Understanding what causes belly fat is the first step to getting rid of your belly fat. The two major causes to your extra weight around the middle are a poor diet and lack of exercise. The saying “you are what you eat” is actually true. A poor diet of fatty foods and processed foods is the number one determinant of increasing belly fat. Most of us don’t think too much about what we eat. But a bad diet is usually the number one factor causing belly fat.

Use it or lose it. Another saying that speaks the truth about exercise and belly fat. Without using your abdominal muscles they will not become strong but flabby and weak instead. These days we spend so much time inside we sometimes forget that our body needs a certain amount of movement to stay healthy.

There are some other causes of belly fat above and beyond poor diet and lack of exercise. What causes belly fat is also linked to stress. When you are stressed your body releases a hormone called cortisol. Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are hear attacks, strokes, the development of higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems.

Knowing what causes your belly fat is important if you want to lose that belly fat. You know your weaknesses better than anyone. Is it the sweet tooth that keeps you awake at night or have you given up on your workout routine. Are you stressed and staying late at the office drinking soda and eating pizza? Whatever the cause of your belly fat there is a solution to address it.

Knowledge is power, figure out what is slowing you down and watch the pounds fall off.

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Tags: ab fat, Belly Fat, Exercise, exercise and belly fat, Lose belly fat, poor diet, Stress and Weight, What Causes Belly Fat

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