whole body at the same time?

Don´t worry. We will support you on your way to the dream stomach and give you adequate tips and tricks to get rid of the stomach fat:

Read around the topic. Develop an interest in nutrition, which does your body good and makes you feel good. Realise that healthy eating is not difficult and can easily be integrated into your daily routine, it reduces stress and can also be easy on your purse strings. With a low carb diet and sufficient protein intake and healthy fats you can support your body in fat loss.