Still trying to figure out how to lose belly fat?
Not all fat is the same, as we discussed in the article on dietary fats. Body fats are no different. So many of us struggle to get rid of belly fat, but lets take a moment to understand the different types of fats and how some can be beneficial while others can be harmful.
WHY DO WE NEED FAT?
You don’t have to run from fat. In fact, fat is very crucial to how our body functions and maintains healthy. Fats are a great source of energy and when not being used in the present can be stored for later energy. They are essential to growth development and cellular function. They wrap around our nerve cells allowing them to send and receive electrical messages, in fact our brain is largely fat cells. It helps coat our cell membranes which controls what comes in and out of the cell. Vitamins A, D, E and K need fat to transport through the blood stream. And is also important in forming hormones responsible for many bodily functions. So why does fat have such a bad rep if our bodies need it so much? Well lets break fat down into four groups; Brown, White, Subcutaneous and Visceral.
BROWN FAT
This is going to sound like the silliest thing, but hang in there with me. You want more brown fat. You read that right. Children have more brown fat then adults. Lean people have more brown fat than obese people. Brown fat is more like muscle than fat. When active brown fat can actually burn white fat resulting in a leaner body mass. Believe it or not there are scientists now working on a drug that will help patients increase brown fat to combat obesity. The numbers one may have of brown fat are vastly outnumbered by the amount of white fat. And there in is the problem.
WHITE FAT
There is a bit of a yin and yang with brown and white fat cells. The white cells store as energy in large fat droplets which the brown fat burn through creating heat and energy with the use of its mitochondria. Have a good balance of these two is very much okay. But as soon as the white fat cells start overpopulating you open the door to heart disease, diabetes and many other metabolic diseases. The interesting thing about the behavior of white cells is that our brain can send a signal to these cells in colder environments telling them to switch to brown fat as a survival mechanism against harsh winter climates.
SUBCUTANEOUS FAT
Otherwise known as the “inch you pinch” fat. This is most commonly found in the areas around your waist, thighs, and underarms. The more overweight you are the more obvious it will become when the numbers of subcutaneous fat shows up in trouble areas. Luckily Subcutaneous fat is very easy to eliminate with the use of Mufa’s which we discussed in the article on dietary fats. Eat more Mufa’s and watch the Subcutaneous fat melt away.
VISCERAL FAT
I saved this fat for last on purpose because If you take anything away from this article I want it to be this; to live a healthy and long life you need to reduce visceral fat. Have you ever heard of some super athletic person who exercised a lot and to the common eye didn’t have a pinch of body fat on them? Then one day they drop of a massive coronary. Visceral fat. Its the fat that hides in and around your organs and it is the most lethal. There are many effects of having visceral fat but some of the worst include high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, breast cancer, dementia. metabolic syndrome, just to name a few. Ever chronic disease has a tie to inflammation which visceral fat plays a predominant role in. You can be thin as a pencil and still have much visceral fat hidden deep in layers around your vital organs. Now the really bad part, you can do crunches and cardio until you are blue in the face but none of that effort will apply itself effectively in battling visceral fat. To get rid of visceral fat you need monounsaturated fat. So when you are planning out your meals make sure to include one of these.
CLICK HERE to read about dietary fats
I hope you found this article on How to Lose Belly Fat helpful
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