The male beer belly can truly be a sight to behold.
Abdominal obesity, also known as central obesity, truncal obesity, beer belly, beer gut, spare tire, keg, spare tire, love handles, big-boned, bowl full of jelly, is defined by an excessive abdominal fat around the stomach and abdomen.
Basically, drinking beer alone doesn’t cause you this condition and alcohol either doesn’t help the cause. So why do you seem to get plumper as you age and develop beer belly?
Read on as we will discuss more about its risks, causes and how to get rid of it.
Health Risks of Having Beer Belly
The problem with belly fat is it’s not only limited to the extra layer of padding located just below the skin or subcutaneous fat but it also includes visceral fat surrounding your internal organs.
Regardless of your overall weight, having a large amount of belly fat predisposes you to developing certain health problems such as:
- Asthma
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Cardiovascular disease
- Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
- Colorectal cancer
- Sleep apnea
- Premature death from any cause
- High blood pressure
Possible Reasons of Having Beer Belly
1. A buildup of hard fat
It’s the first reason why you have a beer belly in the first place, a significant accumulation of hard visceral fat surrounding the organs located in your abdominal cavity. As a result of this buildup, it pushes your abdominal wall outwards, which gives the appearance of having a plump belly.
2. Genetic predisposition
It is also may be due to genetics. Your genes can contribute to your chances of being overweight or obese, as well as play a role in where you store fat. According to a 2014 study, researches identified three genes that are related to waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), a measure that indicates how much belly fat you have.
3. Age
Getting older plays a huge role too. As you age, your metabolism slows down and you lose muscle, especially if you’re not physically active. Loss of muscle mass slows down the body’s ability to burn calories thereby gaining more weight.
According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, men in their 50’s need about 200 fewer calories daily than they do in their 30’s due to this muscle loss.
On the other hand, women’s body composition changes when they hit menopause. As a result, fat deposits shift from the butt and the thighs to more of the central region of the body.
4. Gender
Men and women tend to store fat deposits in different ways. In men, fat deposits are more pronounced because all the weight is going into their gut, and not on the other parts of their body. While in women, they typically store extra weight in their butt and thighs that’s why you see more “beer bellied” men than women.
5. Sedentary lifestyle
A sedentary lifestyle or barely exercising is linked to developing higher amounts of visceral fat deposits. There are numerous ways to modify this lifestyle by getting up and walking around several times during the day.
6. Unhealthy diet
According to a study implemented by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found evidence that people who ate more refined grains (such as white bread, white rice, muffins, bagels, pancakes and some sort) had more visceral fat. In contrast, people who ate whole grains (such as brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, and grains like kasha and bulgur) had less visceral fat.
The more you eat sugar and refined carbohydrates, the more likely you will become plumper. Therefore, consume more of the latter to save you from having a beer belly!
Getting Rid of Your Hard Beer Belly
- Eat a healthy diet focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein such as fish and low-fat dairy products;
- Consume moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in fish, nuts and certain vegetable oils;
- Limit saturated fat, found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter;
- Limit consumption of processed meats;
- Avoid sugary, processed and starchy foods;
- Avoid drinking too much beer as it contains calories that can interfere with fat burn, because your liver will preferentially burn alcohol instead of fat when it is consumed. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation;
- Drink water or beverages with artificial sweetener instead of the sugary ones;
- Reduce meal portions;
- Exercise and lose weight so that the body creates a massive metabolic shift promoting fat burning and muscle building hormones; and,
- Prevent weight gain by performing a moderate aerobic activity such as running for at least 75 minutes a week.
Conclusion
This means that a decent diet and exercise should get rid of having a beer belly at a reasonable pace. You can tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other targeted abdominal exercises, but just doing these exercises won’t get rid of belly fat.
Truly, it takes a lot of effort and patience. To lose excess fat and keep it from coming back, aim for slow and steady weight loss. Consult your doctor for help getting started and staying on track.
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