What is Visceral Fat, AKA BELLY FAT?
We know it as “Belly Fat”, “Muffin Top, or “Beer Belly” - that hard-to-shed fat. Visceral Fat is the actual term for that midsection excess we come to loathe – and yes, the most resistant fat to lose.
Regardless of what we call it, Visceral fat lies deep within the abdomen and is stored around vital internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestine and puts extra stress on the cardiovascular system.
Simply, when we eat too many carbohydrates/sugars – regardless of how “healthy”: complex, gluten-free, organic, whole grain, etc, - the result is the overproduction of glucose.
We utilize some of that glucose for energy and metabolism and some we store in our liver and muscles. But once that demand is exceeded we store fat as well, fat. It is the glucose that triggers our pancreas to store fat and signals our body to put that excess sugar into storage. That stored fat is particularly prone to sit around our organs, the midsection - where no one wants it hanging around.
Deep Storage
That belly fat can lead to serious health issues, let alone bulge our body shape in an undesirable form. High visceral fat can affect insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and even Alzheimer’s. Plus belly fat plays a potentially dangerous role in causing hormonal imbalance which is closely tied to weight gain, and to disease.
What is Too Much? How can you tell if you have too much visceral fat? An easy way is to track your waistline circumference measurement over time. That Measurement should always be smaller than your chest and hip circumference measurement. If your waist measurement is larger than your hip or your chest measurement then you likely have too much visceral fat.
All in the Family
Pay attention to whether your parents or siblings have insulin resistance, heart disease, or non-alcoholic fatty liver, as you may be at a greater risk for storing visceral fat.
How do we get rid of Visceral Fat?
Well, unfortunately, you can’t spot reduce belly fat no matter how many crunches you do. And forget about cosmetic surgery like Liposuction – it will remove subcutaneous fat but does not reach inside the abdominal wall for the visceral fat.
Instead, it is a combination of healthy lifestyle habits. First and foremost eat a diet high in lean protein, and low carbohydrates – like the Ideal Protein program we offer at BonVie Weight Loss & Nutritional Wellness. Aim for four cups of low glycemic vegetables and lots of leafy greens and water water water: a minimum of two liters per day. Eating less than 45 grams of carbs per day results in fat loss in most overweight people.
Avoid Trans Fats and cut way back on all types of sugar and carbs, and alcohol since too much of any of these will end up as visceral fat. Eat fish high in Omega 3 fats like salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, and anchovies 2-3 times per week. Eat Probiotic foods or even better take a concentrated Probiotic supplement targeted at digestive health.
And commit to more sleep and less stress. Too little sleep and too much stress can make you eat more fat and sugar, reduce exercise, drink more alcohol, and -unleash the “stress hormone” cortisol, which can boost belly fat. If you still smoke and need yet one more reason to quit, smoking makes you more likely to store fat in your belly, rather than subcutaneously on your hips and thighs.
Exercising for 30-60 minutes each day will do wonders for reducing appetite and boosting metabolism. Particularly aim for interval training (short bursts of aerobic exertion alternated with slower strength building) which is the best type of exercise to hit your visceral fat stores.
