Getting rid of your belly bulge
is important for more than just vanity’s sake. Excess abdominal
fat—particularly visceral fat, the kind that surrounds your organs and
puffs your stomach into a “beer gut”—is a predictor of heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and some cancers. If diet
and exercise haven’t done much to reduce your pooch, then your hormones,
your age, and other genetic factors may be the reason why. Read on for 10 possible reasons why your belly fat won’t budge.
1. You’re getting older
As you get older, your body
changes how it gains and loses weight. Both men and women experience a
declining metabolic rate, or the number of calories the body needs to
function normally. On top of that, women have to deal with menopause.
“If women gain weight after menopause, it’s more likely to be in their
bellies,” says Michael Jensen, MD, professor of medicine in the Mayo
Clinic’s endocrinology division. In menopause, production of the
hormones estrogen and progesterone slows down. Meanwhile, testosterone
levels also start to drop, but at a slower rate. This shift in hormones
causes women to hold onto weight in their bellies. The good news: you
can fight this process. Read on.
2. You’re doing the wrong workout
A daily run or Spin class is
great for your heart, but cardio workouts alone won’t do much for your
waist. “You need to do a combination of weights and cardiovascular
training,” says Sangeeta Kashyap, MD, an endocrinologist at Cleveland
Clinic.Strength training increases muscle mass, which sets your body up
to burn more fat. “Muscle burns more calories than fat, and therefore
you naturally burn more calories throughout the day by having more
muscle,” says Kate Patton, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic.
Patton recommends 250 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 125
minutes of high-intensity exercise a week.
3. You’re eating too many processed foods
“Refined grains like white
bread, crackers, and chips, as well as refined sugars in sweetened
drinks and desserts increase inflammation in our bodies,” says
Patton. “Belly fat is associated with inflammation, so eating too many
processed foods will hinder your ability to lose belly fat.” Natural
foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are full of
antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory properties and may therefore
actually prevent belly fat, Patton says.
4. You’re eating the wrong fats
The body doesn’t react to all
fats in the same way. Research correlates high intake of saturated fat
(the kind in meat and dairy) to increased visceral fat, says Patton. On
the other hand, monounsaturated fats (the kind in olive oil and
avocados) and specific types of polyunsaturated fats (mainly omega-3s,
found in walnuts, sunflower seeds, and fatty fish like salmon)
have anti-inflammatory effects in the body, and if eaten in proper
portions may do your body good. But Patton warns that eating too much
fat of any kind increases your calorie intake and could lead to weight
gain, so enjoy healthy fats in moderation.
5. Your workout isn’t challenging enough
To banish stubborn belly fat, you have to ramp up your workouts. In a study published in the journalMedicine and Science in Sports and Exercise,
people who completed a high-intensity workout regimen lost more belly
fat than those who followed a low-intensity plan. (In fact, the
low-intensity exercises experienced no significant changes at all.) “You
need to exercise at full intensity because the end goal is to burn more
calories, and high intensity exercise does just that,” says Natalie
Jill, a San Diego, Calif.-based certified personal trainer. High
intensity workouts mean you’re going all out for as long as you can. If
this sounds intimidating, think of it this way: you’ll burn more
calories in less time.
6. You’re doing the wrong exercises
Doing crunches until the cows
come home? Stop it! When you’re down to your final inches of belly fat,
the dreaded crunch won’t be the exercise that finally reveals your
six-pack. “You can’t spot reduce,” Jill says. Instead, she suggests
doing functional exercises that use the muscles in your core—abdominals,
back, pelvic, obliques—as well as other body parts. “These exercises
use more muscles, so there is a higher rate of calorie burn while you
are doing them,” she says. Planks are her favorite functional
exercise—they activate not just your core muscles but also your arm,
leg, and butt muscles.
7. You’re stressed
8. You’re skimping on sleep
If you’re among the 30% of
Americans who sleep less than six hours a night, here’s one simple way
to whittle your waistline: catch more Zs. A 16-year study of almost
70,000 women found that those who slept five hours or less a night were
30% more likely to gain 30 or more pounds than those who slept 7 hours.
The National Institutes of Health suggest adults sleep seven to eight
hours a night.
9. You’re sick
10. You’re unmotivated
