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Monday 23 November 2015

How to Get Rid of That Unsightly Beer Belly.


Beer belly, pot belly, beer gut -all mean the same. This is usually signified by accumulation of fat
around the abdominal region. Subcutaneous and visceral fats are the two types of fats that are deposited around the abdomen. Subcutaneous fat is usually deposited just under the skin while visceral or omental fat is the one deposited around the organs in the abdomen.

Pot belly is regarded as a status symbol in some societies but in reality, it is a sign of bad health, overindulgence in bad foods and a poor fitness regime.

Drinking beer contributes greatly to developing a pot belly for the following reasons;
  1. When beer is consumed, the liver focuses on burning the alcohol in order to detoxify the body instead of burning fat.
  2. Beer contains an average of 150 calories/350 ml of beer with almost no other nutritional values or benefits. Nigerian beer bottles usually come in 600ml bottles, so that is roughly 260 calories per bottle. Drinking several bottles per outing means consuming a lot of calories.
  3. Drinking beer makes the drinkers crave for foods that are high in in calories. Drinking beer is usually accompanied by eating snacks like chips, pepper soup, fried meat and chicken, pizza etc.

Having visceral or omental fats has a lot of negative implications on health  because it increases the
risk of so many diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

So, how do you get rid of visceral fat?  Though there is usually no fast track to losing fat, but you can do it with the following;
  1. Reduce your consumption of beer.
  2. Drink those with low alcoholic content, so that you can cut down on calories.
  3. Make dietary changes by eating healthier fats and carbohydrates in moderation.
  4.  Eat more foods with high fiber content.
  5. Cut out trans fats, foods with added sugars and refined grains out of your diet.
  6. A good fitness regime is very important to good health. Regular exercise comprising of aerobics and strength training helps to make belly fat disappear and make you healthier too. Doing exercises like crunches and sit-ups alone will only make your abdominal muscles stronger.

If you are thinking your big belly is a sign of how well you are enjoying life, you are so wrong. Although beer belly is seen more frequently in men, ladies have it too for these same reasons. Apart from beer and alcohol, some other beverages, overindulgence, poor nutrition and poor fitness are causes of belly fat.

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