Belly Fat In Men – How Is It Different And Why It Matters

What Is Belly Fat?

Belly fat, also known as Visceral or Abdominal fat, is the excessive abdominal fat accumulated beneath the muscles in your stomach and poses many serious dangers, for both men and women.

Why Is Belly Fat Harmful?

Belly fat, can affect your organs through excessive production of hormones and chemicals. It has been linked to diseases of the heart including high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, in both genders.

Why Is It Different For Men?

Because men need minimum levels of testosterone for healthy fat distribution and visceral fat can interfere with testosterone production. This adds to low energy levels and muscle strength, apart from other serious complications. This type of fat is also associated with a rise in the female hormone estradiol in men.

Do You Have Excessive Belly Fat?

The best way to know is and MRI but the easiest way is to measure yourself with a tape. Wrap it around your bare stomach right above your hip bone. For women, 35 inches or more indicates an unhealthy amount of fat, whereas, for men, 40 inches or more is a problem.

Can You Drop Belly Fat?

Easily yet not so easy. Belly fat can come down with some discipline in diet and exercise - eat healthy and exercise regularly. But if you have reached a level where you are battling with belly fat, it might not be so easy to make this shift to your lifestyle. Here are 6 simple tips that can help you get started > >

Tip 1: Eat Less But Eat Only Healthy

You can’t outdo a bad diet with exercise. To lose belly fat, you need to switch to a healthy diet and consume lesser calories than you burn. Consult a dietician for a customised diet plan to help you.

Tip 2: Exercise Short, Exercise Smart

Burning belly fat doesn’t mean exercising for long hours and starving yourself. Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) involves high-intensity training routines at intervals, followed by short rest intervals. These short bursts work better at burning calories than long, rigorous workouts.

Tip 3: Discipline Yourself To Drink Water

Water plays a huge role in reducing belly fat. Drink up around 3 litres or more of water every day. This will also ensure smoother working of other bodily functions, including circulating nutrients.

Tip 4: Rechart Habits And Schedule

Your day needs to be rescheduled and your go-to habits realigned to achieve your health goals. If it means no more pizza for a working lunch or goodbye to 2 hours of television, so be it.

Tip 5: Always Carry Your List Of 'No's

You might need to do this for the few weeks but make a list of everything you should not do and keep a copy with you everywhere - at home, work, car, on your phone. So No Smoking, No Junk Food, No sugary food or drinks and so on.

Tip 6: Track Your Progress

Measure, Calculate, Track, Photograph - these 4 simple steps will help you understand the progress of your journey. Stay on top of your plan by tracking your dietary intake, physical activity and quality of sleep.

Belly Fat Is Not Hard To Fight

Unlike other serious dangers to your health, this is one that is reversible and under your control. Take charge of your diet, physical activity and sleep quality - that i it. One step at a time, can take you a long way into staying fit and healthy.

Medanta Medical Team