7 Possible Causes of Belly Fat: Is Poor Dieting the Only Thing To Blame?

Why do so many people have to fight belly fat? Though most people would prefer a nice flat midsection, that goal is hard to achieve for millions of people. Knowing what foods cause belly fat and what lifestyle changes will help is a good start to controlling this problem. Some things can be changed and others must be worked around. A combination of tummy tuck surgery, diet, and lifestyle changes are the answer for many Americans.

Can Surgery Help?

Some people with abdominal fat, excess tissue, or sagging skin opt for Denver Tummy Tuck Abdominoplasty or  tummy tuck surgery at Donaldson Plastic Surgery. Plastic surgeons combine liposuction, abdominoplasty, and other procedures as needed to remove extra fat, tissue, and skin to give a patient a more attractive abdominal contour. This surgical procedure can help people who work hard to exercise and eat correctly and still have unsightly belly fat.

Some people manage to lose a lot of weight and then discover that there is too much loose skin around the abdominal area. The tummy tuck procedure can tighten that skin with a minimum of scarring. But, surgery isn’t the answer for everybody. A consultation with the plastic surgeon is necessary to determine if this surgery is right for a person. The person must be healthy and within 10 to 20 pounds of their normal average weight.

If a person is carrying more weight than that, they may have to lose as much weight as they can before considering tummy tuck surgery. Once this surgery is complete, a person must make diet and lifestyle changes to keep the results. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with an exercise program, a well-balanced diet, and limited alcohol and no smoking is important.

What Causes Build up of Belly Fat?

Often, people do not know why they are getting excess body fat. It is important to know what to avoid to limit the build-up of body fat. There are two types of belly fat including visceral fat surrounding body organs and subcutaneous fat that sits under the skin. 7 leading reasons for belly fat include:

1. Eating a poor diet with too much sugary food, salt, and trans fats. Over-processed foods tend to have more sugar, salt, and trans fats. Foods with too much sugar can cause weight gain, slow down body metabolism, and reduce the body’s ability to burn fat. Sugary drinks like soda pop or juices can also add to weight gain.
2. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to weight gain in the abdominal area and it can also cause liver disease and inflammation.
3. Couch potato is not a good thing to be. A person needs exercise to burn off calories. An inactive lifestyle will lead to weight gain and belly fat.
4. If a person lives with too much stress, their body can make too much of a steroid hormone called cortisol. Cortisol impacts the body’s metabolism and leads to excess calories making belly fat.
5. Getting too little or poor-quality sleep can lead to weight gain. Poor sleep can cause a tired person to practice bad eating habits that lead to weight gain and belly fat.
6. Genetics or the genes a person inherits can influence weight gain, metabolism and the risk of getting weight-related diseases.
7. Smoking is bad for every aspect of a person’s health including weight gain and belly fat.

Avoiding or Getting Rid of Belly Fat

A person can avoid getting belly fat or start to get rid of belly fat by living a healthier lifestyle including a balanced diet, plenty of exercise, getting more sleep, and avoiding alcohol and smoking.