How to get rid of Beer Belly? – The Science behind beer belly
Your shirt starts to feel tight. You struggle to tie your shoelaces and one day when you look down, a round belly stares you right in the face. Then, you wonder, “How on earth did I get a beer belly?”
Let us guess how!
Beer pongs, hangouts at your favorite pub, and countless Fridays chugging beer. Does that ring a bell? ting It’s all fun and games until your belly starts protruding. According to a study, “Men consuming 1000 ml of beer a day were at 17% higher risk for weight gain.” However, let’s not lose faith. YET! There’s still hope, faith, and every other word that can motivate you to get rid of that beer belly.
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So, what exactly is a beer belly?
An excess of adipose visceral fat is known as central obesity, the “pot belly” or “beer belly” effect, in which the abdomen protrudes excessively.
Wikipedia
In simple words, when visceral fat, a type of body fat located within the abdominal cavity, increases, it makes the waistline and belly increase giving the shape of a beer belly.
Are you looking at one right now? Let’s understand what caused it.
Is beer the only cause of beer belly? – The Truth
Many believe that beer is the only cause of beer belly. Without a doubt, beer is the most common cause of beer belly. However, it isn’t the main cause. The root cause is the calories you intake when consuming alcoholic drinks like beer.
Since beer has sugar and starch in it, you end up consuming high calories. On average, the beer usually contains 150 calories. Yeah, it might not sound as much, but the more beer you consume, the more you are at risk to have a beer belly.
But it has been proven that beer isn’t the only cause of beer belly. There are several other factors behind your protruding belly.
Calories
The more calories you intake, the more you are likely to have a beer belly. Besides beer, the food that you eat with high calories gets stored in your abdomen and belly area. And, when such calories aren’t burned off, it converts into fat around your belly causing your belly to expand.
Foods with high sugar and starch, mostly junk foods, are the main reason behind the beer belly.
Genetic
According to research, even though beer does contribute to beer belly, genes are also to be blamed. The researchers concluded that people with ACE genes inherited from parents are one of the causes of accumulating abdominal fat. So, some lucky people are likely to just gain a few pounds but not a beer belly even when beer is consumed.
Gender
Beer belly also depends on whether you are a man or a woman. We often don’t get to see a woman having a beer belly. The main reason behind this is, mostly the fat is stored in their thighs and butt. But in men, the fat is stored in their belly. So, men are more likely to have a beer belly.
Health problems
Many studies have shown that people with health problems are also more prone to a beer belly. Health problems like cancers, diabetes, obesity, etc. are the causes of beer belly. People with such health problems have low hormone levels which cause their belly area to store fat.
Another factor like aging can also cause a beer belly. As you get older, your metabolism power decreases, your hormone level decreases so your digestive system weakens. As a result, it causes the extra fat to be stored in your belly area.
From the outside we can see such people as healthy, but are they really? People with beer belly are more prone to other health problems like cardiovascular issues, heart problems, digestion problems, and more.
But behold!
Beer belly is not permanent. You can get rid of your beer belly if you want to stay healthy and live longer. So, how to get rid of it?
How to get rid of beer belly?
You can say goodbye to your beer belly forever with dedication and passion to get rid of it. But mind you, half-assed dedication isn’t going to get you there. It takes time, consistency, and determination to get rid of your rotund belly.
The most effective way to get rid of the beer belly is to prevent yourself from having it. Since everyone isn’t as wise, here are some effective ways to get rid of it.
Control the intake of beer
Since beer is one of the main causes of the beer belly, it is better to get rid of it. You don’t have to quit drinking entirely, but you need to control the amount you consume. If you can quit drinking forever, then there is no better option than this.
Healthy diet
Eating a healthy diet is another way to get rid of a beer belly. You need to reduce the consumption of sugar as much as possible since sugar is mainly responsible for high calories. Bid farewell to juicy burgers and cheese burst pizza. You need to avoid eating junk food and concentrate on eating food that is rich in minerals.
At the end of the day, the best option to prevent yourself from consuming too many calories is to track your eating habit, calculate the calories you take, and plan your healthy diet accordingly.
Exercise
Eating a healthy diet alone won’t be enough to get rid of your beer belly. Every food you consume has calories. And when you don’t burn off your calories, then they are stored as fat in your belly area causing beer belly. So, you need to exercise daily to burn off your calories.
Physical activities help to lose calories and your belly fat, so move more. Play, walk, jog, sprint, exercise, and do yoga daily to burn off your calories. You don’t need to do exercise all day, 30-60 minutes daily will help you to lose your belly fat.
You can join a gym or a yoga class to lose belly fat. You can even join a dance class or simply do cardio workouts at home. Thanks to YouTube. Here is one of our favorite cardio exercise for beginners.
Sleeping habits
Track your sleeping habits and prioritize your sleep to get rid of your belly fat. This sounds silly but sleeping is another effective way. It is the time when your body restores the metabolic energy so that the food you eat is easily digested and gives you the energy to move around the next day.
But it doesn’t mean that you should sleep all day. Or sleep right after your meal. Your body needs seven-to-eight hours of sound sleep.
Get rid of stress
You need to get rid of your stress so that you are mentally healthy. Stress affects your body negatively, preventing you from carrying out your daily activities. As a result, your metabolism slows down. And, slowly your body rejects everything you want to do like doing exercise, yoga, etc. that are necessary to burn your calories.
Stress affects your sleeping and eating habits as well. So, controlling your stress is a must to get rid of your beer belly.
So, next time you hop into a pub or crave for some beer pongs, look at the belly you have and remember it can protrude. Even Thor- ”the mighty god of thunder” wasn’t spared of the beer belly when Thanos rose to power. So, who are we? Hence, if you already have a beer belly, start controlling the intake of calories, exercise, and do yoga daily. But also remember to sleep well and distress time and again. It is always better to prevent beer belly from happening.