By Ute Goldkuhle, DrPH
Nothing is more frustrating than giving it an all-out effort to get rid of that belly fat. But it wouldn't budge. It sneaked up on you silently and steadily, ounce by ounce, especially since post menopause as we get older. All promising diets and exercise programs may have worked for some women but not for you and so many others. You tried them all. The bulge around your belly just wouldn't melt. And, you even may have a normal or below normal weight and still can have fat bulging around your stomach out of proportion.
"Can I ever lose that belly fat?" you ask. Yes you can! But not with a quick-fix slim down program. I have been there. Losing belly fat is a process. It requires knowing your body, how it responds, patience and a mindset shift from a focus on losing weight to a healthy lifestyle adjustment true to you.
Unlike most discussions on controlling belly fat, let's look at why it is so difficult to lose that bulge around the stomach, even though you are burning calories. Being aware of three key mistakes women make is the first step to turn your attention to your own body. You will become more tuned to what is going on, learn why you respond to certain foods, activity, and stresses, and find a healthy life style unique to you.
Mistake #1: Women attack losing belly fat with a mindset of losing weight and ignoring the health issues related to belly fat.
Out of desperation, women so readily fall into a diet trap and succumb to extreme food and exercise binges. We so desperately want to look youthful and have our figure back from younger years. The whole weight loss marketing industry knows how to skillfully hit women's psychological and emotional sensor buttons with false weight loss promises.
Yes, some women will be successful and get their desired figure back. But many more do not stay there, get sick during the process, or are overcome with cravings we do not read or hear about. Instead, they land at the doctor's office trying to figure out what is wrong.
What to do instead:
Stay away from the diet trap.
Shift your focus to better understand what is "happening" to your body instead of what is "wrong" with your body.
Become informed what is happening to your maturing body, effects of hormones, life style, aging, stress in your life, and lack of sleep.
Listen to your body how it responds and not how it should respond.
Women know about the major hormonal shifts and changes in metabolism that cause weight gain after menopause but are dismayed how stubbornly the ounces can hold onto the belly.
Simply explained, we are unique individuals - as chemically complex inside as physically from the outside. Identifying what causes belly fat is complex and depends on a multitude of factors that likely differ with each individual.
In women, the major hormones involved are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin and cortisol. Though each have a specific role in body metabolism, they never work in isolation. It is the balanced interplay of hormones that contributes to a healthy metabolism.
To illustrate the complex hormone interactions that play a role in fat storage, let's focus on estrogen. Estrogen has a significant effect on insulin to hinder excess calorie store as belly fat. Also, together with progesterone, estrogen opposes actions of cortisol - the hormone associated with stress - to store fat in the belly.
You can already appreciate that any hormonal imbalance, whether excess or not enough, impacts our calorie or fat storage. When the estrogen level is low and a cortisol release stimulated by stress interacts with insulin in an erratic way, it is bad news for developing that stubborn belly fat. If in addition the body is not given a chance to heal and restore a hormone balance, inflammation sets in to further aggravate belly fat.
Mistake #2: Women attack losing belly fat by eating for weight loss and not for fat loss.
Once you begin to understand how your body functions, you appreciate that eating for weight loss or eating for fat loss is not the same. Focusing on burning calories only, you may lose weight but not the belly fat. Processed food, refined sugars and grains, quick energy bars or diet drinks - though low in calories - irritate insulin and cause havoc with belly fat, feeding into an inflammatory process.
There is much discussion on eating low-fat to fat-free. Know that our body needs fat but not the saturated bad one.
What to do instead: Eat for fat loss and not for weight loss.
Evaluate the food you eat and amount. Fresh natural fruits and vegetables that are filled with antioxidants have anti-inflammatory benefits to heal from belly fat. Stay away from enriched carbohydrates.
Evaluate your daily fat consumption and types of fat. A healthy body needs between 20 and 35 percent of your total daily calories from fat. And, of course, that means to choose heart-healthy, unsaturated fats like foods with healthier vegetable oils, fish oil, flax seed, avocados, nuts or seeds that have many benefits, including anti-inflammatory.
Mistake #3: Women attack losing belly fat by intensifying exercise while ignoring rest and managing stress.
