If you have excess waistline fat, you first need to understand the cause before you have a chance to reduce it.
Here are the five most common culprits of waistline fat.
Cause: Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance prevents your cells from reacting properly to insulin. This, in turn, leads to more blood sugar and fat, especially in your belly.
What to Do About It: Exercise and switch to a diet that lowers blood sugar by incorporating veggies, fruits, and whole grains.
Cause: Excessive Alcohol Intake
Drinking too much alcohol slows down your metabolism and increases the number of empty calories in your body. As a result, excess drinking almost always increases fatty cells, especially in your midsection.
What to Do About It: Minimize alcohol intake to one to two drinks.
Cause: Gender
Men often have more fat in the abdomen, while women struggle with fat in the hips and thighs.
What to Do About It: Exercise and eat less sugar and fat, regardless of your gender. However, make sure your fat levels aren’t too low if you’re a woman since this can disrupt your menstrual cycles and estrogen.
Cause: Genetics
In some cases, the high amount of fat in your waistline can be attributed to genetics. You may have been born with a large number of so-called alpha receptors in your cells, which hinder abdominal fat loss.
What to Do About It: Eat more fiber, protein, and hit the gym.
Cause: Prioritizing Spot Fat Reduction
Contrary to popular belief, you can’t burn belly fat by targeting the area with specific exercises, like crunches.
What to Do About It: Rely on strength training and cardiovascular exercise. Also, balance your diet.
Eat Less, Exercise More
Lowering calorie intake and exercising are the go-to methods for losing waistline fat, regardless of the cause. Yes, you need to be extra persistent if genetics are in the way, but you’ll get there eventually.
