Belly fat is a top concern among men, even more so than women. You may be surprised to find out that the most important thing you can do to eliminate a big belly is to improve the health of your liver.
If you have excess fat, then you may very likely have a fatty liver. Your liver is your fat-burning organ. If it is dealing with fat and toxins, it can’t perform its fat-burning duties.
As you begin losing belly fat your liver health will improve and as it improves so will your metabolism! The result is easier, more permanent weight loss for you!
Is belly fat inherited? Your genes can affect your chances of being overweight or obese, as well as where you carry extra fat on your body. For most men, however, the problem likely has more to do with lifestyle than inherited traits.
Can you really get a beer belly from drinking? Yes. Drinking excess alcohol can cause you to gain belly fat. However, beer alone isn’t to blame. Drinking too much alcohol of any kind can increase belly fat.
Do spot reducing exercises, like sit ups, work? No. Sit-ups, crunches and other abdominal exercises are great for building the abdominal muscles, but have little effect, if any, on the actual belly fat located there.
Is you’re mid-section placing you at higher risk of heart disease? For most men, the risk factors for heart disease and other diseases increase with a waist size greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters). For women, it’s 35 inches (88.9 centimeters).
People with belly fat are at greater risk of serious health problems than people who accumulate fat in other areas, including an increased risk of dementia. Having a large amount of belly fat also increases your risk of:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Some types of cancer
- Type 2 diabetes
- Insulin resistance
- High triglycerides
- Low levels of HDL, or good, cholesterol
- Metabolic syndrome
- Sleep apnea
- Inflammation, which is linked to hardening of the arteries
Begin incorporating the following guidelines into you daily lifestyle and start losing that belly fat!
- Consume plenty of pure water throughout the day. Dehydration slows the rate of fat burning. First thing each morning add the fresh lemon juice to your water to give your liver a boost. Have another glass of lemon water each evening.
- Don’t eat unless you are hungry. The extra food you consume will always be stored as FAT. Overeating also makes you tired, therefore you’re not as active.
- Cleanse your liver. I’m not speaking of liver cleansing kits. You can cleanse your liver by following a liver cleansing diet and then continuing with a few healthy lifestyle changes.
- Fast one day each week. If you don’t have any serious health issues, a great way to keep that liver cleansed and running smoothly is a fresh juice fast one day each week. Choose a day and each week on that day consume only fresh fruit and vegetable juices. If you don’t have access to a juicer, you can choose to consume only raw fruits and vegetables that day.
- Choose soups, stir-frys, and salads. These are great choices for your lunches and dinners. Most soups, stir-frys, and salads will be predominantly vegetables with some meat and some occasional pasta or brown rice.
- Include plenty of healthy fiber in your diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables should dominate your diet with a few whole grains, on the side.
- Eat fish, poultry, and lean meats. Avoid processed meats! Processed meats include hot dogs, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, bologna, corned beef, Spam, and more. These meats are high in sodium, nitrates, nitrites, colorings, flavorings, sweeteners, hydrogenated oils and FAT! Salmon, chicken, turkey, and lean cuts of steak are all excellent choices. Eggs are also a great source of high quality protein.
- Eliminate sodas and reduce the consumption of sugary foods. Just eliminating sodas will make an unbelievable difference in your fat loss, and reducing your sugar intake will go a long way toward reversing liver damage and getting rid of that belly fat.
- Eliminate trans fats from your life. Trans fats are a serious health problem. Also known as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, they could be destroying your health and the health of your family.
- Regular physical activity is mandatory. No matter what those diet pill commercials say; if you want to get rid of that belly fat you must include regular, daily physical activity into your lifestyle.
- Consume high-quality supplements. There are three supplements that may benefit you while making these lifestyle changes. These include a high quality multivitamin; a pure, quality fish oil supplement; and milk thistle.
- Get sufficient sleep. Sleep is very important. Inadequate sleep means excess secretion of cortisol, the stress hormone, and that leads to insulin resistance, belly fat accumulation, and systemic inflammation.
- No more late night snacks and stop comfort eating. Try not to consume late night snacks. Late night snacking is often emotional eating and not eating to nourish. If you truly feel hungry try drinking a glass of water with fresh lemon juice, or a banana can be a good late night snack.
Don’t try to implement all of these changes at the same time. I would recommend starting some form of exercise right away and then go from there.
Dewanna Abshure is a Certified Nutritional Consultant, and the “Guru” at the [http://www.liverguru.com] website. She is passionate about helping children and adults live a healthy, high energy lifestyle through improving and maintaining one important part of their body…their liver.
Trying to eliminate belly fat can be a challenge. This information is intended to encourage men to make the lifestyle changes necessary to get rid of that dangerous fat around their middle once and for all. For more details on a liver cleansing diet, exercise, and a list of foods to include in the diet to improve liver function, please refer to the Liverguru.com website.
You will also find healthy, liver-friendly recipes (including Ms. Dee’s Salsa recipe); health information for women, men, children, and athletes; organ donation information; supplementation advice; diet & detox plans; disease prevention tips; and you can subscribe to the free quarterly newsletter, The Liverguru’s Health Message.
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