Ever notice how the last place we tend to lose fat is in the belly? Abdominal fat oftentimes seems impossible to lose and chances are it's because it's visceral fat"a type of body fat that's stored within the abdominal cavity between your vital organs: liver, intestines, pancreas, etc," says Jillian Michaelscreator of The Fitness App by Jillian Michaels. While it can be challenging to lose, there are ways to help reverse visceral fat and get rid of the stubborn excess weight. Eat This, Not That! Health talked to Michaels, a personal trainer, nutritionist, life coach and former Biggest Loser fitness instructor, who explained everything to know about visceral fat. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.
In order to know how much visceral fat to lose, you should know how much you have first. Michaels explains how to measure. "Outside of an MRI or CT scan the best way to know if you have visceral fat is the waist to hip ratio calculation. You simply
In women, a waist circumference of 35 inches or larger is generally considered a sign of excess visceral fat. In men, it's 40."
Visceral fat can be difficult to lose. Michaels says, "There are several reasons why visceral fat is difficult to lose, but they all tie back to hormone imbalances. Visceral fat gets stored like all fat because we are eating too much and moving too little. However, the body first aims to store the fat subcutaneously (just under the skin). When we take on too much excess body fat it then gets stored viscerally. The habits that created this excess fat in the first place have hormonal consequences that then beget a bit of a catch 22.
For example, visceral fat is linked to insulin resistance from too much sugar and not enough fitness, elevated cortisol levels from too much stress, and the secretion of excess inflammatory proteins called cytokines. When it comes to metabolism (the rate we burn calories, when, how and where we store fat) are directly connected to our hormone balance. Once insulin resistance begins and cortisol levels surge it makes it that much harder to get our metabolism out of fat storage mode and into fat burning mode. Plus, the habits/lifestyle that got us into this position in the first place are often the hardest to break. From desk jobs and sugar addiction to long work days and age-related hormonal shifts it can seem like an uphill battle."
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You can absolutely lose visceral fat with diet and lifestyle changes. Michaels says, "there is a lot we can do. Let's sensitize your body to insulin again by cutting out processed carbs and refined sugars, so nothing white. No white flour and no white sugar. So avoid eating processed salty or sweet snacks. Choose whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes instead."
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Michaels states, "Drink your water and keep sodium intake at bay. Try to avoid over 2000mg a day unless you sweat a ton and are very athletic and generally people with excess visceral fat aren't engaging in intense fitness training. Studies have linked excess sodium intake with increased insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and glucocorticoid production. An easy way to do this is to choose reduced sodium products, up your water intake, and don't salt your food."
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Michaels stresses how important it is to stay active. "Start moving your body. Exercise is the best way to get the body sensitized to insulin and reverse type two diabetes. If you have the ability, techniques like HIIT training and Strength training are the most effective for this. The Fitness App has many programs for this including HIIT workouts for beginners so you can be effective and safe."
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Michaels says, "Get your 8 hours of shuteye. Lack of sleep increases our hunger hormones and dampens our satiety hormones making us feel the need to eat more. In addition, it inhibits our HGH production, which is a key hormone for muscle maintenance and fat metabolism. Lack of sleep is also associated with higher cortisol levels which is a hormone notorious for belly fat storage. So make sure to shut off the screens and get 7 to 8 hours of shut eye every night."
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Taking a break from life's daily stresses isn't just good for us mentally, but physically as well. Michaels reveals: "Take your vacations, manage your stress levels, try meditating anything that helps you manage stress. Cortisol is our fight or flight hormone and when we are constantly stressed it's constantly surging so work to find your chill!"
Michaels says, "Up your vitamin C intake! Early studies have shown that vitamin C can help reduce our cortisol secretion. So consider a supplement or just eat your citrus!"
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"Last, we want to do what is going to help us reduce body fat overall and that is eating less calories and moving more often," Michaels explains. "Fat is stored energy and the calories in our food are units of energy. No matter how "healthy" a food is you can still eat too much of it. Take an organic avocado for example it's loaded with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats with likely zero chemical residue from pesticides, fungicides, herbicides etc. But it's very high in calories. If you eat too many calories than your body is burning in a day you will store that energy in your fat cells. So be mindful of your overall calorie intake. Cut the booze. Booze dampens fat metabolism by up to 73%. And as I mentioned repeatedly EXERCISE it burns calories and helps to bring our hormones back into balance." And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
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How to Reverse Visceral Fat, Say Experts Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That
