Raise your hand if you've got a belly roll(s).
Yep, I've got them too! In fact, I've had a belly roll for as long as I can remember, even when I was at my thinnest.
Most of my clients say that they have the most difficulty accepting their swishy bellies. In fact, this is one of the more common reasons why people feel the need to lose weight because they fear that belly fat is "unhealthy".
The Health At Every Size research indicates higher weights may be correlated with poor health, but it reminds us that it doesn't guarantee that it causes poor health. Still, ob*sity is constantly talked about in the media, in clinical spaces, in social circles, and at the holiday dinner table.
It's not just the claims that higher weights are "unhealthy" but more specifically that belly fat is downright dangerous.
While there is some biased research that visceral fat (the type of fat that wraps around abdominal organs) may increase some health risks, what most don't realize is that visceral fat can be found in people with flat bellies too. So, one cannot automatically assume that people in larger bodies or with bigger abdomens have visceral belly fat. For the record, visceral fat can only be determined by undergoing expensive medical scans.
The other type of belly fat is what we see when we look in the mirror. It's called subcutaneous fat (like in the image above). Everyone has some subcutaneous fat. How much we have is typically impacted by lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, genetics, yo-yo dieting, and stress.
I'd be lying if I told you that I never worry about my abdominal fat sometimes because I do, especially since menopause. My guess is that you worry sometimes too. You may even worry enough to feel like you need to do something about it like lose weight or cut carbs, etc. If that's you, I understand, and I'm not surprised! After all, we're human and diet culture is very influential, especially when they start throwing the word "health" around!
However, let's just say for argument's sake that both types of abdominal fat do put our bodies at risk.
What can be done about it that will be sustainable and may also help to reduce certain health risks?
Stop dieting and restricting to avoid bingeing
Embrace and learn to Integrate gentle nutrition (principle 10) into your daily life (if you're at that stage or your recovery)
Focus on food satisfaction and honoring your hunger/fullness as often as you can
Get support to navigate any emotional barriers you have to exercise so you can intuitively increase your cardiovascular and aerobic exercise
Discover ways to improve your sleep if this is an issue for you (i.e. get a CPAP, try meditation, create a sleep routine, etc.)
Focus on improving your mental health, especially as it relates to anxiety and stress
Notice how I never mentioned losing weight? That's because even with the possibility that abdominal fat increases the risk of certain illnesses, dieting is STILL not the solution. In fact, dieting may even increase abdominal fat. And, research indicates that dieting increases stress-causing elevated cortisol levels negatively affecting the body, including increased abdominal fat.
The solution is to continue working toward body acceptance and spend your time and energy creating more nourishing and compassionate self-care habits. That's what will likely improve your physical and emotional health in the long-run but dieting won't.
Struggling with this?
Schedule some time with me so we can have a conversation and you can finally stop worrying! You don't have to do this alone. Getting this sorted out will make a substantial difference in your life.