Exercise can aid your body and balance your metabolism, or it can stress your system. Beefing up a daily cardio exercise by running or on the treadmill alone is excellent for strengthening your heart but may not necessarily reduce your waist line. Add to that a life filled with stressful events; e.g. caring for an ailing spouse or parents, losses, a stressful job, etc., you may hurt your healing process and not reduce your belly bulge.
What to do instead:
Select a unique mix of an exercise program that fits you. Adjust the frequency and intensity that is right for you and will balance your body functions and life style. For instance, a high intensity workout may not feel right for you whereas walking does. Walking, preferably in a calming natural setting, lowers the cortisol level (stress hormone).For optimal healthy fat burning, experts agree to combine high-intensity exercise that includes some weight lifting with interval leisure activity like walking. You will know when it feels right for you. You will begin to feel stronger, more refreshed and balanced; and you will notice your waist slowly shrinking.
Evaluate your sleep. An adequate 7 to 8 hours restful sleep is vital to rest your nervous system, to allow the body to readjust and do its work in a more balanced way, and to let it heal from the day's turmoil.
Assess how you are managing your stress. Are you allowing some restorative time to reflect, enjoy, and socialize; e.g., a leisure walk in the park, yoga, time with pets, etc.? You know what your needs are and what feels good to you.
Conclusion
Losing your belly fat may not be achieved with a specific diet or exercise program but a lifestyle adjustment that works for you, that fits your metabolism, your personality and sensitivity to stress. What works for one may not work for you. Understanding better why you struggle with belly fat is the first step to actively become tuned to your own body. Listen closely how it functions and responds to your lifestyle so you can adjust to get your health back you so wish.
Here is an outstanding resource I recommend to give you a comprehensive, in-depth understanding on managing your belly fat: "Female Belly Fat: Stress, Menopause & Other Causes" by Jade Teta http://www.metaboliceffect.com/female-belly-fat
To find some inspirations on living a healthy aging lifestyle and grandmother life regardless of health limitations, to seek enjoyment, to get encouragement when life gets rough and pulls you down visit us at http://FunFitandHealthyGrandma.com
I am committed to inform, assist and support women to live a healthy aging life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ute_Goldkuhle,_DrPH
Nothing is more frustrating than giving it an all-out effort to get rid of that belly fat. But it wouldn't budge. It sneaked up on you silently and steadily, ounce by ounce, especially since post menopause as we get older. All promising diets and exercise programs may have worked for some women but not for you and so many others. You tried them all. The bulge around your belly just wouldn't melt. And, you even may have a normal or below normal weight and still can have fat bulging around your stomach out of proportion.
"Can I ever lose that belly fat?" you ask. Yes you can! But not with a quick-fix slim down program. I have been there. Losing belly fat is a process. It requires knowing your body, how it responds, patience and a mindset shift from a focus on losing weight to a healthy lifestyle adjustment true to you.
Unlike most discussions on controlling belly fat, let's look at why it is so difficult to lose that bulge around the stomach, even though you are burning calories. Being aware of three key mistakes women make is the first step to turn your attention to your own body. You will become more tuned to what is going on, learn why you respond to certain foods, activity, and stresses, and find a healthy life style unique to you.
Mistake #1: Women attack losing belly fat with a mindset of losing weight and ignoring the health issues related to belly fat.
Out of desperation, women so readily fall into a diet trap and succumb to extreme food and exercise binges. We so desperately want to look youthful and have our figure back from younger years. The whole weight loss marketing industry knows how to skillfully hit women's psychological and emotional sensor buttons with false weight loss promises.
Yes, some women will be successful and get their desired figure back. But many more do not stay there, get sick during the process, or are overcome with cravings we do not read or hear about. Instead, they land at the doctor's office trying to figure out what is wrong.
What to do instead:
Stay away from the diet trap.
Shift your focus to better understand what is "happening" to your body instead of what is "wrong" with your body.
Become informed what is happening to your maturing body, effects of hormones, life style, aging, stress in your life, and lack of sleep.
Listen to your body how it responds and not how it should respond.
Women know about the major hormonal shifts and changes in metabolism that cause weight gain after menopause but are dismayed how stubbornly the ounces can hold onto the belly.
Simply explained, we are unique individuals - as chemically complex inside as physically from the outside. Identifying what causes belly fat is complex and depends on a multitude of factors that likely differ with each individual.
