How to lose subcutaneous fat | Effective diet and muscle training for women's abdominal area

What is subcutaneous fat? How to distinguish it from visceral fat

There are two types of body fat: subcutaneous fat, which is located under the skin, and visceral fat, which is located around the internal organs.
Subcutaneous fat is characterized by the fact that it can be pinched with your hands, and once it forms, it is difficult to remove.

On the other hand, visceral fat is said to be relatively easy to lose by improving your lifestyle.
Compared to visceral fat, which is difficult to see, subcutaneous fat directly affects the body's contours and is therefore a more visible indicator of obesity.

Why women tend to accumulate subcutaneous fat around their stomachs

Women are more likely to accumulate subcutaneous fat than men.
This is because the female hormone estrogen makes it easier for fat to accumulate in the abdomen, especially the lower abdomen, in order to protect the uterus in preparation for pregnancy and childbirth.

Another contributing factor is that women have less abdominal muscle mass than men.
Therefore, unless you take conscious measures, it tends to be difficult to lose fat around the stomach.

Five points to improve your diet to effectively lose subcutaneous fat

The key to reducing subcutaneous fat is to review your daily diet.
It is important to choose foods that are nutritionally balanced rather than reducing the amount of food you eat.
While aiming for an "under-calorie" state where calories burned exceed calories taken in, you should also be mindful of eating foods that will maintain muscle and boost metabolism.

Here we will explain five specific points.

Tip 1: Make sure you don't take in more calories than you burn

The basic principle for losing subcutaneous fat is to consume fewer calories than you burn.
When the energy you take in from food (calories taken in) exceeds the energy you use through basal metabolism and exercise (calories burned), the excess energy is stored in your body as fat.
The first step to fat loss is to determine your approximate daily calorie consumption and then create an "under-calorie" state by consuming fewer calories than that.

However, extreme dietary restrictions can be counterproductive as they can reduce muscle mass and slow your basal metabolic rate.
To lose weight in a healthy way, it is important to eat a balanced diet that does not fall below your basal metabolic rate.

Point 2: Actively consume protein, which is the building block of muscle

When dieting, it is very important to consume enough protein, which is the building block of muscle.
When you restrict your calorie intake through dietary restrictions, your body will try to break down not only fat but also muscle as an energy source.
When muscle mass decreases, your basal metabolic rate drops, making it harder for you to lose weight.
To prevent this, include high-protein, low-fat foods such as chicken breast, fish eggs, soy products, and dairy products in every meal.

Protein takes longer to digest, which helps you feel fuller and helps prevent overeating.
By combining exercise with adequate protein intake, you can maintain and build muscle and promote efficient fat burning.

Tip 3: Avoid excessive intake of carbohydrates and fats

Carbohydrates and lipids are essential sources of energy for the body, but if consumed in excess, they tend to accumulate as subcutaneous fat.
In particular, refined white carbohydrates (white rice, bread, noodles), sweet snacks, and juices cause blood sugar levels to rise rapidly.
This causes a large amount of insulin to be secreted to lower blood sugar levels, and activates the process of storing excess sugar in the body as fat.

You should also avoid poor quality fats, which are often found in fried and processed foods.
You can prevent fat accumulation by choosing carbohydrates that are rich in dietary fiber, such as brown rice and whole wheat bread, and making sure to consume an appropriate amount of high-quality fats found in fish, nuts, and avocados.

Tip 4: Eat fiber-rich vegetables first

When eating, try the "vegetable first" approach, starting with fiber-rich vegetables, mushrooms, and seaweed.
By consuming dietary fiber at the beginning of a meal, the absorption of carbohydrates eaten later can be slowed down, which can help prevent a sudden rise in blood sugar levels.
Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can lead to fat accumulation, so preventing this is an effective way to combat subcutaneous fat.

Additionally, dietary fiber has the ability to absorb water and expand, which helps you feel fuller and naturally reduces the amount of food you eat overall.
In addition, it also helps regulate the intestinal environment, and by improving bowel movements, it supports the development of a body with good metabolism.

