Belly Fat

The Extreme Dangers of Belly Fat

Doctors around the world agree that belly fat (in particular, the internal belly fat that surrounds our organs) is the most dangerous kind of fat there is.

You could say it’s “Public Enemy #1” when it comes to your health (and appearance).

The reason?

Internal belly fat surrounds all of our vital organs inside our abdominal cavity, and because of this, it can “interfere” with our body’s natural physiological functions.

This can lead to health issues such as insomnia, headaches, anxiety, and depression, joint pain, infertility, low energy, allergies, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and the list goes on and on.

To make matters even worse, excess belly fat dramatically increases the chances of potentially deadly illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s, and even stroke.

And if all of that weren’t enough that dreaded belly bulge makes us look less attractive and it can demolish our self-esteem and confidence to boot.

Not good…

How Do You Know If You Have Too Much Belly Fat?

The science says if a man has a belly circumference of more than 40 inches, and a woman has a belly circumference of more than 35 inches–measured around the widest section of the stomach at the belly button–then they’re in a very high risk category for conditions mentioned above.

Another way to know if you have too much belly fat is to simply divide your height in inches by two. Your belly fat circumference (again measured around the belly button), shouldn’t be more than half your height. So, for example, if you are 5’10 tall (70 inches), your “belly measurement” should not exceed half of that, or 35 inches.

But, let’s face it; you don’t need to do all these measurements to know if you have too much belly fat. All you need to do, right now, is place your hands on your belly and take a squeeze. If you’re getting a big, ol’ handful of belly blubber then you know that it’s time to do something… and fast.

The 3 Reasons You Can’t KILL Belly Fat

Reason #1: You’re a Basket Case

When your mind is not at peace and not “in balance,” all sorts of belly-bulging hormones go “wacky” and out of control. This can really cause some serious belly bulging.

What causes this imbalance?

• Not getting enough sleep
• Running yourself ragged at work and with family obligations
• Worrying and stressing about life…

As a result of mental and emotional stress, your body will automatically release a fat storing hormone called Cortisol. This is bad because Cortisol’s favorite thing to do is to “redirect” fat storage to your abdominal area.

Scientists believe your body does this as a natural “preservation technique.” You see, constant stress sends a signal to your body that it’s under attack and your body responds by storing belly fat reserves around your organs to 1) protect them and 2) to make this fuel source available for quick energy needs.

You see, you body is somewhat lazy (read: efficient) and in times of stress it doesn’t want to pull energy [fat] from far away, like your leg for example. It wants fat close to your internal organs… in your belly.

Reason #2: Your Body is Like a Vending Machine

If you peer through the glass of most vending machines you will see a bunch of sugar-filled, chemically-stuffed, over-processed, “dead food” that is slowly killing you, bite by bite. (Ouch…)

And because we eat this type of food wayyyyy to much (we're also talking about fast food and processed food), our bodies quickly become what we eat.

We’re “walking vending machines”—slow, sluggish, and falling apart with each awkward step.

Here are the A, B, C’s of what makes bad food, well… bad:

A. Obesity Additives:

Did you know that most of the tens of thousands of food items which line our grocery store shelves are made and controlled by only four or five GIANT multinational food corporations who only have one goal in mind—to make more and more money? It’s true.

What’s more, the food chemists that work for these food kingpins are paid big bucks to create “Frankenstein foods” that are manufactured within huge, robotic, assembly-lined factories.

Here, they dump all kinds of (mostly) man-made preservatives, additives, and chemicals into the recipes for our favorite meals and snacks–in just the right amounts–so these “fake foods” can sit on grocery store shelves for months, years, and even decades, without going bad. (YUMBO!!)

Out of these toxic food chemicals, there are 7 referred to as “Obesity Additives.” Research shows they have a big, negative impact on our health and waistlines.

And, all you need to do to experience some SERIOUS weight loss fast is to exorcise these “DEMONS” out of your kitchen.

How Do These 7 Obesity Additives Make You Fat?

Good question. Studies show…

• Two of these additives interfere with a hormone called leptin which sends a signal from our stomachs to our brains to tell us we’re full. Without this signal we keep eating and eating.
  
• Other Obesity Additives create weight gain by causing hormone imbalances. That’s right, a fat-storing hormone called insulin skyrockets in your body (hello belly fat!), while a fat-burning hormone called glucagon is shut off. (Not good.)
  
