Belly Fat: Types & Causes

Many people ask why they have belly fat even though they aren’t fat. Although we immediately think if we have a bigger belly we are getting fatter, that’s not true. Some types of belly appear because of stress, too many sweets, or sitting a lot.

Type 1 – Bloated belly
Characteristics:

Bloated stomach in the evening. In the morning your stomach is flat, but in the evening it gets flatulent.

Causes:

Food allergy, slow metabolism, intestinal imbalance.

How to get rid of this belly?

Avoid gluten, alcohol, yeast, processed dairy products. Include more fresh vegetables, meat, chicken, and fish in your diet. Don’t skip breakfast. Eat your food slowly, drink plenty of water, and include more probiotics.

Type 2 – Pregnancy belly
Characteristics:

Your belly looks as if you are still pregnant even though you aren’t.

Causes:

You have little time for yourself. The uterus needs time to descend after giving birth and breastfeeding helps this process by accelerating the contractions which makes the uterus return to its original condition much faster.

How to get rid of this belly?

Include more fish oil in your diet. Eat nuts, olives, and vegetable oil. That will help you fight fatigue.

Type 3 – Lower fat belly
Characteristics:

Lower belly fat on a skinny body

Causes:

Recent pregnancy, monotonous exercising, lower back curve.

How to get rid of this belly?

Have a healthy diet and include food with a lot of fibers- green vegetables and whole grain bread. Give up squats and do planks. Drink more water and eat easily digestible food.

Type 4 – Stress belly
Characteristics:

Bloated, hard stomach around the belly.

Causes:

Chronic stress, skipping meals, drinking a lot of coffee, eating unhealthy food (snacks, fried food, sodas…)

How to get rid of this belly?

Go to bed earlier. You are stressed when you don’t get enough sleep and that obstructs the production of leptin, the hormone which regulates appetite and metabolism. Relax before sleeping. Do breathing exercises, take a long bath, or meditate in order to relax.

Don’t exaggerate with exercising. Too much cardio may increase the level of cortisol. Do yoga, take a long walk or go to the gym. Also, Include magnesium in your diet.

Type 5 – Love handles
Characteristics:

Belly fat around your torso

Causes:

All day sitting, excessive intake of sweets and alcohol.

How to get rid of this belly?

Drink less alcohol. Only a few glasses of wine during the week and you will have long-term benefits.

Change your diet. Eat more eggs, meat, vegetables, nuts, fish, and avocado.

Try to do exercise, walk, and start using the stairs instead of the elevator.