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8 Bad Habits that Give You Belly Fat

Belly fat – we all dread it. For many people, the waist is often the first place excess fat goes. Unfortunately, it is also one of the hardest areas on our bodies to lose weight. Having a “muffin top” is not only unappealing, but it is also unhealthy to have on our bodies. In fact, having excess belly, or abdominal, fat is worse than having excess fat on most other places on our body.

Excess Belly Fat Causes

Regardless of your weight, having excess abdominal fat can put people at an increased risk for common diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and sleep apnea. Your weight is a combination of how well you balance the amount of calories you consume and how much physical activity you get. Many people think they can eat whatever they want as long as they work out, or vice versa, they don’t have to work out if they eat healthy or very little.

How to Lose the Belly Fat

In order to lose weight that’s going to stay off, have long-lasting results, and improve your overall health, combining the proper balance of a healthy diet and an effective exercise program is key. Ever heard of the 80/20 rule? It’s been long advised that losing weight is “80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise.” While this may be a good general rule to follow, it’s important to find what works best for you and your body. Others may need 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise, or 60 percent diet and 40 percent exercise. It all depends on what ratio is giving you results. 

Difficulty Losing Weight?

Losing weight can be extremely difficult for many people. It is much easier said than done. What people may not know is how much our hormones have an effect on trying to lose weight, especially in tough areas like the waist. Our hormones are actually in charge of how we lose weight. From where fat is stored on our bodies, to how hungry we are and how much we eat, to our overall metabolism, our hormones are in control. Therefore, if our hormones are off-balance, we may not be seeing the results we expect from all that dieting and exercising. In this case, losing weight can seem almost impossible to some because our imbalanced hormones may be canceling out all that hard work we’re putting in to get in shape.

Hormones Play a Role 

Which hormones are responsible for that unwanted excess belly fat? There are five hormones that need to be at stable levels in order for our weight loss efforts to be the most effective: cortisol, estrogen, insulin, testosterone, and DHEA. These hormones are considered imbalanced in a way that affects weight loss when we have high cortisol, high estrogen, high insulin, low testosterone, and low DHEA.

There are five things that are essential in order to lose that unwanted belly fat: a clean diet, four to five days of moderate to vigorous exercise a week, proper rest, self-control, and determination.

  1. Physical inactivity. Losing belly fat is not impossible without exercise, however, it is much more difficult.  
  2. Eating or drinking too much sugar. Avoid sugary drinks like soda and fruit juices and foods high in sugar. Drink water and eat naturally sweet fruits instead.
  3. Eating too much fat. Cut back on desserts, fried and processed foods, etc. Load up on healthy carbohydrates and protein instead. It will make you feel fuller for longer.
  4. Drinking too much alcohol. The liver does not burn fat when processing alcohol. Alcohol contains empty calories and increases your appetite, causing you to eat more. When drinking, stick to a low calorie wine or liquor.
  5. Eating your feelings. People tend to eat more, and less healthy, when they are stressed out or feeling down. Stress can increase your cortisol level which increases belly fat.
  6. Eating late at night. Our bodies don’t process food as quickly or effectively when we sleep, which makes it more likely to turn into fat. Avoid eating anything at least 2 hours before bedtime.
  7. Not getting enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep increases our cortisol levels, which as we know, increases belly fat. The average adult should get around 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.
  8. Not eating enough protein. Protein helps us feel fuller for longer. It also helps balance our blood sugar levels and maintain a strong metabolism. Grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, fish, and quinoa are all excellent sources of protein.