Why is My Stomach Flabby?

I overheard two women talking and one asked the other, “Why is my stomach flabby?”  I thought about it and realized that if there is one aspect of a woman’s body that she would like to focus on it would certainly be her stomach or waist region.  Women first need to understand that there are no shortcuts to getting rid of belly fat or stomach flab.

“These puppies have nothing to do with this post but I figured everyone would enjoy looking at a picture of some adorable puppies rather than someone else’s stomach flab.  I mean I could be wrong you let me know!”

Reasons Your Stomach Looks Flabby

There could be several reasons that you maintain flab in your waist area.  For starters you could simply just be eating too much.  For women the area around the waist, highs, and thighs are the first place the fats deposits when you eat too many calories.  It also could be that you have lost so much weight that you just have a lot of loose skin around your midsection and it needs to be tightened up.  Another cause could simply be indigestion and your food is causing a bulge in your lower abdominal region.

Common Myths about Stomach Fat

Myth 1:

For some reason people seem to think that doing repetitive sit-ups or abdominal exercises will give you a flatter sexier stomach.  However this couldn’t be further from the truth as performing these exercises does not allow you to spot reduce where you lose fat.  Core exercises will help give definition to the stomach muscles, but there is still a layer of fat that is covering it up.

Myth 2:

Another myth is that you need to do a crazy amount of exercise or cardio so that your belly fat will go away.  This is also false and doing an excessive amount of exercise and cardio will only help create a calorie deficit if you maintain a calorie intake low enough for it to affect your weight loss. In other words eating less and burning more calories is the efficient way to burn lose fat “all over.” Don’t think, for a second, that losing fat around your middle is easier for some and harder for others or that you can’t do it.

Myth 3:

There is no such thing as a miracle health food or fat burner!  Many of the foods that you see promoted are just junk foods that end up helping you gain more weight than you are losing. Don’t waste your money or time on fat-burner pills, supplements.

How to Lose Belly Fat

Do you really want to lose that stomach flab?  Are you going to listen if I tell you exactly what to do?  Okay, well the first step is actually being willing to do what it takes to lose belly fat so that you can have a sexy stomach.  This means that you are going to have to be ready to put in both the time and effort necessary for you to lose the flab since there is no miracle in losing stomach fat.

Secondly, you have to come to terms that getting abs is as simple as eating fewer calories than your body burns.  And for as simple as this sounds this is one of the hardest things for people to both believe and grasp.  Since one pound of fat is roughly about 3000+ calories in order for you to lose a pound of fat in a week your body must be in a deficit of that amount.

This deficit can come from a combination of calories burned through exercise and the deficit from eating less on a daily basis.  Drinking more water and accounting for what you eat through a daily journal are the best ways to lose belly fat.  Drinking water helps avoid the empty calories from alcohol and soft drinks while the journal makes your aware of the things you eat and how much so you know what to cut back on.

NOTE: There are no miracle foods or pills that will help you get rid of stomach flab, however if you want a flatter stomach you are simply going to have to create a calories deficit, this can be done through Eat Stop Eat which is a concept of taking a break from eating by Brad Pilon.

Why Waist Hip Ratio Is Very Important

What is Your Waist to Hip Ratio?

Many women search the internet looking for waist hip ratio. This term is heavily searched and discussed all over the internet. The problem is that it is hard finding good useful information.

I recently came across a great article about waist hip ratio. This is a good beginning point on the topic and list and answers several questions that many women find very important. My belief is that this article is more than worth your time to read.

Healthy Weight Height Chart – 3 Important Indicators For Determining Your Ideal Size

By B. Page

Finding agreement on a healthy weight height chart is a difficult task. Surprisingly, there is not much consensus among various charts for ideal weights. However, there are three great ways to determine if you are at a good size: waist size, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index (BMI).

Waist Size

Keeping your waist size in proportion with the rest of your body is critical for good health. The most dangerous place to store your fat is in the belly area. If you are in the group of people who tend to accumulate their excess weight in the abdominal region, you may be at risk for serious diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

Why Belly Fat Is DangerousBelly fat is more biologically active. This means that it causes calcium build-up in your arteries, putting you at risk for heart attacks. In addition, it appears that visceral fat (belly fat) secretes dangerous inflammatory molecules which raises the risk for various other diseases.

How To Determine If You Are At Risk

In order to determine if you are at risk for serious disease, you will need to measure your waist. Do this by using a soft tape measure. Place the tape measure around your mid-section on top of your belly button. You can suck in, as this gets the muscle out of the way. Your waist size (in inches) should be half of your height (in inches). For example, if you are 5′ 8″ tall, that is 68 inches. Half of 68 is 34, so your waist size should be 34 inches or less.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Just as with your waist size, your waist-to-hip ratio is also important. To get an accurate assessment, use a soft measuring tape to measure the circumference of your hips. Use the widest part of the buttocks for this measurement. Next, measure your waist at your natural waist, usually just above your belly button.

Waist-To-Hip Calculator

There are many good waist-to-hip calculators available online. Input your waist and hip measurements and you will be able to tell if you are at risk.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Simply put, BMI measures the amount of fat in your body. By using your weight and height, a standard BMI calculator will give you a number. This number will tell you which category you fall in:

  • Underweight = less than 18.5
  • Normal weight = 18.5 to 24.9
  • Overweight = 25 to 29.9
  • Obese = 30 or greater

What To Do If You Need To Lose Weight

If you are carrying around excess weight, you are not alone. It is critical that you get your waist size, waist-to-hip ratio and your BMI at healthy levels. By remaining overweight or obese, you are increasing your risk of serious disease unnecessarily.

When you have made a positive commitment to change to a healthier lifestyle, you will need to choose diet and exercise plan that works for you. With so many to choose from, be selective. Choose one that fits in as seamlessly as possible with your routine and schedule so that you increase your chances of maintaining it for the long-term. Make sure that your regimen includes well-balanced meals, exercise, portion control and adequate water intake. With a positive attitude and a determined mind, you will succeed!

B. Page is a health and fitness writer at DietReviewsGuide.com. Ms. Page has reviewed many popular diets including Strip That Fat as well as many others.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=B._Page
http://EzineArticles.com/?Healthy-Weight-Height-Chart—3-Important-Indicators-For-Determining-Your-Ideal-Size&id=3005616

So my hope is that you now know more about this subject after reading this article. Another suggestion is to go into Youtube or Google and type in the term waist hip ratio, to get even more info.