Belly fat is not only unattractive, but it can also be a major threat to your health. Carrying around that spare tire can put you at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, insulin resistance that leads to type 2 diabetes, and premature death.
It should be noted that not all belly fat is created equal. The accumulation of fatty tissue that lies just beneath your skin is known as subcutaneous fat, whereas visceral fat, by far more dangerous, lies deeper within the abdominal cavity. The latter is often clustered around vital organs such as the intestines, kidneys, liver, and pancreas. Getting rid of this so-called deep fat can improve your prospects for a long and healthy life.
Visceral fat can be a problem for men and women whose overall weight is within or only just slightly above normal limits. The only way to definitively confirm that you have a significant amount of visceral fat is to have a CT scan or MRI, both of which are fairly expensive and not really medically necessary. A waist measurement of 40 inches or more for men and 35 inches or more for women is a fairly good indicator that you’re carrying around an unhealthy amount of visceral fat, according to an article in the “Journal of the American Medical Association.”
Getting rid of belly fat, particularly visceral fat, can be a challenge, but it’s a goal that you can achieve with a bit of determination and the willpower to stick to a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen. Here are some recommendations about how to get started:
1. Start Your Day with Black Coffee
A cup or two of black coffee contains a healthy amount of caffeine, which can help you burn more fat during exercise and also inhibits the storage of body fat. However, adding sugar or cream to your coffee adds extra calories that can neutralize the fat-reducing benefits of coffee’s caffeine. Even if you exercise later in the day, a cup of black coffee before starting your cardio routine increases the benefits of your exercise.
2. Eat Plenty of Protein
A diet that contains high levels of protein is a must if you’re determined to shed that belly fat. According to an article posted at Prevention.com, eating more protein helps to protect against the effects of age-related insulin resistance that can lead to a buildup of fat, particularly around your midsection. Foods high in protein include almonds, chicken breast, eggs, milk, and yogurt.
3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
If you’re not getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night, you are running the risk of a hormonal imbalance that can increase your appetite during waking hours. According to an article posted at Cosmopolitan.com, inadequate sleep increases levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, while decreasing levels of leptin, the hormone that signals you’ve had enough to eat.
4. Alternate Your Exercise Routine
A recent Swedish study found that men who performed cardio exercises and weight training on alternating days lost three times as much belly fat as those who did both exercises in the same daily session. According to MensHealth.com, alternating-day exercisers also reduced inflammatory markers in their blood at a greater rate than those who did all their exercises in a single session. High levels of such markers are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
5. Increase Your Intake of Healthy Fats
In an article posted at HuffingtonPost.com, cardiothoracic surgeon Mehmet Oz, M.D., says foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, can help carve away that unwanted belly fat. Among the MUFA-rich foods recommended by Oz are olive oil, avocado, and nuts, especially pine nuts.
6. Cut Your Sugar Intake Sharply
Refined sugar in the form of added sugar and sugar-sweetened drinks is a big culprit in the buildup of visceral fat, according to Healthline.com. Sugar is half glucose and half fructose, the latter of which must be metabolized by the liver. When you take in excessive amounts of sugar, the liver cannot process all that fructose and is forced to turn it into fat.
7. Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking plenty of water throughout the day offers multiple benefits. It has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, burning up more calories that might otherwise be stored as fat, and it also makes you feel fuller, decreasing the likelihood that you’ll overeat.
8. Take Xenical to Cut Fat Absorption
As part of an overall weight-loss program that includes a healthy diet and regular exercise, Xenical can help to reduce the amount of fat you take into your body. The drug’s active ingredient, orlistat, is classified as a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor, meaning that the drug reduces the amount of dietary fat that is absorbed in your digestive tract. It must be used along with a low-fat diet to avoid unpleasant side effects.
Xenical is available only by prescription. A lower-dose formulation of orlistat is available over the counter under the brand name of Alli. If you have a prescription from your doctor, you can pick up Xenical at a local pharmacy or choose instead to order it online from a reliable supplier, such as eDrugstore.com.
You can fax your doctor’s prescription or scan and email it along with your order to eDrugstore. If you prefer to avoid the added expense of a doctor’s visit, eDrugstore can set up a complimentary online consultation with one of its licensed U.S. doctors, who can authorize a prescription if appropriate.
To learn more about ordering online, click here to access eDrugstore.com, which also offers a varied array of other over-the-counter and prescription medications, including erectile dysfunction drugs.
We specialize in providing our over 1,000,000 customers with relevant product and condition information created by our professional editorial staff which includes our team of medical writers, medical practitioners, and health educators. eDrugStore.com Staff on Facebook