• Another additive (in excess) can cause a mineral imbalance in your body that causes you to become “bloated” with water weight all the time. (Ever feel bloated?)
  
• And yet science has proven that some Obesity Additives actually addict us and cause us to eat uncontrollably by altering brain chemicals called neurotransmitters—just like the street drugs cocaine, morphine, and nicotine do. (Maybe this why you can’t “eat just one.”)

With these Obesity Additives working against you, it’s no wonder you haven’t been able to win the belly bulge battle in the past. Failing to lose weight isn’t always your fault.

B. Uncontrollable Cravings:

Here’s something you may not realize… your body is severely undernourished and starving for certain nutrients. You see, your body needs specific macro and micro nutrients to run properly or you will get mentally and physically sick. I’m talking about illnesses such as heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and depression, for starters.

So, if you’re not eating the right foods that are packed full of nutrients your mind will constantly “scream” at your stomach to eat more. It does this in the form of cravings and hunger.

Problem is, most people just eat more “nutrient-dead junk food” and their bodies continue to starve and cravings spiral out of control. (If you feel hungry all the time, now you know why.)

C. Toxic Waste Buildup:

If you think your bulging belly or “pooch” is all fat… think again.

Not eating the right kinds of foods causes waste to become backed up in your colon and intestines. This can give you a permanently bloated appearance.

What’s more, when your digestive system is clogged and polluted, you can’t efficiently absorb the healthy proteins, carbs, essential fats, water, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients your body desperately needs to be healthy and to burn fat at an accelerated rate.

As mentioned above, when your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it signals your mind to tell your stomach to EAT MORE by causing uncontrollable cravings.

As you can see, this is a big problem. You need to keep your digestive system clean to fight hunger.

Reason #3: Your Belly-Burning Furnace is Busted

Another BIG reason you haven’t been able to kill belly fat is because your belly-burning furnace (metabolism) is on the blink.

So instead of humming along burning thousands of calories a day, it’s sputtering and jerking down the calorie-burning-highway in the slow lane. Or, you may even be pulled off to the side of the road with the hood open and the engine smoking.

But why? Good question.

A. You’re Not Eating Enough Food, at The Right Times

Here’s the problem… when most people want to lose weight, they begin to severely cut calories. Sure, they might start losing some weight temporarily, but this calorie restriction method will soon backfire and mangle their metabolism for two reasons:

1. As you’re probably aware, cutting calories leads to uncontrollable hunger and cravings because your body isn’t getting the nutrients it needs to function and be healthy. This causes severe hunger and cravings, and eventually breaks most people mentally… and causes them to lose control, overeat, rebound, and gain even MORE weight than where they started.

2. After about a week of dieting, the hormone levels in your body that are responsible for keeping your metabolism humming along (like the master weight-controlling hormone leptin and the thyroid hormones) start adapting to your new calorie intake, and they plummet like a piano off the Empire State Building. This causes your body to conserve calories.

At the same time, the fat-storing hormone insulin goes berserk as does a hormone called cortisol that is responsible for storing belly fat skyrockets. As a result, your weight loss will come to a screeching halt. At this point, you’ll need to reduce your calories even lower to keep losing weight, or you’ll need to do MORE exercise to burn even MORE calories.

B. You’re Eating Foods With Low “Thermal Burn”

Make no mistake, some foods will fix a “mangled metabolism” by increasing your calorie-burning furnace BIG TIME, while others can actually hurt your metabolism and stop it dead in its tracks.

The truth is, calories from different types of food act very differently once inside your body. Some of them ignite a “Thermal Burn” and others are plain “Thermal Duds.”

Heck, the “Thermal Burn” of some natural foods is so high that they don’t even register on the calorie scale. They’re “FREE Foods” that you can practically eat non-stop without gaining an ounce.

There’s actually four reasons why people can’t lose belly fat...

Reason #4: You Try to “Go” it Alone

Here’s an interesting fact. Recently, doctors and researchers from the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, performed a unique weight loss study and discovered one somewhat “unusual” factor had a profound effect on weight loss over those who DIDN’T have this factor present. Do you know what that factor was?

Social support.

And do you know just how MUCH of a difference it made? A LOT. In fact, those who had a support system in place, such as attending support meetings to encourage them and keep them accountable during their weight loss journey, lost an average of 225% more weight over the two year study period!