Tag Archives: belly fat

Excess Belly Fat May be Just as Dangerous as Smoking

Even if the scale says your weight is in the acceptable range, your belly could be telling a different story. Recent studies have found that those with a normal weight who have excess belly fat are putting the same risk on their lives as those who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. We were as shocked at the news as you are.

John Cloud recently wrote about this research for Time. Cloud reported on the findings of a 14-year study led by Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez – a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Lopez-Jimenez concluded that those who have a normal weight but have concentrated “central” or belly fat are more than 50 percent more likely to die earlier from issues like cardiovascular disease and other ailments than those who are obese.

This conclusion was found after researchers followed nearly 13,000 Americans for 14 years. The test subjects were divided up into categories based on their Body Mass Index (BMI) and their waist-to-hip ratios. At the end of the study, approximately 2,500 subjects had died. The analysis of the deceased found that those in the normal BMI/high waist-to-hip ratio group had the highest mortality rate. These mortality risk rates were compared to smokers who smoke nearly one pack of cigarettes a day. These are pretty staggering rates for people who aren’t even overweight. (more…)

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Lacy

What Did You Just Say? Bingo Wings and Mommy Muffins as Slang for Lost Weight

According to Shakespeare, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. However true that may be, we think that extra weight being called muffin tops or saddlebags is a lot funnier than just calling it extra weight. We bring you this tale from the Fit Crypt with hilarious nicknames people have attached to their excess poundage. Maybe they’ve gotten rid of it, maybe they haven’t, but either way we are glad they can laugh about it.

One mom knew that baby belly wasn’t enough for the swell of skin that was left after the arrival of her two darling children. In her book A Laugh Out Loud, Pee In Your Granny Panties, Guide to New Mommyhood, Katie Vale Kinder apologizes to the women who became moms before her for judging their postpartum bodies. She came in to the fold of moms with a little extra padding as well, and came up with name FUPA for her extra weight. “It is totally dirty and stands for fat upper pubic area,” she told us. “It isn’t your vagina and it isn’t your stomach, but your FUPA! It’s the extra body part developed after you have a baby!”

We knew Katie wasn’t the only one poking a little fun at the new look of her body, so we set out to find a few other people willing to reveal their weighty nicknames. (more…)

Posted on August 14, 2024 by SarahS

Waist Circumference: The One Health Number You Need to Know

Want to know if you’re at risk for type 2 diabetes? There’s one number that can clue you in, but most people don’t know what it is and their doctors don’t routinely measure it. The need-to-know number is your waist circumference, the distance around your waist.

Experts have long known that waist circumference—an indication of how much fat you’re carrying around your middle—is a risk factor for diabetes. What’s fascinating is that no matter how much you weigh, the larger your waist circumference the higher your risk for diabetes, according to a study of nearly 30,000 people published in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine. The researchers found that overweight women and overweight men with a large waist size (more than 35 inches for women; 40 inches for men) had a similar—or higher—risk for diabetes as women and men who were obese. (more…)

Posted on August 8, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

Charles Poliquin’s BioSignature Method Claims to Spot-Reduce Fat

Have you ever looked in the mirror and seen one area of your body you wish you could improve? I have, but I’ve come to accept my imperfections under the idea that you can’t spot-train certain areas of the body to change the way they look.

Well, if you told that to Charles Poliquin, creator of Poliquin Performance and the BioSignature Method, he’d likely slap you across the face and proceed to tell you, ‘Yes, you can spot-treat the body.’ And he’d probably follow that by dispelling the ideas that you can’t ‘cleanse the body’ or rid it of toxins either.

Poliquin doesn’t agree with the majority of ‘sensible’ health experts who say you can’t spot treat your body like you do your laundry. For this reason, he’s developed a fitness program that he claims is able to spot-reduce fat, rid the body of toxins, and cleanse it entirely through a special diet and training regimen. (more…)

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Dana

Fit in 5: Top 5 Fat Burning Exercises

By Pamela Hernandez

When we say weight loss what we really mean is fat loss. We want to workout and eat, in most cases, to get lean and carve lovely muscular curves. Many try to slog it out on the treadmill or elliptical trainer for hours on end to burn fat. I believe there are much more efficient, and entertaining, ways to burn calories and create a lean physique.

