What is visceral fat and how can you reduce it?
We all have some degree of visceral fat, also known as belly fat, in our bodies. This layer of fat surrounds the organs in your abdominal cavity and protects your organs from impact. While a little fat is normal and even necessary, too much visceral fat can cause health problems.
Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce visceral fat. In this article you will not only get an answer to the question: what is visceral fat, but also practical tips to reduce visceral fat by adjusting your lifestyle.
What is visceral fat?
Visceral fat is the fat that is found around and between organs such as the liver, pancreas, kidneys and intestines. It ensures that the organs do not touch each other. Visceral fat is stored a little deeper than subcutaneous fat (namely under your abdominal muscles) and therefore cannot be grasped or seen as you can with subcutaneous fat. Too much subcutaneous fat does not immediately increase the risk of disease. Unfortunately, too high a level of visceral fat causes... increased risk on diseases.
You can estimate the amount of visceral fat by: calculating it of your BMI and measuring your waist circumference. For men, a circumference of 102 centimeters or more is too high. For women, a circumference of 88 centimeters applies.
How can I reduce visceral fat?
The buildup of visceral fat is often caused by several factors, including poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and genetic factors. For example, some people are genetically more prone to storing fat around their abdomen, which increases the risk of developing excess visceral fat.
Do you want to reduce visceral fat? Then it is important to focus on nutrition, exercise and lifestyle. The most effective approach is to use a combination of these three aspects to reduce visceral fat. Below we give you some practical tips focused on these three aspects:
Tip 1. Focus on fiber-rich food
Fiber is very effective in reducing visceral fat. Out research It turns out that people who eat more fiber have significantly less belly fat. For every 10 grams of extra fiber, the percentage decreased by 3.7%. Simply increasing your fiber intake can make a big difference in combating belly fat.
Soluble fibers in particular are essential, as they have the ability to reduce appetite and thus contribute to weight loss. This is because soluble fibers absorb water and form into a gel-like substance in the intestines. This slows down digestion and makes you feel full for longer. In addition, fiber keeps your blood sugar level stable, so you experience fewer peaks and are also less likely to reach for unhealthy snacks.
And best of all, soluble fiber is easy to add to your daily meals. Oatmeal, beans, legumes, apples, pears, apricots, avocado, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and broccoli, among others, are packed with soluble fiber.
Tip 2. Limit sugar and fast carbohydrates
In addition to increasing your intake of soluble fiber, it is important to avoid sugar. A higher intake of sugar ensures a high chance of storing visceral fat in your body. Foods with a lot of added sugars include soft drinks, candy and cookies.
It is also better to avoid processed carbohydrates. We also call this a low-carb diet. Low-carb diets turn out to be great effective method to visceral burn fat. With a low-carb diet you leave out refined carbohydrates such as fast sugars. Bread, rice, pasta and potatoes are also avoided.
Tip 3. Cardio and strength training
To burn visceral fat it is important to exercise regularly. By exercising you give the fat burning in your body an extra boost. You can choose from cardiovascular exercises (such as running, swimming or cycling) and strength training. Both methods are effective at burning visceral fat, but they work in different ways.
Strength training
Strength training shows research make an important contribution to reducing visceral fat. You can do strength training in the gym, but you can also do strength exercises from home with your own body weight or simple equipment such as dumbbells or resistance bands. By regularly doing strength exercises you build muscle mass, which in turn can increase metabolism and promote fat burning.
Cardiovascular exercises
Activities such as running, swimming and cycling are primarily aimed at burning calories during the activity itself. With these exercises you often have an increased heart rate and accelerated breathing, which causes you to burn more calories. If you do this regularly, it will contribute to the reduction of visceral fat.
If you find it difficult to find motivation to exercise, it can be nice to go with a friend, colleague or family member or to participate in a group lesson. By exercising together you can motivate each other. Moreover, many people find exercising together a lot more fun!
Tip 4. Improve sleep quality
A good night's sleep is not only essential for good mental and physical health, but also helps reduce visceral fat. Lack of sleep is associated with changes in the hormone balance that regulate hunger, such as an increase in ghrelin (the "hunger hormone") and a decrease in leptin (the "satiety hormone"). This can lead to: overeating and weight gain, including an increase in visceral fat.
Research shows that participants with restricted sleep had 9% more total abdominal fat and 11% more visceral fat after the study, compared to participants with normal sleep. Another study also emphasizes the importance of a good night's sleep. This research shows that men with... sleep disorder and therefore had more belly fat after a bad night's sleep than men who did not have this.
If you want to reduce visceral fat, it is important to improve your sleep quality. It is advisable to sleep about 7 to 9 hours every night. Try to go to bed on time and turn off your screens an hour before bedtime.
Tip 5. Avoid chronic stress
Chronic stress can lead to increased production of cortisol, a hormone that can promote the storage of visceral fat. People who regularly experience high levels of stress can therefore build up more visceral fat. In addition, an increase in cortisol can increase appetite and reduce satiety signals.
It is therefore essential to reduce stress. Meditation, yoga, reading, a warm bath or breathing exercises can help you with this. But what works can be different for everyone. What's important is that it makes you feel relaxed.
Tip 6. Limit alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to an increase in visceral fat. Alcohol is not only high in calories, but it can also affect the way the body stores and burns fat.
Our body cannot store alcohol effectively, so your liver gives priority to breaking down alcohol. This is at the expense of burning fat in your liver, which causes fat accumulation. In addition, alcohol contains many calories and few nutrients. If you regularly drink a drink, this can contribute to an increased calorie intake and therefore fat absorption. By limiting your alcohol consumption you can indirectly reduce visceral fat.
Tip 7. Eat enough proteins
Proteins are your best friends if you want to lose visceral fat. Research shows that people who have more proteins have less visceral fat. This is because proteins help in fat burning in various ways.
First of all, proteins increase your metabolism. Your body has more difficulty breaking down proteins than carbohydrates or fats, which means that breaking them down takes more energy. This will increase your metabolism 20 to 30%. In addition, protein-rich food ensures that you build muscle tissue. This is very beneficial, because muscles burn a lot of calories (even at rest). Furthermore, proteins keep you satiated for a long time, so you feel less hungry and may therefore eat less during the day.
You can easily increase your protein intake by starting your day with a bowl of cottage cheese, adding some extra chicken or fish to your meal, having an egg as a snack or drinking a glass of milk.
Tip 8. Other ways to burn fat
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