Thursday, January 29, 2009

Burning Belly Fat is Not Impossible!

By Ricardo d Argence

This time of year, everyone is resolving to lose weight especially those who have amassed a great deal of it around their waist. Belly fat is the bane of many a person's existence, it is stubborn and unsightly and seems like it will take an act of congress to remove it. The first step to take when wanting to burn belly fat is to understand what it is and why it is there, think of it as a know your enemy strategy.

The belly, for some people, is the first place that the fat will be stored. The fat around the midsection is the accumulation of visceral fat. People with this problem are commonly referred to as having an "apple" shape.

Fat around the midsection is more problematic because it accumulates around the important organs in the belly. Other types are merely interspersed between skeletal muscles or under the skin.

When you have belly fat, you are then at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and insulin resistance. It is important for fat around the midsection to be thought of as a serious issue.

belly fat can be caused by a lot of circumstances. Some of them are listed in the next lines:

Menopause- Women tend to go through many changes during this period of their life. Weight gain is one of them and unfortunately, the belly tends to be its favorite place to store. Stress- This is a big contributor to belly fat. When you are stressed there is a hormone released called cortisol. Cortisol increases your energy by boosting glucose production, which in turn stimulates appetite increasing your caloric intake and this is converted to stored fat. Generally around the midsection so that it is readily available for the body to burn.

It makes sense that the junk food must go. High calorie foods that have little if any nutritional values are prime suspects in weight gain. Some other foods you should avoid are:

Alcohol is a big no-no if you are trying to lose belly fat; it is high in sugar and works to slow down the metabolism.

Focus on whole grain, fruit, vegetables and proteins rather than sugar and carbs. For example instead of a bowl of sugary cereal for breakfast, you could consider this sample breakfast:

One small glass of orange juice, fruit of your choice, whole grain toast, two poached eggs or bowl of oatmeal.

No discussion on weight loss would be complete without stressing the importance of regular exercise. Even 15 minutes a day walking at a brisk pace will show dramatic results.

Introducing pills or other weight loss drugs is the last thing you should do to your body. These are usually ineffective, and those that are somewhat helpful are made with harsh chemicals that can have dangerous side effects. There's nothing like a balanced diet and simple exercise. - 15359

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