How to lose visceral fat | Introducing effective exercise and diet

What is visceral fat? Explaining the difference between it and subcutaneous fat

Body fat is broadly divided into two types depending on where it accumulates: visceral fat and subcutaneous fat.
Visceral fat is the fat that accumulates around abdominal organs such as the stomach and liver.
On the other hand, subcutaneous fat, as the name suggests, is the fat that tends to accumulate just below the skin, mainly around the stomach, thighs, and buttocks.

Visceral fat has the property of easily dissolving into the blood, and is therefore believed to be more closely related to lifestyle-related diseases than subcutaneous fat.

Ignoring it is dangerous! Health risks caused by the accumulation of visceral fat

Excessive accumulation of visceral fat not only leads to weight gain but also increases various health risks.
Accumulated visceral fat secretes harmful physiologically active substances that interfere with the action of insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels, and raise blood pressure.

This increases the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and diabetes, and if left untreated, it can cause arteriosclerosis to progress, potentially leading to serious illnesses such as myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.

What are the main causes of visceral fat accumulation?

The fundamental cause of visceral fat accumulation is when the energy intake from food continues to exceed the energy consumed through exercise and life-sustaining activities.
This energy imbalance is hidden in our daily habits.

In particular, poor diet and lack of exercise are direct causes, and in addition, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, and stress also disrupt hormonal balance and promote the accumulation of visceral fat.

Reason 1: Eating more calories than you burn

When the calories you take in from food exceed the calories you burn through exercise and basal metabolism, the excess energy is stored in the body as fat.
A diet that is particularly high in carbohydrates and fats, such as frequently consuming fried foods, sweets, and sweet drinks, is a typical example of a diet that is prone to consuming too many calories.

While eating out and processed foods are convenient, they tend to be high in calories and nutritionally unbalanced.
If this eating habit continues, the excess energy will be efficiently converted into visceral fat, which will gradually accumulate around the stomach.

Cause 2: Decreased basal metabolic rate due to lack of exercise

Lack of exercise not only reduces the calories burned, but also leads to a decrease in muscle mass, which in turn leads to a decrease in basal metabolic rate.
Basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy consumed to maintain life even when at rest, and the more muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be.

However, if you lead a desk-centered lifestyle or rely mainly on cars for transportation, your daily activity level will decrease and your muscles will gradually weaken.
When your basal metabolic rate decreases, you are more likely to have excess energy even if you eat the same amount of food as before, and your body becomes more prone to storing it as fat.

Cause 3: Excessive alcohol intake

Excessive alcohol consumption is also a factor in the accumulation of visceral fat.
Alcohol itself contains calories, and since alcohol breakdown takes priority in the liver, the metabolism of lipids and carbohydrates ingested at the same time is postponed, making them more likely to accumulate as triglycerides.

Furthermore, drinking alcohol also increases appetite, which can lead to overeating high-calorie, high-fat snacks such as fried chicken and French fries.
These two factors - the calories from alcohol itself and the calories from food - accelerate the accumulation of visceral fat.

Cause 4: Lack of sleep and irregular lifestyle

Lack of sleep contributes to the accumulation of visceral fat through hormonal imbalance.
It is known that lack of sleep increases the secretion of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, and decreases the secretion of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite.

This can make you feel more hungry and lead to overeating.
In addition, an irregular lifestyle can disrupt your body clock and lead to a decline in metabolic function.
Getting enough quality sleep plays an important role in controlling appetite and preventing fat accumulation.

Cause 5: Hormonal imbalance caused by stress

When you are under constant mental stress, your body secretes a hormone called cortisol to combat the stress.
Cortisol increases your appetite, especially when it comes to high-calorie foods.

Furthermore, cortisol inhibits the breakdown of fat and encourages the body to store energy as visceral fat, so chronic stress directly leads to the accumulation of visceral fat.
It is believed that the influence of this hormone is one of the causes of "stress eating," which occurs when you overeat when you feel stressed.

[Exercise] Effective training to burn visceral fat

Visceral fat is characterized by the fact that it is more easily burned by exercise than subcutaneous fat.
By incorporating exercise, you can efficiently burn off stored fat as energy.
The key to effective training is to combine aerobic exercise, which burns fat directly, with strength training, which increases your basal metabolic rate and makes it easier to lose weight.

Doing these exercises consistently will help accelerate the reduction of visceral fat.

Burn fat efficiently with aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise is very effective in burning visceral fat directly as energy.
Aerobic exercise is exercise that involves sustained light to moderate intensity, such as walking, jogging, cycling, and swimming.
Especially if you are not used to exercising, it is a good idea to start with walking, which puts less strain on your knees and hips.

To maximize the fat burning effect, it is recommended to continue for at least 20 minutes per session.
Ideally, you should exercise slowly, within your limits, at an intensity that makes you sweat a little, and practice 3 to 5 days a week.

Increase your basal metabolic rate through muscle training and build a body that is easy to lose weight

Anaerobic exercise such as weight training has the effect of increasing basal metabolic rate by increasing muscle mass.
When your basal metabolic rate increases, the amount of calories you burn even when you are at rest and not exercising increases, making it easier to burn fat and improving your constitution so that you are less likely to gain weight.
It is most effective to focus on training large muscle groups such as the legs, back, and chest.

After exercise, it's a good idea to replenish your body with protein to help repair damaged muscle fibers.
Stretching before and after exercise also helps prevent injury and relieve fatigue.

3 recommended muscle training exercises you can do at home!

There are many muscle training exercises that you can easily do at home without having to go to the gym.
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, effectively strengthening the abdominal muscles.
Next, squats, which train the large muscles in the lower body, are very effective in increasing your basal metabolic rate.

