Why Do Slim People Have Belly Fat?

Yes, it's a fact that even a slim and skinny person can have an overabundance of belly fat.

Many slim people don’t know they may have excess belly or visceral fat. However it is true and these people can have the same increased risk for heart disease, cancer and diabetes as an overweight person and not even know it.

Researchers have found 4 main reasons why slim people have excessive belly fat:

Lack of Exercise

If a person tries to stay slim by diet alone, s/he can still pack on pounds of fat deep within the abdominal cavity and not know it. As far as exercising, cardio routines are the best to get your heart rate up and your body into the fat-burning mode. Try to do cardio exercises 20 to 40 minutes per day for at least four days per week. Add in two days of strength training and take the 7th day off.

The Persons Age

As we age, our metabolism slows down, so we do not normally burn as many calories per day as when we were younger. In some people, the extra calories our body does not burn up get stored as belly fat. While aging is a continual process, you can help stave off its effects through proper diet and exercising.

Their Hormones

As we age, hormonal changes occur. Especially in postmenopausal women, fat may move from the hips to the abdominal cavity. So even though the scale has not shown any weight gain, fat may have moved to the belly region. There isn’t much that can be done to prevent it. Eat a healthy diet and get exercise as described above.

Their Genetics

Some people are predisposed to acquire fat in their belly region instead of on their hips or buttocks. Call it “bad genes” if you will. This can be disheartening as you are doing everything right but still gaining belly fat. Try to control it though exercise and avoiding sugary foods or food with trans fat. The body doesn’t know how to process trans fat, so it stores it as fat.

The odd fact about belly fat is that it does not show up on a Body Mass Index (BMI) reading. So even with a BMI of less than 25, dangerous belly fat could be lurking inside your body.

Unfortunately, belly fat is the most dangerous fat there is as it secretes hormones in the body that can create an increased risk for many life-threatening diseases. The only real way to tell if you have excess belly fat is through a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or a Computed Tomography (CT) test.

You can find more “Belly Fat Success Tips” in our weight loss category found at http://myfitnessnut.com and while you’re they, be sure to subscribe to our monthly fitness newsletter and be kept up to date on the latest developments in the world of health and fitness.