Point 5: Increase your metabolism by drinking plenty of water

Conscious hydration is essential to boost your metabolism and support fat burning.
When the body is dehydrated, blood flow slows down, making it difficult for nutrients and oxygen to reach the cells.
As a result, your metabolic function slows down and it becomes difficult to burn fat.
It also slows down the excretion of waste products, which can lead to swelling.

Aim to drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day, divided into small amounts rather than gulping it all down at once.
It is especially effective to replenish your body with water before and after exercise, after bathing, before going to bed, and after waking up.
Cold water can cool your internal organs, so it's best to choose room temperature water or lukewarm water.

Exercise menu to accelerate the burning of subcutaneous fat

In order to effectively lose subcutaneous fat, it is essential to incorporate exercise in addition to improving your diet.
Exercise includes aerobic exercise, which directly burns fat, and strength training, which increases muscle mass and raises basal metabolic rate.

By combining these two types of training in a balanced way, you can create a body that burns fat easily and is less likely to rebound.
Here we will introduce a specific exercise menu that will accelerate the burning of subcutaneous fat.

Start with aerobic exercise to burn fat

Aerobic exercise is effective for burning subcutaneous fat directly as energy.
Aerobic exercise is exercise that involves continuous light to moderate exertion, and typical examples include walking, jogging, running, swimming, and cycling.
It is said that the rate at which body fat is used as energy increases approximately 20 minutes after starting exercise.

Therefore, it is best to aim for at least 20 minutes per session, 3 to 5 days a week.
Start by trying walking, which you can do without straining yourself, and once you get used to it, gradually increase the intensity and duration of your exercise, which will make it easier to continue.
It's important to find an activity that suits you and that you can continue to enjoy.

Combine strength training to boost your basal metabolism

Combining strength training with cardio will make your fat burning even more efficient.
Increasing muscle mass through strength training improves your basal metabolic rate.
Basal metabolism is the amount of energy consumed even when at rest. If this increases, you will burn more calories just by going about your daily life, making it easier to lose weight and harder to gain weight.

In particular, training large muscles in the body such as the buttocks, thighs, and back can efficiently increase your basal metabolic rate.
You can start with simple bodyweight exercises that you can do at home, such as squats and planks, or if you want more effective results, you can use machines at the gym.
It is said that doing this before aerobic exercise stimulates the secretion of growth hormone and increases the fat burning effect.

[For women] 3 effective exercises to tighten your stomach area

To tighten the stomach area, strength training that trains the abdominal muscles in a variety of ways is effective.
First, the "plank," which trains the core, is an exercise in which you lie face down and support your body on your elbows and toes, stimulating the muscles throughout your abdomen, including the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis.

Next, the "leg raise" exercise, which works the lower abdomen, involves lying on your back and slowly raising and lowering your legs together.
Be careful not to arch your back.
Finally, the "twist crunch" is useful for creating a slimmer waist.
You can train your oblique abdominal muscles by lying on your back with your knees bent and twisting your upper body up.
Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions of each of these exercises, for 2 to 3 sets, being mindful of proper form.

HIIT is also recommended as it can burn fat in a short amount of time.

If you're short on time but want to burn fat efficiently, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is the way to go.
HIIT is a training method that alternates between high-intensity exercise and short periods of rest, such as 20 seconds of all-out exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, and continues for several minutes.

The biggest feature of this type of training is that it produces an "afterburn effect," which keeps calorie consumption high for several hours after exercise.
By combining exercises such as burpee jumps, mountain climbers, and thigh raises, you can improve your cardiopulmonary function and burn fat at the same time.
However, because it is a very intense exercise, it is important to start with just one or two times a week and do it within your limits.

Lifestyle habits to review other than diet and exercise

In order to lose subcutaneous fat, in addition to dietary management and exercise, it is also very important to review your daily lifestyle habits.
In particular, the quality of sleep and stress management have a significant impact on hormone balance and are involved in fat accumulation and appetite control.

Before turning to special medications or medical help, you can improve the effectiveness of your diet by first adjusting your own lifestyle.
Here, we will explore areas for improvement from two perspectives: sleep and stress.

