You know that extra padding you hate on your hips and buttocks area? You may not like the way it looks, but it’s not necessarily bad for you. The fat surrounding your stomach area, however, is a different story – not only is it bad, it can be deadly.
Good Fat
Let’s start with the “good” fat, the fatty layer just beneath your skin on your arms, hips, buttocks and legs. It’s called subcutaneous fat, and it’s not necessarily the worst thing to have. Subcutaneous fat gives rise to two beneficial metabolic hormones: leptin, a hormone that tells your body to hang on to or let go of weight; and adiponectin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar. A Harvard study found that subcutaneous fat might help improve sensitivity to insulin and prevent diabetes.
Bad Fat
Fat in the stomach area, on the other hand, is bad news. Known as visceral fat, it is hidden deep down, so even those who don’t have a protruding belly could still harbor this “bad” kind of fat. Visceral fat lies far beneath the skin, where it surrounds the organs and sets off a harmful hormonal firestorm. Having this type of fat slows the metabolism, lowers growth hormones, raises cortisol, creates insulin resistance and increases your risk of all kinds of diseases including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and fatty-liver disease.
In fact, the liver metabolizes this visceral fat and releases it as bad cholesterol into the blood system. This type of cholesterol builds up into plaque that blocks the blood vessels.
Losing the Fat
Visceral fat increases when one is overweight. So how can you lose it? Diet and exercise!
Exercise
Aerobic activities such as biking, swimming and walking are all beneficial. Walking is one of the better ways of controlling visceral fat. It seems to be more effective than some other types of exercise such as swimming. Walking at a fairly fast pace for 30 minutes, six days a week, has been shown to successfully reduce visceral fat. Walking only three days a week does not produce the same results. On the other hand, no exercise at all has been shown to increase the amount of visceral fat in our bodies. When walking, the exertion level (how hard it is) should be light to somewhat hard with the ability to talk without gasping for air.
There is no such thing as “spot reduction.” You can’t perform stomach exercises to get rid of stomach fat. So, ease up on the crunches. Doing hundreds of crunches a night is NOT going to reduce visceral fat and flatten the belly bulge. Of course, including some sit-ups in a workout routine will help strengthen and tone core muscles.
Diet
Changing one’s diet may also help decrease visceral fat. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that replacing refined grains with whole grains led to a greater amount of visceral fat loss.
Consuming refined foods like white bread triggers a series of events, starting with elevated blood sugar levels followed by an increased insulin response, which can cause fat to be deposited more readily. Eating a diet rich in whole grains (which are also higher in fiber) helps improve insulin sensitivity. This in turn helps the body more efficiently use blood glucose, lowers blood glucose levels and reduces fat deposition. Study participants also included fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean meat, fish or poultry in their diet.
When Diet and Exercise Are Not Enough
Weight loss is often one of the best solutions to weight-related health conditions. As you learn to manage a balanced diet and implement an exercise regimen, you should begin to lose unwanted weight. Losing weight is beneficial for almost all health-related problems. If these lifestyle changes don’t help, then bariatric surgery might be the answer for you.
Considering Weight Loss Surgery?
If you are considering weight loss surgery, FMC’s Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Center invites you to attend a free information session. Sessions are from 6 to 7 p.m., the second Tuesday of each month at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 1175 W. Route 66 in Flagstaff. Sessions include a presentation on the causes and health complications of obesity, as well as the different types of bariatric surgeries. To register, call 928-214-3737. To learn more about FMC’s Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Center, visit FMCBariatrics.com. QCBN
By Gigi Sorenson, R.N., M.S.N.
Gigi Sorenson, R.N., M.S.N., is the director of Flagstaff Medical Center’s Bariatric Surgical Weight Loss Center.
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