Fighting My Big Belly
I'll be the first to admit that I have a bigger belly than I should have. It's not as big as what some men have, but it's big enough to irritate me. I don't have a "beer gut" as some people like to call it because I don't drink beer regularly. I know what caused it and now it's time for me to get rid of it.
We all know that exercise burns calories. Does it burn the fat your body has accumulated? Not necessarily. If your exercise routine is the same routine every time you exercise, your body will become accustomed to it and it will have little effect. I know this little tidbit of information for a variety of reasons that would take hours to explain. I'll shorten it greatly just by telling you that even though I ran 3 to 5 miles at a time at a minimum of 3 times a week for the last two years of my career in the military, my belly still continued to get bigger.
There are three major causes:
- As you get older, your metabolism gets more efficient at storing fat. You can eat less and still gain weight.
- Consumption of trans fats. Consuming trans fats not only makes you gain more weight than with non-trans fats, it causes the fat to collect around your abdomen. It will even cause your other excess fat to redistribute itself to the abdominal area.
- Consumption of saturated fats. Most foods that contain trans fats also contain saturated fats.
I identified my problem as too much trans fat consumption. What foods contain trans fats? Trans fats are found in vegetable shortenings, some kinds of margarine, and in manufactured baked goods such as cookies, crackers, and snack foods. A major source of trans fat in American diets is fast food fried in oil that's high in trans fats.
Now that I live in the Philippines, I know that my consumption of trans fats has reduced tremendously. I am slowly losing my belly. Rice has a lot of carbohydrates (but I eat a maximum of a cup per day) but contains a low amount of "unsaturated fat" which helps in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K and carotenes. It took me 10 years to get a large belly and I don't expect it to flatten in less time than that, realistically speaking.
Don't get me wrong. Fat is a major energy source and important for proper growth, development, and maintenance of good health. Younger teens and pre-teens have a much easier time burning all types of fat. As you enter your adult years, you have to restrict your fat intake (as best as you can) to the unsaturated type in order to prevent health problems from occurring.
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I'm in the same boat, RT. My problem is that I drink too much damn pop. I'm a big fan of Mountain Dew.
I'm slowly trying to wean myself off of it. But, I admit . . . my diet could be better . . . I could exercise more . . . blah, blah, blah
what no tummy tuck RT
and thanks for the drive-bye
My belly started to grow when I hit about 24. Before that I was always skinny. It's not big now, but it's bigger than I want it to be.
I started eating a little less, and exercising a little more. Spending too much time watching TV is a killer and will suck your motivation. Turn it off & start a project around your home…just moving & doing something is better than sitting on your butt…I say as I type this sitting on my butt watching TV!!! lol!
Mine started to grow at 30, after I quit smoking, and, consequently, started eating more. I worked it back off because I couldn't bring myself to buy new uniforms with less than a year left in. But then after I got out, well, I no longer had the motivation to exercise every day. 40 pounds and high cholesterol later, I have worked much of the fat out of my diet, but I HAVE to at least start walking every day. I don't like looking pregnant when I am not nor will be ever again.
Hey, you said it, I didn't.
It's one of the reasons I don't like having my picture taken. I don't want anyone to see how fat I really am (I'm 50 pounds overweight, mostly in the gut).
I'm getting old and can't eat the things I used to enjoy anymore… Poor me…
My wife just started buying "bran cereal" for me…
That fiber is a killer. It's supposed to help you lose excess something but I forget what it is.
"As you get older, your metabolism gets more efficient at storing fat."
Ooohh… I like the way you put it.
hey., i'm not conscious about my diet before., eating is my habit. but now i'm only 19 n i feel that my belly is big.. i cant control myself eating coz thats my habit..
i cannot even do some activities or exercise.. i used to watch tv, sleep, play computer gmes, n some lessons…
There is another theory out there about why we get fat.
Basically the hypothalamus gland dictates where the excess inventory of food energy absorbed into the body is deposited.