Ensure quality sleep and balance hormones

Lack of sleep can cause hormonal imbalances that can hinder your weight loss efforts.
If you don't get enough sleep, your body will secrete more ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, and less leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, which can lead to overeating.

During sleep, growth hormone is secreted, which promotes fat burning and helps repair and grow muscles.
Quality sleep is essential to maximize growth hormone production.
Aim to get around seven hours of sleep by taking measures such as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, not looking at your smartphone or computer screen before going to sleep, and keeping the temperature and humidity in your bedroom comfortable.

Find a good way to relieve stress

Excessive stress is one of the causes of subcutaneous fat buildup.
When you feel stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol increases appetite and promotes fat storage, so chronic stress can lead to obesity.
It is also not uncommon for people to fall into "stress eating," where they eat excessive amounts of sweet or fatty foods in an attempt to escape stress.

To prevent this, it's important to find a way to relieve stress that works for you.
Make it a point to take time to relax your mind and body by doing light exercise, immersing yourself in a hobby, talking with a friend, taking a long bath, or listening to music.

Frequently asked questions about losing subcutaneous fat

So far, we have explained specific methods for losing subcutaneous fat, but you may have many questions about how to put this into practice.
Subcutaneous fat is harder to lose than visceral fat, so you may feel anxious about how long it will take to see results or whether you can lose weight in only specific areas.

Here we answer some frequently asked questions about losing subcutaneous fat.

How long does it take for the subcutaneous fat to start falling off?

Subcutaneous fat protects the body from shock and maintains body temperature, and because it is stored for life support, it is more difficult to lose than visceral fat.
Therefore, it takes some time to feel the effects.
It is rare to see immediate changes in appearance when you start improving your diet and exercising, so it is generally recommended to continue for at least three to six months.

The speed of change will vary depending on an individual's constitution, lifestyle, and the intensity of their efforts.
The key to losing subcutaneous fat reliably is to take a long-term view without rushing and to continue steadily without rushing to see results.

Is it possible to lose weight in specific areas such as the stomach or thighs?

Unfortunately, it is medically impossible to target and lose fat in specific areas such as the stomach, thighs, or upper arms.
When fat is burned through exercise or dietary restrictions, the body uses fat from all over the body as an energy source, so it is not possible to selectively reduce fat in only specific areas.
The order in which fat is lost varies from person to person, but generally, fat around the waist, stomach, and lower body tends to be the last to be lost.

Strength training for problem areas can have the effect of tightening the muscles and making you look slimmer, but it does not directly reduce the fat in those areas (subcutaneous fat or cellulite).
To achieve spot-based weight loss in areas such as the legs, arms, and stomach, you need to work on reducing body fat throughout your body.

Does the menstrual cycle affect how easily subcutaneous fat is lost?

A woman's body's hormonal balance fluctuates depending on her menstrual cycle, which also affects how easily she loses subcutaneous fat.
Generally, the secretion of the female hormone estrogen becomes active for about two weeks from the end of menstruation to ovulation.
During this period, both the mind and body are stable, metabolism increases, and fat is burned more easily, making it an "easy time to lose weight."
During this period, it is effective to increase the intensity of your exercise and strengthen your dietary management.

On the other hand, during the period between ovulation and the start of your next period, the influence of the luteal hormone progesterone makes it easier for your body to retain water and fat.
During this time, it is recommended to avoid extreme dieting and instead aim to maintain your weight, while also taking care of your body and mind by stretching and relaxing.

My Feelings, Then and Now

In order to lose the subcutaneous fat that tends to accumulate around the stomach area in women, it is necessary to focus on dietary management that keeps calorie intake below calorie expenditure, and to consciously consume protein and dietary fiber.
In addition, by combining aerobic exercise, which burns fat, with strength training, which increases basal metabolic rate, it is possible to reduce body fat more efficiently.

In addition, reviewing your lifestyle habits, such as improving the quality of your sleep and properly managing stress, will also help balance your hormones and support your diet.
Continuing to practice these approaches over the long term will lead to a reduction in subcutaneous fat.