Belly bulge or fat, is a shared commonality among many people here in the United States.  There are many contributing factors:

• Age – As we get older, we become less active and our calorie needs decrease
• Genetics – This can affect how and where you store fat
• Gender – Aging causes hormone levels to decline in both men and women, causing more fat to be stored in our mid-section. 
• Smoking – Smokers tend to have more fat deposited in their abdomen.
• Diet – Food choices play a major role in determining belly fat
• Lack of exercise – Increasing exercise will help minimize abdominal fat storage

Fortunately, turning a fat belly into a fit belly is possible – here’s what you need to know

First - why belly fat is not good:

Carrying excess fat around the mid-section also known as central abdominal obesity means a type of fat called visceral fat, is more prevalent than it should be.  Visceral fat gets stored within the abdomen and is what creates a bulge in the belly area.  Because it is a more metabolically active fat, it increases inflammation and insulin resistance of tissues that increase the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and possibly certain cancers.

Easy method for determining belly fat:

Measure your waist circumference.  Using a soft measuring tape, place it around your bare stomach slightly above the belly button, exhale and record the measurement.  A woman’s waist size should not exceed 35 inches and a man’s waist size should not exceed 40 inches.  Any number higher indicates too much visceral fat.

Tips for blasting belly fat:

1.  Fiber is your friend.  Consume 30 grams of fiber each day.  Examples of fiber rich foods include:

*Fruits – Avocados, pear, raspberries, blackberries, dates and bananas.

*Vegetables – Peas, sweet potato, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, spinach and

   collard greens.

*Beans – Navy, pinto, refried, and lima.

*Nuts/Seeds – Flax seed, pumpkin seed, soy nuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts, walnuts

*Grains – Amaranth, oat bran, quinoa, barley, 100% whole wheat bread and high-fiber

  breakfast cereals.

2. Go easy on alcohol.  Drinking alcohol can create a bigger waistline i.e. “beer belly.”  Beer often gets blamed since it is common to drink more than just one in a sitting at 150 calories a can.  But all alcoholic beverages cause the liver to burn alcohol instead of fat.  Opt instead to drink light beers at 100 calories or less, alternating with a low-calorie, non-alcohol beverage and avoid binge drinking.   The Dietary Guidelines recommends no more than one alcohol serving per day for women and no more than two for men. 

3.      Resist salty food. Excess sodium causes water to move from our bloodstream into our skin, giving a puffy look.   The salt shaker is not the only culprit.  Too much sodium is often hidden in canned foods, salad dressings, deli meats and cheese.  Choose foods that contain less than 5 percent of the Daily Value for sodium which is shown on the nutrition facts label.

4.      Slash Sugar. Americans have a sweet tooth.  The average adult consumes:

22 teaspoons of sugar a day, 3 pounds in one week and between 150 to 170 pounds in one year. That’s equal to at least 30 5-lb bags of sugar a year. Yikes!

The sweetness of sugar is appealing but consider about this:  It has no nutritional value, adds on extra calories, it’s linked to obesity, high blood pressure, fatigue, diabetes, dental caries, inflammation and, no surprise, it can be addictive. 

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 100 calories a day from sugar (6 teaspoons) for women and no more than 150 calories a day from sugar (9 teaspoons) for men.  There are 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon and there are 4 calories per gram.  To figure calories from sugar look on the nutrition facts label and multiple the grams of sugar by four.  For example, a product containing 24 grams of sugar has 96 calories from sugar. 

Listed below are examples of sugary food to avoid helping decrease belly fat:

*Soft drinks, energy drinks and other sweetened beverages

*Cookies, cakes, pies

*Candy

*Some breakfast cereals

*Ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies made with high sugar ingredients

*Sauces & condiments like ketchup, BBQ sauce, pickle relish

*Fruit canned in syrup

5. Step up your exercise routine: Any kind of exercise is encouraged but to mobilize belly fat, you made need to take it up a notch.  High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a method of short, intense bursts of exercise mixed together with less intense exercise.  It alternates between intense versus less intense exercise anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes.  A 2015 Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness intervention study showed workouts using HIIT tend to burn more calories and are superior in reducing visceral fat levels than regular exercise that doesn’t incorporate HIIT. HIIT can be modified for any fitness level and it is recommend that if you have any health condition or haven’t exercised in a while, to get clearance from a physician first. 

6. Sleep, sweet sleep: A 2015 multisystem review from the Journal of Health Psychology  linked poor sleep quality and quantity to increased food intake in both adults and children, leading to increased weight gain and visceral fat levels.  Insufficient sleep leads to increased ghrelin levels, a hormone that increases our appetite and decreased leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone.  Ideally, at least 6 or more hours of sleep a night is recommended. 

Belly fat or belly fit – it’s your choice.  Reducing belly fat takes effort, time and willpower.  Keeping focused on the tips above will be a great start to turning your belly fat into a healthier, fit belly. 

ABOUT CHERYL MUSSATTO, REGISTERED DIETITIAN

Cheryl Mussatto has over 30 years of experience as a Registered Dietitian and has worked in a variety of settings that cover a wide span of nutrition experience.  Currently she works as an adjunct professor for two community colleges, Allen Community College in Burlingame and Butler Community College in Council Grove, Kansas teaching two courses, Basic Nutrition and Therapeutic Nutrition. Cheryl also is a contributing author for osagecountyonline.com, an online newspaper and Edietitians, a global free nutritional and health magazine. Her articles for both publications pertain to nutrition topics that cover a diversity of health and nutrition interests for the general public.  She is also certified as a health and wellness coach.