Dec 13, 2010 Michelle Gaut
Avoid sugary foods to lose a fat waist. - M. Gaut
Fat around the abdominal area will not only make your pants fit tighter around the waist, but is unhealthy to boot. If you have a large waist, chances are you are carrying visceral fat, a type of fat that surrounds abdominal organs and that has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Getting rid of visceral fat will not only decrease your waistline, but will lower your risk for these diseases as well.
Stress and a Fat Waist
Stress can cause a buildup of visceral fat, even in people who are otherwise thin. When you're stressed out, your body releases cortisol, a stress hormone. This hormone causes your body to store abdominal fat. If you notice an increase in your waist size, stress could be the culprit. Develop strategies to reduce the stress in your life and you may see your waist decrease along with it. Try mediating, diaphragmatic breathing and relaxing hobbies to put the stress in your life out of business.
Lose Weight to Reduce Your Waist
A sure way to decrease your waist size is to lose weight. While you can't target a particular area of your body when you diet, the overall weight loss will ensure you see a reduction in your waist size. Burn an extra 500 calories through exercise, and you will have burned 3,500 calories -- the amount it takes to lose a pound. Decrease your caloric intake by 500 calories at the same time, and you'll lose about 2 lbs. a week. Over time, you'll see the pounds peel off your waistline as well as the rest of your body.
Fructose and Waist Size
According to the Harvard Medical School, foods and drinks that are sweetened with fructose can increase your waist size. Trans fats also tend to increase the amount of waist-destroying visceral fat. Eliminate these foods from your diet entirely. Eat a healthy diet that lets you maintain a healthy weight and add in calcium, as it discourages visceral fat from accumulating.
MUFAs and Waist Size
MUFA is the acronym for "monounsaturated fatty acids." Propenents of the Flat Belly Diet suggest that adding MUFAs to your diet can help you lose waist fat. However, according to MayoClinic.com, there are no high quality studies that prove MUFAs reduce weight. Nevertheless, people who eat a healthy diet with MUFAs often lose weight if calories are kept under control. It is easy to add foods with MUFAs to your diet -- just eat them in moderation, since as the name implies, they are high in fat. Delicious foods that contain MUFAs include avocados, nuts, olives and even dark chocolate. Who knows -- next week's research may show that MUFAs are the definitive solution to excess waist fat.
Step up the amount of exercise you get and you'll see a decrease in your stress levels along with a decrease in your waist. Add the healthy foods and you'll reap benefits far beyond a smaller waist.
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