In women, the major hormones involved are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin and cortisol. Though each have a specific role in body metabolism, they never work in isolation. It is the balanced interplay of hormones that contributes to a healthy metabolism.
To illustrate the complex hormone interactions that play a role in fat storage, let's focus on estrogen. Estrogen has a significant effect on insulin to hinder excess calorie store as belly fat. Also, together with progesterone, estrogen opposes actions of cortisol - the hormone associated with stress - to store fat in the belly.
You can already appreciate that any hormonal imbalance, whether excess or not enough, impacts our calorie or fat storage. When the estrogen level is low and a cortisol release stimulated by stress interacts with insulin in an erratic way, it is bad news for developing that stubborn belly fat. If in addition the body is not given a chance to heal and restore a hormone balance, inflammation sets in to further aggravate belly fat.
Mistake #2: Women attack losing belly fat by eating for weight loss and not for fat loss.
Once you begin to understand how your body functions, you appreciate that eating for weight loss or eating for fat loss is not the same. Focusing on burning calories only, you may lose weight but not the belly fat. Processed food, refined sugars and grains, quick energy bars or diet drinks - though low in calories - irritate insulin and cause havoc with belly fat, feeding into an inflammatory process.
There is much discussion on eating low-fat to fat-free. Know that our body needs fat but not the saturated bad one.
What to do instead: Eat for fat loss and not for weight loss.
Evaluate the food you eat and amount. Fresh natural fruits and vegetables that are filled with antioxidants have anti-inflammatory benefits to heal from belly fat. Stay away from enriched carbohydrates.
Evaluate your daily fat consumption and types of fat. A healthy body needs between 20 and 35 percent of your total daily calories from fat. And, of course, that means to choose heart-healthy, unsaturated fats like foods with healthier vegetable oils, fish oil, flax seed, avocados, nuts or seeds that have many benefits, including anti-inflammatory.
Mistake #3: Women attack losing belly fat by intensifying exercise while ignoring rest and managing stress.
Exercise can aid your body and balance your metabolism, or it can stress your system. Beefing up a daily cardio exercise by running or on the treadmill alone is excellent for strengthening your heart but may not necessarily reduce your waist line. Add to that a life filled with stressful events; e.g. caring for an ailing spouse or parents, losses, a stressful job, etc., you may hurt your healing process and not reduce your belly bulge.
What to do instead:
Select a unique mix of an exercise program that fits you. Adjust the frequency and intensity that is right for you and will balance your body functions and life style. For instance, a high intensity workout may not feel right for you whereas walking does. Walking, preferably in a calming natural setting, lowers the cortisol level (stress hormone).For optimal healthy fat burning, experts agree to combine high-intensity exercise that includes some weight lifting with interval leisure activity like walking. You will know when it feels right for you. You will begin to feel stronger, more refreshed and balanced; and you will notice your waist slowly shrinking.
Evaluate your sleep. An adequate 7 to 8 hours restful sleep is vital to rest your nervous system, to allow the body to readjust and do its work in a more balanced way, and to let it heal from the day's turmoil.
Assess how you are managing your stress. Are you allowing some restorative time to reflect, enjoy, and socialize; e.g., a leisure walk in the park, yoga, time with pets, etc.? You know what your needs are and what feels good to you.
Conclusion
Losing your belly fat may not be achieved with a specific diet or exercise program but a lifestyle adjustment that works for you, that fits your metabolism, your personality and sensitivity to stress. What works for one may not work for you. Understanding better why you struggle with belly fat is the first step to actively become tuned to your own body. Listen closely how it functions and responds to your lifestyle so you can adjust to get your health back you so wish.
Here is an outstanding resource I recommend to give you a comprehensive, in-depth understanding on managing your belly fat: "Female Belly Fat: Stress, Menopause & Other Causes" by Jade Teta http://www.metaboliceffect.com/female-belly-fat
To find some inspirations on living a healthy aging lifestyle and grandmother life regardless of health limitations, to seek enjoyment, to get encouragement when life gets rough and pulls you down visit us at http://FunFitandHealthyGrandma.com
I am committed to inform, assist and support women to live a healthy aging life.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ute_Goldkuhle,_DrPH
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