St Bottle Cathedral: Beer and your Bellie..

When I take a quick look around me, I notice that so many people are already developing pot bellies, at a young age. Both men and women. Most of them are not even 30 yet. That’s different from the many older people I know that have pot bellies. I think my belly is still very much acceptable, but if I am not careful it could move from a plate belly to a pot belly in no time. A lot of people are very ignorant about this matter. So I did some research to help us find the causes and solutions. This article is majorly abut the cause and a few solutions: Please note that pot belly and beer belly mean the same thing and could be used interchangeably. Read and learn.

The Truth About Beer and Your Belly
What really causes that potbelly, and how can you get rid of it?
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

Have years of too many beers morphed your six-pack abs into a keg? If you have a “pot belly,” you are not alone. It seems beer drinkers across the globe have a tendency to grow bellies, especially as they get older, and especially if they are men.

But is it really beer that causes a “beer belly”? Not all beer drinkers have them — some teetotalers sport large ones. So what really causes men, and some women, to develop the infamous paunch?

What Causes a Pot Belly?

It’s not necessarily beer but too many calories that can turn your trim waistline into a belly that protrudes over your pants. Any kind of calories — whether from alcohol, sugary beverages, or oversized portions of food — can increase belly fat. However, alcohol does seem to have a particular association with fat in the midsection.

“In general, alcohol intake is associated with bigger waists, because when you drink alcohol, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat,” says Michael Jensen, MD, an endocrine expert and obesity researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Beer also gets the blame because alcohol calories are so easy to overdo. A typical beer has 150 calories – and if you down several in one sitting, you can end up with serious calorie overload.

And don’t forget calories from the foods you wash down with those beers. Alcohol can increase your appetite. Further, when you’re drinking beer at a bar or party, the food on hand is often fattening fare like pizza, wings, and other fried foods.

You really don't have to wait for it to get to this level

Why Does Fat Accumulate in the Belly?

When you take in more calories than you burn, the excess calories are stored as fat. Where your body stores that fat is determined in part by your age, sex, and hormones.

Boys and girls start out with similar fat storage patterns, but puberty changes that. Women have more subcutaneous fat (the kind under the skin) than men, so those extra fat calories tend to be deposited in their arms, thighs, and buttocks, as well as their bellies. Because men have less subcutaneous fat, they store more in their bellies. Beer bellies tend to be more prominent in older people because as you get older, your calorie needs go down, you often become less active, and gaining weight gets easier.

As hormone levels decline in men and women as they age, they’re more likely to store fat around the middle. Menopausal women who take hormone replacement therapy tend to have less of a shift toward more belly fat than those who do not.

Studies suggest that smokers may also deposit more fat in their bellies, Jensen says.

What’s Wrong With a Pot Belly?

Belly fat in the midsection does more than reduce your chances of winning the swimsuit competition. It’s linked to a variety of health problems, from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Carrying extra pounds in your thighs or hips is less risky than carrying them in the abdominal region. Further, subcutaneous fat that you can grab around your waist and on your thighs, hips, and buttocks is not as dangerous as the visceral fat that’s found deep within the abdominal cavity surrounding your organs.

Visceral fat within the abdominal wall is frequently measured by waist circumference.

“When waist circumference exceeds 35 inches for women and 40 for men, it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and overall mortality,” Jensen says. He cautions that these numbers are simply guidelines, and recommends keeping your waist size below these numbers.’

Losing Your Belly

There is no magical way to tackle belly fat other than the tried-and-true method of cutting calories and getting more physical activity. Mono-unsaturated fats and so-called “belly fat” diets won’t trim your belly faster than any healthy, low-calorie diet, Jensen says.

Because of the link between alcohol calories and belly fat, drinking less alcohol is a good place to start. Avoid binge drinking, which puts you at risk for liver damage and other serious health problems. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting alcohol to one serving per day for women and two for men.

Beer lovers should opt for light beers with 100 calorie or less, and limit the number they drink per day. Another option is to drink alcohol only on weekends, and to alternate alcoholic drinks with low-calorie, non-alcohol beverages.

Don’t forget to have a healthy meal before or with your drinks to help you resist the temptation of high-calorie bar food.

Can Exercise Eliminate Your Beer Belly?

Doing sit-ups, crunches, or other abdominal exercises will strengthen your core muscles and help you hold in your belly fat, but won’t eliminate it. The only way to lose belly fat (or any kind of fat) is to lose weight.

Aerobic exercises like running, swimming, cycling, and tennis are some of the best to help reduce body fat. But “any kind of exercise will help you keep the weight off more effectively than diet alone,” Jensen says.

The good news is that when you start losing weight, you tend to lose it in the midsection first. “Visceral fat is more metabolically active and can be broken down quicker than other fat,” Jensen says, “so it is usually the first to go, especially when you have a lot to lose.”

Culled fromhttp://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-beer-and-your-belly

Whats stopping you from having a belly like this?

I know a flat belly won’t get you to heaven, neither would a pot belly.. Lol.. Think about it. One thing that struck me on an article I came across is that ‘You must learn to eat two to three hours before going to bed.’ I am so guilty of not doing that. It’s time to live healthy.