Ready to break out of your cardio machine routine? Try one of my favorite (and highly effective) fat burning workouts.

Squats: Weight training will always top my list of fat burners. Your resting metabolism can stay elevated for up to 48 hours after strength training, meaning more calories burned while you sleep or sit at your desk. Squats are at the top of my list because they use all of the big muscles of the legs and there are endless variations to keep you from getting bored. My favorite is the overhead squat, engaging muscles from top to bottom.

Boxing: I have no desire to hit someone but when I want to work up a sweat I love hitting the bag or putting on my Tae-Bo video. Your core and legs (remember big muscles burn more calories) provide power to your punches while increasing your heart rate more quickly than the treadmill. If you really want to sculpt tank top ready shoulders and arms, trying shadow boxing with weighted gloves or light dumbbells in hand. (more…)

Posted on April 30, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Saturday Morning Drills: Lose Your Muffin Top

April has hit us and what better time to focus on losing the dreaded Muffin top? Who doesn’t want to get ready to strut your stuff on the beach with confidence?

Here are a couple of my all time favorite exercises that target the obliques by working them against the resistance of your own body weight. Perform these exercises at least 3-4 times a week for best results, but remember you need to combine them with some cardio such as walking, jogging, swimming or cycling to help lose overall body fat.

Muffin Blaster – Side Planks

Start with your elbow bent on the floor with your shoulder and wrist inline with elbow. Your top leg is crossed in front with your hips facing forwards and the arm is extended resting on the hip.

Inhale as you drop the hips toward the floor then exhale and lift the hips back to the start position.


Tips: Keep your weight out of your shoulder by drawing your shoulder blades down towards the hips and focus on lifting the hips with the obliques.

Reps: 1 x 15 reps on each side

Waist Shrinker – Side Twists

Start with your elbow bent on the floor with your shoulder and wrist inline with elbow. Your top leg is crossed in front with your hips facing forwards. The arm is extended overhead in line with the shoulder and the palm is facing forwards.

Exhale as you draw the abs in towards the spine, and reach the arm underneath your supporting arm as you rotate the torso and lift your hips towards the ceiling. Inhale and rotate the body and arm back to start position.

Tips: Rotate your body and lift your hips as high as you can and look under your arm.

Reps: 1 x 10 reps on each side.

Try Tracey’s lower-body workout with this video for Simple Chair Exercises.

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Tracey

Dr. Travis Stork Prescribes the Simplicity of Walking for Heart Health

We spoke with Dr. Travis Stork, a co-host on The Doctors and active ER doctor, yesterday to help spread the word about women’s heart health. During the month of February we’re all doing our part to help to curb the number one killer of women in America – heart disease. The thing is, aside from genetic influence, it can often be completely preventable based on your lifestyle choices.

We asked Dr. Stork what one thing people should do, and could do, today to start making a difference for their heart health, and thus reduce their risk of stroke or death. He recommends “the simplicity of walking 30 minutes each day.”

“[Walking] doesn’t require expensive equipment, it doesn’t require any skill set,” he said. “What I also love about walking is it can do something else that’s interesting for your heart, it can increase the quality time you spend with loved ones.” Those relationships and that time bonding are just as influential on your overall health.

He recommends that we make a post-dinner walk for 30 minutes a part of our family routines. “Make it a habit with your family, your kids will watch you and engage in your habits.” It certainly sounds a lot more appealing than plopping down on the couch as a “root vegetable,” as he described. (more…)

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Natalie K

Dr. Travis Reveals Foods to Lose Your Gut on The Doctors

Today on The Doctors, Dr. Travis Stork will be be uncovering the Secrets of Losing Your Gut for Good. This will be his first time doing the show as a sole host. Dr. Stork works as an ER physician and one of the first things he examines in his patients is the amount of belly fat they have. This information can tell him how easily someone might recover from injury and if they can expect to face future health issues like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and others.

