Belly Growing Fat ? No Rocket Science - Exercise And Healthy Diet Do The Magic

Belly Growing Fat? Got A Pot Belly, Spare Tire, Love Handles..............
Call It What You Want...................

But get this - belly growing fat is unhealthy; it spells higher risk of heart disease and diabetes!

We've got names for fat accumulated around our belly and make fun of it - sometimes we forget the more important thing - that we got to stage an all-out war to slice it off because it's really a hazard to our health.

Don't be mistaken that fat is bad; in fact we ladies need 12 - 15% of body fat to maintain core body temperature, to keep us warm and to maintain sufficient nutrients.

I've always yearned for a firm, flat stomach. Who doesn't? It's the ultimate symbol of sex appeal!

However, sex appeal aside, I realise that belly growing fat is dangerous to my health - I'll have greater risk of heart disease and diabetes than you, for instance, who have fat in your thighs, butts and hips.........

Pssstttt..........

Fat in the midsection is stored deeper inside our body, in and around the liver and other organs. It's called visceral fat.

Fat in the hip and thigh region is mainly stored just under the skin. It's called subcutaneous fat.

Anyway, both are equally bad......

Why Your Belly's Growing Fat?

I always thought that my big belly (at one time my belly was really huge) was due to my genetic body form !

Well, it could be that, but not really the main factor. I know. Because I want to put the blame on the body shape rather than to face the reality that I've belly fat.

Are you.... like that..... too?

My belly's growing fat because:

I was eating more than I should (or in your case, you could be drinking more than you should?)

I didn't exercise at all

I was getting older, my metabolism slowed down hence I wasn't able to break down fat efficiently

If you're near or past menopause, don't panic if your belly's growing fat. This is due to hormonal changes plus the slow-down in metabolism that come with aging

I always think it's unlikely but really, stress can lead to an increase in belly fat caused by the stress hormone cortisol, which contributes to thickness in the midsection

How To Beat It, Belly Growing Fat?

A tough battle.

Belly fat is the hardest to get rid off due to its deep-seated position in our body.

I fought a hard one.

I took nearly 2 years to slice off the fat. Serious.

I learnt one thing though - that patience, perserverence and consistency were the best weapons to fight belly fat.

I wanted to rush through to get quick weight loss - like losing 20 lbs in 1 month with "dieting" only. (No exercise at all!)

"Dieting" meaning I severely restricted the number of daily calories intake. I thought if cutting down on calories would help me lose a few lbs per day, then surely if I starved myself, I would lose even more lbs.......

Wrong! I was losing water, glycogen and my precious muscle, not fat.

As I lost huge amount of weight, my body counteracted quickly thinking that I was starving, by immediately lowering the metabolic rate to conserve energy. As a result, my body retained the fat to protect me from starvation.

So, how did I beat the belly growing fat syndrome?

First, I found out what's most likely to cause my belly growing fat.

I wasn't near menopausal years yet, so I ruled this one out.

I was overeating and not doing any exercise.......this I knew (should resonate with you too!)

And I was under lots of stress - work, family, projects, household chores.......

I was also getting older, slower metabolism set in......

OK, the sad result - you get the picture.....

Reality - of belly growing fat fat - set in.

Oh, boy, how I struggled to fight it.

I took the most "intelligent" path, a 2-pronged blasting approach.

I reduced the amount of my calorie intake through eating a healthy, weight loss, nutritious diet and E-X-E-R-C-I-S-E-D.

Really, when comes to the real crunch, to lose any kind of fat (belly fat included), you need to consume less calories than your body needs and do exercise. Period.

This tried and true combo never fails. Believe me.

I took a longer time to get results (and I did take about 2 years to fight off the fat) but I knew it's the most effective way to combat the stubborn belly fat.

Here's my exercise routine to blast away my belly growing fat syndrome:

Cardio Exercise

I did high intensity cardio exercise to crank up my metabolism, to burn off overall body fat (and that included fat in the belly).

I cardioed at least 5 times per week, for at least 60 minutes per session. I chose race walking and biking to blast off the fat

"Why exercise? Eating right will take care of the belly growing fat thing, isn't it?"

That's probably why you don't get a sexy, washborad abs!

You see, I still need to burn off fat which I already have in my body. For this to happen, I must exercise.

Cardio exercise is the best to do the honor as it burns off fat covering my abs muscles and let them "show-up" nicely.....

The goal is to lose the belly fat. If I just did sit-ups and crunches but no cardio, my abs will get hard, but I wouldn't lose the extra fat around my middle.

So ALWAYS cardio to melt away the fat.

Strength Training With Weights

I strength-trained with weights 4 times per week for 20 mins per session.

My goal?

To build muscles.

Muscles are metabolically active - the more muscles I packed into my body, the higher my metabolism and so the more calories I burned.

Muscles also raised my resting metabolic rate.

Let's say I packed an additional 1 lb of muscles into my body, I would have speeded up my resting metabolism by 50 calories, so I burned calories even when I wasn't exercising.

That's right, add 1 lb of muscle and I would burn an extra 350 calories (50x7) per week without any additional effort on my part.

This way, I would be able to shed off unwanted fats (that cause my belly growing fat....)and keep off excess fat permanently.

This is BONUS for me, pure and simple.

Besides, my muscles are strenghthened and sculpted to more defined forms.

Pilates

Pilates is unbelievably marvellous in stregnthening, flattening and sculpting my abs muscles.

In fact, it's the best ab toner around to "take care" of my belly growing fat syndrome.

The sheer action of pulling-in my navel back into spine in almost every exercise movement, was enough to flatten my abs like magic.

All Pilates exercises focus on the strengthening and development of the so-called "powerhouse" - the core muscles that consist of the abs, butts, back, thighs and spine.

When engaged in Pilates, I recruited the use of these said core muscles. They became stronger, leaner, sleeker and shapelier, especially my abs. I was estatic when my abs took on the leaner and flatter shape, after about 3 months of Pilates.

It's also an efficient exercise as it strengthens, tones, sculpts and stretches my muscles, all at one go.

You Want To Change Now That Your Belly's Growing Fat?

What I'd gone through fighting the belly grwoing fat syndrome wasn't just a showcase. It worked. And what a powerful 2-pronged strategy it was (and still is) that I could maintain for life!

I know belly fat does bother you because it's not only unsightly, now you also know it's unhealthy.

The ball's now in your court - you decide to change your lifestyle or not to.

I think the answer is pretty obvious.

So, change your lifestyle to benefit your health.

And change doesn't have to be overnight and overwhelming in volume - just small little changes that you're comfortable with, to kickstart the process.

Got a fat belly? Not the end of the world for you either.

Just embrace exercise and healthy diet as a way of life.

You'll then be on top of the world.

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