Initially the excess is placed into a ready reserve, similar to a checking account. As we use our cash, the body uses the food energy in its system. When we run out of cash, we write checks and similarly, the body dips into its ready reserves.
If we suddenly make a huge deposit into our checking account (like a christmas bonus) we tend to want to take some of that extra and put it into a more secure account (like an IRA or mutual fund). Our body is similar. When there is too much extra food energy…above and beyond what the ready reserves should have, it takes that extra off the top and sends it to the secure storage areas (big bellies for men and larger hips for women)
This is a natural occurance in our body that is regulated by the hypothalamus gland. The current foods we eat are highly processed and are absorbed into the body faster than ever before. The result is the body gets more food energy absorbed and does less work to get it. The end result is we shock the hypothalamus gland into sending a disproportionate ammount to the secure reserves (and just like an IRA or Mutual fund, are more difficult to gain access to!)
This and many more topics are discussed on http://www.hcg-diet-forums.com
be good!
Curt
Curtis's last blog post..Jan 23, CNN Reports on a very interesting study
Ahah, my belly started to grow 3 years ago when I got new job in office and stopped exercising. The problem is that it is getting bigger and bigger every month but I can't find time to go to a gym
My biggest problem is sugar and eating late at night!
My six pack is finally starting to develop to a sense of it being noticed
You definitely have to avoid any trans-fats, as well as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. Total fat should be low, and only from good sources like olive oil.
A key part of it is to get your metabolism in high gear. Lots of activity and a diet low in calories but high in nutrients is the ideal.
Tiger Lily’s last blog post… How To Lose Belly Fat Fast
I successfully lost a lot of weight on the Atkins Diet. I know this diet is out of favor but the concept of low carb diets has received some press attention lately. Together with daily cardio exercise on a treadmill I lost enough weight to feel much better about myself.
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The best way to burn fat and keep it off (which is the important part) is to use interval training. Short bursts of high intensity training mixed with more sedate exercises (walk,run,walk,run…). Its best at increasing the metabolic rate and burns fat while at rest.
check out the full post on my blog, thanks.
My latest blog post: Why Interval Training Is The Best Way To Lose Body Fat
As a personal trainer and as someone highly educated in the health and fitness industry, I know you a lot of important factors pertaining to weight loss. Remember, most people fall short of their fitness goals not because they dont know how or what to do, but because of a lack of motivation, self confidence, and determination. Work hard for at least 21 days and your exercise and nutrition will become a habit and then you wont even have to think about it! Good luck!
I think a diet based on non processed foods will get you there. I also agree with maxx, short bursts of high intensity training. In fact the best exercises for losing belly fat are not even traditional abs exercises.
Interesting read. And I completely agree with Orlando Personal Trainer's comments. It’s not that a person does not know what or how to do it. It’s just the lack of self conduct and the will. Maxx has a good point too. Short bursts of exercise really can pump you up and burn fat while you relax. Awesome stuff.
Great article. Very interesting and informative. a friend of mine recommended to visit the site. and its awesome. Maxx has a good point too. Interval training helped me lose my pounds in a very short time.
Good stuff. Interesting. Obesity is one huge problem all around the world. Some actually cant help about it because it must be just be in there genes. But others just don't control. Which is bad as everyone knows. And they need to do something about it.
Well I too had a weight problem. Not just the tummy but all my body. It was a huge problem for me as I always have to move out with people in the society in my line of work. Anyway I got some excellent motivation and worked really really hard to lose pounds. And it all paid off. If you have the motivation and the hard work I believe weight loss wouldn't be a big problem
My latest blog post: Surgeries Are The New Diet
My friend just celebrated his 45th birthday a few days ago and he has been fighting the fat for the past year. Unfortunately for him, his family is not into working out so he kinda relies on me for motivation. He purchased a Wii Fit and we try to go to the gym a few days every week.
Hi,
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I found that one thing which helps me keep a flat stomach is to NOT eat late at night, eat lots of fruits and vegetables and to exercise regularly. Every other thing doesn't really matter that much.
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