Some of the things that will be shared on Dr. Stork’s first-ever solo show are the foods that can help get rid of extra belly fat, statistics on how extra weight can affect your health, little things to do to make a difference in belly fat and some of the best snacks available. As a preview to the show, we’ve listed the top five belly-busting foods Dr. Stork will be sharing:

Beans: Choose dried beans over canned whenever possible. They are a great food because they fill you up without filling you out.

Eggs: Eggs are full of muscle building protein and the vitamin B12 in egg yolks are an energy booster that keeps red blood cells healthy.

Berries: Full of antioxidants, it is better to eat whole berries rather than to drink only the juice.
Dairy: Have three lean or low-fat servings of dairy each day to decrease your chances of being overweight by 60 percent.

Whole Grains: Having whole grains that are minimally processed can add fiber to your diet and keep you full. Items higher in fiber and less processed are your best choices. (more…)

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Descygna

Measure Waist Size Not Weight for Better Health

The beginning of January is often considered the season of weight loss due to the many individuals who choose to embark on this type of mission as soon as the new year begins. In fact, fighting the battle of the bulge is one of the most common new year’s resolutions set year after year. And although it sounds like a good idea at the time, very few people actually follow through with this sort of resolution. In fact, a third of individuals will give up on their lofty weight loss dreams by the end of the first month.

This year, instead of focusing on becoming thin, why not focus on improving your health and shrinking your waist instead. Although it may seem weird to focus on the size of your waist this year, it’s often considered a better indicator of health and it’s quite common for individuals to achieve an appropriate waist size before they notice numbers changing on the scale.

The fat that collects around your middle can often lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes if too much is present. Although you can’t specifically target this area of your body and only lose weight here, individuals often see their abdominal fat stores shrink by 10-30% when they lose as little as 5-10% of their overall body weight. This means that your waist measurements may fall into a healthy range even before you hit your desired weight. (more…)

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Kati

Adipotide is a Promising Experimental Drug for Weight Loss

With the help of a new medication, fat may be getting its eviction notice from your body very soon. A new experimental drug called Adipotide cuts off blood supply to fat cells causing them to die. A very innovative idea compared to the current weight loss drug options.

Current weight loss drugs that are available control the appetite, increase the body’s temperature, and decrease the amount of fat absorbed from the diet. Adipotide is targeted to a specific protein called prohibitin that is highly populated on blood vessels that lead to fat cells. Without blood supporting the growth of these fat cells they cannot sustain themselves. The dead cells are reabsorbed into the body.

Currently Adipotide is in the beginning stages of testing. The concept came from a scientist developing a cancer drug trying to cut off the blood supply to cancerous cells so they would not continue to grow. Most clinical trials begin with rats and if considered safe usually move on to healthy male subjects. Adipotide was initially tested in rats and the results showed a 30 percent decrease in body weight. The next step was to test in monkeys, being that they are the species that most closely resembles humans. Adipotide was administered to the monkeys by injection and the dosage was based on their weight. It was given to them for 28 days and then they had a 28-day rest period. What they discovered was that obese monkeys lost about 11 percent of their body weight. (more…)

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Sarah

Visceral Fat: Why It’s Different and How to Get Rid of it

By James O’Brien

The human body has two kinds abdominal fat: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is the stuff that you can pinch and move with your hands; visceral is the kind that can make the belly bulge, but feel hard to the touch (the notorious beer gut). Even if you don’t sport a beer belly, you might still have visceral fat that could be giving you health problems.

While being overweight is not an ideal state of health in general, it’s the visceral fat in particular that nutritionists and health experts cited at ScienceBlog.com connect most commonly with diabetes, glucose-related problems, hypertension, and heart disease.

Problem is, visceral fat doesn’t always stick out. Doctors have discovered thin-looking patients whose abdominal organs are packed with visceral fat. These people face the same kind of health risk as their more obviously beer-bellied counterparts.

(more…)

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Health Buzz