If you like looking good in your clothes, then having excess belly fat makes it a problem.
There are some cases where the belly fat is so flabby that it hangs over the belt and makes your outfit difficult to wear.
However, the real problem of having a big belly is not about the physical appearance it is about the actual health problems that it could cause if you don’t get rid of it.
The fat in your belly is more dangerous that the fat in other parts of your body (here is a science article that explains it in details.).
So, if you are a woman, although you may not like the fat in your thighs, hips, arms or butt, the fat deposited in these areas do not put your health at risk. It is the fat that accumulates around your waist that poses a health risk for both men and women.
Individuals that have too much belly fat are likely to have more issues with chronic diseases.
Scientists have actually found a direct link between belly fat and issues with type 2 diabetes. This is because accumulating belly fat can cause increase insulin resistance in the body.
And insulin is the compound that helps to regulate blood glucose levels. The moment your body becomes resistant to insulin, diabetes sets in.
As you may have already known, diabetes is a disease that affects a person’s blood glucose level and circulation.
It is well known in the medical world, that individuals that have too much belly fat are more likely to have higher blood pressure, higher cholesterol levels and also high blood glucose levels. In other words, having too much belly fat increases your risks of having a stroke or heart disease.
Even with belly fat, the kind of fat also matters. The kind of fat that is just below the skin but is above the muscle tissue is not the dangerous kind. This is because the position of this fat does not have metabolic activity that can result in disease.
But, the fat that is below the muscle tissue (in the belly) and wraps around the organs is the dangerous kind. And this is the one that increases your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
If you have some excess belly fat, but you are not sure whether it is in the danger zone, you would have to measure your belly girth (waist). Get a tailor’s tape (flexible measuring tape) and measure around your waist – make sure that the tape passes through your navel.
If the measurement you get is below 39 inches, you are not in the danger zone. But if it is 39 inches or more, now is the time to embark on a fat loss quest to get rid of some of your excess belly fat.
And if you are close to 39 inches, you still need to proactively prevent your body from accumulating more body fat – you do this by losing some excess body fat. You would have to adjust your diet, begin exercising regularly, get more sleep and do everything to reduce stress.
Getting rid of your excess body fat and becoming lean would improve your health and your physical appearance also.
It is a lot easier and better to prevent diseases by being proactive than to treat it when you have it. By reducing your excess belly fat, you would be proactively preventing heart disease and diabetes while at the same time improving your physical appearance.