The Truth About Belly Fat. Surprise: Everyone has some belly fat, even people who have flat abs. That's normal. But too much belly fat can affect your health in a way that other fat doesn't.
Having a little belly fat is both normal and healthy, as it helps protect your organs and insulate your body. However, too much fat—especially visceral fat—is not healthy.
Common reasons for someone to have belly fat even when they're skinny is: Being too sedentary (inactive), which builds visceral fat around the organs and abdominal fat. Eating too many processed foods, which stores at the belly.
Your genetics prefer storing fat in your stomach area
Visceral fat—the type of fat the body stores in your abdomen and around your intestines and is mostly responsible for keeping people from a flat belly—can be partly determined by genetics.
But does that mean that you're destined to never see a flat stomach, or even a few abs, on your own body? The short answer, in most cases, is "not at all." While genetics play a role in body shape, the majority of the population can rely on staples of diet and exercise to achieve their flat stomach goals.
Yes, it absolutely is normal to not have a flat stomach. Irrespective of any body shape or size, the thing that is important is that one is healthy and comfortable.
There are many ways in which a person can get a flat stomach. Adding extra exercise to the daily routine, increasing fiber intake, and sleeping more can all help slim a person's waistline. Before starting a new exercise regimen, people should speak to a doctor about any health concerns.
To get a flat stomach, you'll need to follow best practices to lower body fat and lose weight. It's important to eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and manage stress. Remember that rock-hard abs aren't necessary and healthy body types come in many shapes and sizes.
If you have been exercising and still have belly fat, you could be doing the wrong style training, your stress levels may be too high, or you may have an endocrine disorder like polycystic ovary syndrome. If you are still confused why you can't lose that stubborn belly fat, keep reading.
We tend to lose muscle mass, so our abdominal muscles aren't as tight as they once were, and the loss of elastin and collagen in our skin allows gravity to have its way so skin starts to sag. Both can cause the waistline to expand.
First, what is skinny fat? “Skinny fat” simply describes a state in which someone has too little muscle mass and too much body fat. People who are skinny fat often look normal or even skinny when wearing clothes, but look soft, weak, and flabby underneath.
This most likely has to do with body dysmorphia, which causes you to see a different, unrealistic version of yourself. It may have to do with past weight issues (weight loss/gain) or an eating disorder. There are other causes as well, such as criticism about appearance from others and harsh comments about how you look.
To have your best chance at maintaining good health, you should aim for: Men should have a waist circumference of 40 inches or less. Women should have a waist circumference of 35 inches or less.
Normal weight range is 18.5 to 24.9; 25–29.9 is considered overweight, and 30 and above is considered obese. Waist circumference (WC) was considered normal if it was less than or equal to 88 centimeters, or 34.6 inches, and high if it was greater than that.
How much visceral fat is normal? The normal visceral fat range should be about 10% of your body fat.
You're Into the Wrong Foods
Unhealthy eating is the biggest driver of big bellies. Too many starchy carbohydrates and bad fats are a recipe for that midsection to expand. Instead, get plenty of veggies, choose lean proteins, and stay away from fats from red meats.
The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).
Fat cells in the stomach area have a higher amount of alpha receptors, which makes them more stubborn to get rid of. This is why when you start a fat loss program, you see results in the face, arms and chest before you lose the belly fat.
Myth or Fact: Thin people have naturally smaller stomachs than people who are heavy. Answer: Myth. While it may seem hard to believe, the size of the stomach does not correlate with weight or weight control.
The majority of those that model starve themselves or are on a very strict eating diet with extreme exercises to keep their metabolism high so that they do maintain a flat stomach.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to <25, it falls within the healthy weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range.
Women have extra padding to protect vital organs
“The design of a woman's anatomy is different than men,” Wood says. “In addition to having room for digestive organs, like your stomach, liver and intestines, it has to have space for your reproductive organs and needs extra padding to protect all of these vital organs.
Simply walking more often can help you lose weight and belly fat, as well as provide other excellent health benefits, including a decreased risk of disease and improved mood. In fact, walking just one mile burns about 100 calories.
Almost everyone has some kind of nice looking ab muscles. It's just that most people's are hidden beneath layers of fat. If your stomach isn't flat, it might be because you have too many layers of fat on top.