PERRY BUCHANAN: Winning the battle against ‘beer belly’

How do I lose this? That’s one of the most frequent questions I’m asked. Usually it’s asked as a client grabs one of those areas hated so much it’s given an endearing name like “love handles” or named after an over-indulgent food that contributed to the problem, such as “muffin top” or “beer belly.”

No matter what name you use to describe it, excessive abdominal fat is linked with a variety of increased health problems including type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Higher abdominal fat indicates a higher accumulation of visceral fat. Visceral fat is the fat that is in and around the organs in your abdominal area. The good news is that when the weight does start to come off, you will likely notice it disappear in the midsection first. Often, visceral fat will break down quicker than other types of body fat.

We are flooded with fad diets, gadgets and gimmicks to help us burn fat from problem areas. There are hundreds of items sold to help shed the fat from these areas, even though it is impossible to do. Spot reducing is a myth that refuses to die. This is mainly because advertisers keep the myth alive by pushing their products to those desperately looking for a solution.

Fat in your body is like gas in your car’s gas tank. It is stored energy. Thinking you can reduce fat from your stomach alone is like saying you want to use gas only from the right side of your tank. The idea that you can target fat with certain exercises is untrue. Even though you may do hundreds of crunches, you are not going to melt the fat in your abdominal area. The same as when you do dozens of exercises for your arms, you are not reducing the fat in the arms. By strength training, you will tone the muscle, but the fat does not burn from that area just because you work the muscle.

The fact is, to lose that beer belly, you will need to lose weight. And while it’s not a byproduct of beer alone, alcohol doesn’t help the cause. Too many of any kind of calories, whether they’re from alcohol or sugary foods or just eating too much, can increase belly fat. Since an average beer can contain more than 150 calories, it doesn’t take long to add up. You must create a caloric deficit to lose excess body fat. This means you are burning more fuel than you are consuming.

Hundreds of diet and weight-loss programs have you eat and avoid certain foods or consume special pre-packaged foods or supplements. Many of these diets claim that calories don’t matter, yet ironically, if any of them are successful it is always done by reducing calories consumed. Even if you don’t count calories, calories do count.

For best results, we should limit refined and processed starches and grains, sugar, soft drinks and fried saturated-fat foods. These foods contribute to the surplus calories that lead to obesity, but it is only the total sum of calories that need to be considered for weight loss. We should mainly avoid these foods not because of the calories, carbs or fats they contain, but avoid them because they are not the best choices for health.

Avoid the temptation to find a quick fix through a magic pill, special supplements or the latest infomercial gizmo. Beware of any program that claims to spot reduce or lose more than a couple of pounds per week. Follow the American College of Sports Medicine recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week or at least 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity. Along with aerobic activity, add strength training two to three times per week to preserve your muscle and boost your metabolism while losing fat.

In planning your workouts, focus on your whole body, not just some trouble area. With your diet, keep in mind that no specific class of food (fats or carbs) makes you fat. It is only excess calories that make you fat. There are many factors important in a successful weight loss program. But remember, it all begins from having an ideal caloric balance.

Perry Buchanan, owner of PT Gym, is certified as an exercise physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and fitness nutrition specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Email him at [email protected]. Follow @ptgym on Twitter.