Back in the day we could eat what ever we wanted and not gain an ounce. Now it seems like you just walk by certain foods and they adhere themselves to your ass. Am I the only one” Given the 
stats by the CDC sadly today, obesity is the single most important health issue facing the United States. More than one-third of adults and almost 17 percent of children and adolescents are obese.
Not surprisingly, according to a 2010 consumer survey, 55 percent of us are actively trying to lose weight. To better help you understand let’s examine body fat–what it is, what it does, and how different types of body fat are associated with health and disease.
Body fat comes directly from our diet. Body fat is divided into 2 categories.
- Subcutaneous fat is fat accumulated in the lower body, often visualized as producing a “pear shaped” appearance.
- Visceral fat is the fat within your belly (not the fat hanging over your belt) and is associated with the “apple shaped”. Visceral fat is also known as central or abdominal fat.
Visceral fat is harmful because it’s very active, causing low-grade inflammation within your body. Visceral fat consists of fat cells that stimulate and secrete a variety of potent chemicals that can activate chain reactions in the body that can cause disease. Visceral fat accumulation is also associated with insulin resistance, which is a primary factor in type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related conditions.
Main causes of visceral fat:
- Diets: High-sugar, high-processed carb, fatty, high-gluten
- Lack of sleep: Regularly not sleeping or getting less than 7 hours consistently. i can fall asleep but there are times when I cant’ stay asleep. During those those I’m a big fan of this product.
- Lack of exercise: Living a very sedentary lifestyle
- Over training: Moving too much can cause your body to never recover
- Stress: We’ll talk about this later, but stress your body to produce a hormone called cortisol that cause inflammation
- Mild allergies: Your body may be allergic to some foods that you are in your diet. Some common allergies include — gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, fish, nuts, eggs or shellfish. You could see a naturopath for a full food allergy panel.
- Toxins — the body is subjected to over 300 toxins daily. It’s just a fact of life these days. From the fertilizers in food, to a jet flying above your heads are bodies are over run with toxins. Click to learn more I say this not to scare but just to bring awareness. To help eliminate toxins on a daily basis I have 1/4 cup of Cleanse For Life
Enjoy this 9 min video — that explains the importance of nutritional cleansing and whey protein.
Luckily, there are things that can be done to reduce visceral fat, but not without effort. First, is to lose weight. In one recent study, researchers found that aerobic exercise alone significantly reduced visceral fat by 12 percent. Next, modify any high fat or high-calorie food consumption. Add some whey protein. Whey protein helps to reduce visceral fat as well as helping you to feel satiated. My favorite whey protein is Isagenix Isa Pro. I like to mix it with 1 scoop of Want More Energy orange flavor or put in a blend 1/4 c grapes chopped and 1 TABLEspoon strawberry flavored flax oil add in some cubes, water and then blend.
Today Assignment
- Which 2 of the causes of viseral fat you can start to remove or add to your daily life.
Don’t forget Leave a comment below. Write a facebook post on the Fabulous Fit Squad. If you have a personal blog, write a blog post. Make sure you link back to the site so we can cheer you on and hold you accountable.
Just joining now” Don’t worry you can catch up.
Day 1 — Intro the challenge
Day 2 — Getting your mind straight
Day 3 — Goal setting
Day 4 — What’s on your plate
Day 5 — Lift
Day 6 — Cardio
Day 7 — Living on your own terms
Day 8 — Rest day
Day 9 — Forming a habit
Day 10 — Just Breathe
Day 11 — Fat loss secrets revealed
Lack of sleep…..I sometimes find that the only time I can get things done is after the youngest has gone to bed. This sometimes makes for a late night. I usually try to get up around 4:30/5 am but sometimes don’t get to bed until midnight. I’ll make it a goal to get to bed at 10pm at the latest.
Stress……this is a tough one to remove. With trying to do all my daily activities both at work and at home everything can be fairly overwhelming and I try to get everything done. I cause most of my own stress.
@crhistine — a bed time is awesome!! So.. that you don’t feel so overwhelmed. Set down and write down weekly what you want to accomplish. They break that down in daily tasks, so that way you can minimize running around like a chicken with you her cut off. Also cut yourself a break. Figure out what you can REALISTICALLY get done and they say to yourself I’m doing the best I can and I’m happy with that.
get more sleep & cut out the sugar in my coffee. I will switch to green tea with Truvia instead of my coffee by Wed the 16th.
@jenn — how much coffee are you drinking?? If you aren’t drinking that much coffee there is nothing wrong with real sugar.
With my job this is tough but I have been trying to limit my OT at work so I can try to get on a routine. Also going to try to get my cleanse for life on a every four week schedule.
@michele a schedule is key. I know it’s hard but you need to map it out. Just winging will not work. You put it in your calendar like an appt you can’t break. We’ll fast forward to reward and consequences.