Finally, the "crunch," which trains the front of the abdomen, is an abdominal exercise in which you lie on your back, bend your knees, and raise your upper body as if looking down at your belly button.
These exercises do not require any special equipment and can be started with just five minutes a day, making them easy to continue even for people who are not used to exercising.

[Diet] Dietary improvements to reduce visceral fat

When it comes to reducing visceral fat, reviewing your daily diet is just as important as exercise.
Men who eat out or visit convenience stores frequently especially need to be conscious of their food and drink choices.

The key to reducing visceral fat in a healthy and efficient manner is not just to reduce calorie intake, but also to consume the necessary nutrients in a balanced manner.
Here are some specific tips for improving your diet.

Eat enough protein to build muscle

Protein is the main component of muscle and is an essential nutrient for maintaining and improving basal metabolism.
Increasing muscle mass increases resting energy expenditure and makes the body more able to burn fat.
Getting enough protein in your diet will help improve the effectiveness of your muscle training and support your healthy body.

Specific ingredients include chicken breast and chicken fillet, fish, eggs, and soy products such as tofu and natto.
It is important to incorporate these high-protein, low-fat foods into your diet in a balanced way across three meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Eat plenty of dietary fiber, which slows down the absorption of sugar and fat

Dietary fiber helps prevent a sudden rise in blood sugar levels after a meal.
When blood sugar levels rise sharply, a hormone called insulin is secreted in large quantities to lower them, causing the body to store the excess sugar as fat.

Practicing "veggie first," which means eating fiber-rich vegetables, seaweed, mushrooms, etc. at the beginning of a meal, helps slow the absorption of sugar and fat and prevents excessive insulin secretion.
Fiber also helps you feel fuller, which can help prevent overeating.

Be careful not to eat too much sugar! How to choose and consume the right staple foods

Excessive intake of carbohydrates causes blood sugar levels to rise rapidly, making it an energy source that is easily stored as visceral fat.
In particular, refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, and noodles are quickly absorbed and tend to raise blood sugar levels.
Rather than completely cutting out carbohydrates, it is important to maintain a moderate amount and be conscious of quality.

For example, simply replacing your staple food from white rice to brown rice or glutinous barley, or replacing white bread with whole wheat bread or rye bread, can help slow the rise in blood sugar levels.
It is also effective to reduce the amount of staple food you eat per meal slightly from your usual amount.

Recommended foods to help reduce visceral fat

Incorporating certain foods into your daily diet can help reduce visceral fat.
For example, unsaturated fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, which are abundant in blue fish such as mackerel and sardines, have been reported to reduce neutral fats.

In addition, the acetic acid contained in vinegar is said to help reduce visceral fat.
The catechins contained in green tea are also known to promote fat burning.
By incorporating these foods into your regular diet, you can effectively combat fat loss.

Reconsider your alcohol intake, which can lead to fat accumulation

Alcohol promotes the accumulation of visceral fat, so it is important to reconsider your drinking habits.
First of all, it is important to rest your liver by taking at least two days off from drinking per week.
When drinking, it is better to choose distilled alcoholic beverages such as shochu or whiskey in moderate amounts rather than brewed alcoholic beverages that are high in sugar, such as beer or sake.

Additionally, when it comes to snacks, it is a good idea to avoid fried foods and snacks and instead choose low-calorie, protein-rich foods such as edamame, cold tofu, and yakitori (salted).
Drinking the same amount of water as alcohol can help break down the alcohol and prevent you from drinking too much.

Tips for lifestyle habits to reduce visceral fat in addition to exercise and diet

The increase or decrease of visceral fat is deeply related not only to direct factors such as exercise and diet, but also to lifestyle habits such as sleep and stress.
These factors affect hormone balance and the autonomic nervous system, indirectly affecting how easily fat accumulates.

It is important to review your entire daily life in order to maximize the effects of exercise and dietary improvements and prevent rebound.

Quality sleep helps balance hormones

Getting quality sleep is crucial for controlling your appetite.
During sleep, growth hormones are secreted, which stimulates the body's repair and metabolic activity.
Lack of sleep increases the production of hormones that stimulate appetite, making you more likely to overeat.

To ensure good quality sleep, it is effective to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, avoid looking at your smartphone or computer screen before going to sleep, and keep your bedroom dark and quiet.
Adequate sleep helps maintain physical and mental health and helps build a body that is less susceptible to visceral fat buildup.

Relieve stress in a way that suits you

Excessive stress increases the secretion of the hormone cortisol, which increases appetite and promotes the accumulation of visceral fat.
Therefore, avoiding stress buildup and effectively releasing it on a daily basis will also help prevent visceral fat.

While everyone has their own way of relieving stress, it's important to find a method that works for you, such as light exercise, walking, taking time to immerse yourself in a hobby, enjoying a conversation with a friend, or relaxing in a bathtub.
Taking time to relax your mind and body will help prevent overeating due to stress and make it easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

My Feelings, Then and Now

In order to effectively lose visceral fat, it is necessary to comprehensively review and work to improve the three pillars of exercise, diet, and lifestyle habits.
Specifically, this means increasing your daily activity by combining aerobic exercise, which promotes fat burning, with strength training, which increases your basal metabolic rate.

In terms of diet, the basis should be high protein and low fat, and carbohydrates and alcohol should be appropriately controlled while actively consuming dietary fiber.
Furthermore, improving your lifestyle, such as getting quality sleep and managing stress, is essential for balancing your hormones and creating a body that is less prone to gaining weight. Take a look at your lifestyle and start taking measures against visceral fat today!