Belly Fat In Women-It's what you can't "pinch" that can kill you!

Belly fat in women accumulate for a number of reasons. Most of the reasons are due to lifestyle choices such as overeating, bad food choices, too much alcohol consumption and not enough exercise. But, there are other reasons such as stress, age and hormonal changes. Gaining weight in your stomach is of great concern because this weight gain is the most damaging to your health.

Remember the old cereal commercial where they told you that if you could “pinch an inch” on your waist, then you needed to lose weight? Well, that may have been true but this “pinchable” fat or what is called subcutaneous fat is not the dangerous belly fat that has been shown to cause diseases such as cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

Have you ever had a body composition test done where your body fat is measured by calipers? The tester will lift up a small section of your skin (which separates the subcutaneous fat from the muscle) and pinch it between the calipers. This gives you an estimate of how much subcutaneous or body fat you have at that test site.

I have done a number of these over the years. I caution my clients not to get hung up on whatever number is given to them. The thing is that they want to see that number go down with proper nutrition and exercise.

Knowing the percentage of subcutaneous fat is important in monitoring your weight loss. This lets you know whether or not you’re losing muscle (which is a big no-no!!) as opposed to fat. But again, it’s not subcutaneous fat that is the most dangerous fat. It’s excessive fat in your belly that can kill you.

The type of fat that we’re especially concerned with lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding the abdominal organs. This is called visceral fat. Visceral fat has been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other health problems.

While a slowing metabolism and decreased physical activity contribute to overall weight gain as you age, those factors don’t influence visceral fat accumulation directly. Heredity may be the culprit-you may simply have inherited a tendency to gain weight in your midsection. Hormones also play a role. Hormonal changes after menopause may change the way that your body breaks down and stores fat, leading to more fat accumulating in your belly.” Mayo Clinic Staff, 2007.

Both men and women usually experience a decrease in hormones at around age 40. Men experience a decrease in testosterone and women a decrease in estrogen. This decrease in hormones allows fat to accumulate in the belly.

As we age, fat unfortunately flows from our arms, legs and hips to our stomachs. This is a sad but natural part of aging. Throw in decreasing hormones and wellllll...say hello to dangerous increasing bellyfat.

The thing is, any woman can decrease the amount of belly fat she has if she's serious about getting on top of it. Yeah, it'll probably be hard because it'll mostly involve exchanging bad habits for healthier, better habits. You'll have setbacks but you can be successful with belly fat loss.

As in men, ultimately losing extra belly fat isn't just about looks, it's about health....better health. You have to ask yourself "are you worth it."

“Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough at the gate, You are sure to wake up somebody.”
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow