The difference between subcutaneous fat and the more deadly "visceral fat" - Part 1

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
author of best-selling program: The Truth about Six-Pack Abs

Although this picture depicts an extremely overweight man, this article applies to dangerous types of fat inside the bodies of both men and women... and this discussion also applies even if you only have a slight amount of excess stomach fat.

Did you know that the vast majority of people in this day and age have excess abdominal fat? It's true -- as much as 70% of the population in some "westernized" countries such as the US and Australia are now considered either overweight or obese. The first thing that most people think of is that their extra abdominal fat is simply ugly, is covering up their abs from being visible, and makes them self conscious about showing off their body.

However, what most people don't realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health. Scientific research has clearly determined that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.

There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area. The first type that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles.

The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs. Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that "beer belly" appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time, also feels sort of hard if you push on it.

Both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat in the abdominal area are serious health risk factors, but science has shown that having excessive visceral fat is even more dangerous than subcutaneous fat. Both types of fat greatly increase your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

Excess stomach fat has also been associated in studies with higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation within the body that can lead to heart disease and other health issues.

Part of the reason visceral fat is particularly dangerous is that studies show that it releases more inflammatory molecules into your system on a consistent basis.

One of the major reasons that some people accumulate more visceral fat than others can be from a high carbohydrate diet that leads to insulin resistance over time (years of bombarding your system with too much sugars and starches for your body to properly handle the constant excess blood sugar) ... and studies show that high fructose intake particularly from high-fructose corn syrup can be a major contributor to excess visceral fat.

If you care about the quality of your life and your loved ones, reducing your abdominal fat (including reducing visceral fat) should be one of your TOP priorities! There's just no way around it. Besides, a side effect of finally getting rid of all of that excessive abdominal fat is that your stomach will flatten out, and if you lose enough stomach fat, you will be able to visibly see those attractive six pack abs that everyone wants.

Things You Should Know about Body Fat before You wants To Lose Fat

Most of us want to lose fat because too much fat, especially subcutaneous fat, can be extremely bad for us. With obesity numbers climbing around the globe every year, we take a closer look at body weight, fat and weight loss.

Now let us look at the few reasons why people need to lose weight.

When a woman is overweight, it can affect her chances of getting pregnant as it affects their ovulation. When a woman is pregnant and overweight can cause many complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, certain infections, increased risk or a cesarean and having a baby that is larger than normal.

Being overweight is obviously bad for your health and can put you at risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, gall bladder problems, high blood pressure, increase stress on the bones and joints and decreases life expectancy.

In your bid to lose fat, beware of stress. Stress can also cause a person to gain weight because the stress hormone cortical is released and that tells the body to store fat, mostly around your stomach.

Avoid taking bad stuff if you want lose more fat. The liver helps to burn fat, but when it is busy processing and eliminating toxins from alcohol, junk food and other toxic stuff that we put into the body, it cannot process and burn the fat as well as it normally would.

Make sure you have enough sleep if you want to lose weight fast, a lack of sleep can also cause you to put on weight as it causes hormone and chemical imbalances in the body. Leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full, decreases and the hormone ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry, increases.

Some fat cells are difficult to lose

You cannot actually lose the amount of fat cells that you have as once you reach a certain age, the numbers remain constant. While a certain amount will die over the course of a year, the body replaces them. Diet and exercise only shrinks the cells; it does not get rid of them and fat cells can increase as much as a whopping six times their size.

While liposuction and other drastic measures have instant effects and will reduce the number of fat cells you have, the body will actually replace them over the next couple of years. The only way to ensure that those fat cells do not increase in size again is to pay extremely close attention to what you eat and how much your exercise. If you do not change your diet and exercise habits, you will go back to your pre surgery weight.

When you are overweight or have extra weight around your stomach, fat surrounds your internal organs, which is where the health risks come from. In fact you can be you can be as thin as a bean but still have fat (visceral fat) around your organs and the worst kind for your health, in comparison to other body fat, known as subcutaneous fat. It increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

Lose bad fat but not good fat

Good fat is essential for bodily functions, and if you stop eating it altogether, the body cannot produce energy or absorb vitamins, hormone production is effected and blood has difficulty forming. This of course puts you at risk of a lot of health problems, including internal bleeding and weak bones. Good fats, the unsaturated kind also helps the body lower cholesterol and should make up 30 per cent of your calorie intake.

When Fast Weight Loss Pills Do Not Work

Have you been trying to lose weight fast with the use of exercise and dieting?
If you have, have you still been coming up short on your weight loss goal?
If you have, you may be interested in seeking help with weight loss products, namely weight loss pills. Although you may be thinking about giving weight loss pills a chance, you may be wondering if you should.

When it comes to determining whether weight loss pills are right for you, especially if it promises a rapid weight loss, there are a number of different questions that you will want to ask yourself. These questions can help you truly determine if weight loss pills are right for you. A few of the many questions that you may want to ask yourself, concerning weight loss pills, are outlined below.

One of the many questions that you will want to ask yourself is if you have really tired losing weight. Losing weight naturally, often involves exercise and dieting. Have you been exercising?
Exercising can involve visiting your local fitness center, putting an exercise video in your DVD player, or something as simple as taking a nightly walk. Dieting involves cutting all sweets from your diet or at least significantly reducing them. If you have not taken these steps yet, you may want to try losing weight naturally first. If that does not work, weight loss pills may be something for you to consider.

Although there are a number of reasons for weight gain, one of the most common reasons involves eating too much food. If you regularly find yourself eating more food than you should or more food than you need to, why do you think that you do so? Are you just eating because you are bored or does your body sense that you are hungry? This is important question that you need to answer, as many weight loss pills are designed to suppress your hunger. While this can help many individuals reduce the amount of food that they eat and the number of calories they take in, it will only help you if you think that your body is telling you that you are still hungry. If you are what are commonly referred to as a bored eater, there is a good chance that you will continue to eat.

Another question that you need to ask yourself is if you can afford the costs of weight loss pills. When examining the cost of weight loss pills, you will find that they are sold for a wide range of prices. Although it is important to make sure that you can afford the cost of weight loss pills, it is important that you do not comprise quality for costs. If you cannot afford the weight loss pills that come highly rated and recommend, you may just end up wasting your money on weight loss pills that may not necessarily work. That is why it is advised that you consult with your doctor or search for weight loss diet pill reviews online, before making any purchases.

The above mentioned questions are just a few of the many that you may want to ask yourself, before you automatically go out and buy weight loss pills for yourself. As a reminder, it is important that you do the proper amount of research before you buy weight loss pills, should you decide to do so. Weight loss diet pills are not all created equally; therefore, they have varying results. However, if you want to lose weight fast and keep the weight off for good, taking the pills is not the solution.

Learn how you can lose weight fast and get to keep it off for good without dieting by knowing that ----]] food is not the enemy!

Rapid Weight Loss – Facts About Fad Diets

Fad diets are a diet plan that aims at losing weight, usually in a relatively rapid weight loss. Fad diets attract a large number of people who suffer from weight problems and are helplessly looking to some way of arriving at a shapely physique. The problem with fad diets is that their fat-reducing effect is temporary and results in quick regain of weight. What is worse is that most of these diets are harmful to health.

Fad diets are not as new as they might seem at first. These date back to the mid 19th century when an obese Londoner was prescribed such a diet on experimental basis. Now, after a century and a half, fad diets have become popular among people with weight problems. Teens and young adults especially flock to fad diets for answers to weight problems.

Fad diets are usually centered on a higher consumption of fats or proteins while stressing to go easy on or, in some cases, completely cut out carbohydrates. It is the low intake of carbohydrates that brings about rapid weight loss. In fact, this rapid loss is the loss of water that glycogen has stored. With loss of glycogen, the large amount of water stored in it is also lost and body weight drops. The fats are still there and as the fad diets are given up, the body regains its proportion of water lost. Weight is put back on as fast as it was lost.

Normally, carbohydrates remain the source of energy for work. With fad diets, the carbs are no longer there so the body starts using the stored fat, breaking it down. This may appear beneficial but in fact, it is not. In the absence of carbs, fats cannot be completely oxidized and put to work. Hence, the body feels fatigued and weak. In addition, the ketone molecules resulting from the fat-breakdown accumulate in the blood and are excreted out via urine, causing dehydration.

Given the harmful health effects of fad diets, it is important for us, especially the weight-conscious people, to recognize and beware of these diet plans.

Watch out for diets that:

• Promise quick weight loss
• Publicize before and after pictures
• Present weight-loss testimonials
• Tend to limit natural food choices
• Require a large sum of money

Fad diets may be popular for their rapid weight loss but they can greatly hurt your body and only provide temporally solution for weight loss. Be careful with any diet or exercise program and ask your doctor to be sure it is safe.

Read more about safe rapid weight loss and kept the weight off permanently with Fat Loss Program.