Before joining our program, we do a discovery call with the prospective client.
During one such call, the person on the other side sounded worried. He was an engineering manager, 38 years old, living in Bangalore. Let’s call him Mahesh.
His routine blood test checkup revealed high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. His doctor told him that the culprit was visceral fat, the kind you can’t see but that surrounds your organs, silently increasing the risk of serious health issues like heart disease and diabetes.
This made Mahesh realise he couldn’t ignore his health anymore and had to take definitive action. We discussed a realistic sustainable approach to help him.
In this post, I will be sharing the changes we implemented for Mahesh. Of course, his diet and exercise were personalised for his lifestyle and experience level but the fundamental approach will work for anyone suffering from high visceral fat.
What is Visceral fat?
The extra layer of flab that you pinch and show your friend how much belly fat you have? Well, that’s subcutaneous fat, which lies right under our skin.
Underneath subcutaneous fat is the visceral fat. Visceral fat is a type of body fat that is stored around our organs such as the liver, stomach, and intestines.
You can’t see visceral fat, but it’s way more risky than that visible fat on your belly because it can build up in the arteries and release hormones and other harmful substances.
The adipose tissues in visceral fat are also termed as VAT (visceral adipose tissues)
Why do people collect visceral fat?
- Unhealthy eating practices: Consuming packaged junk food, eating out, and booze in high quantity causes the buildup of fat over time.
- Inactive lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity provides the building blocks for an increase in visceral fat.
- Stress & poor sleep: Stress activates the hormone cortisol, and poor sleep patterns aggravate the effects of a high-stress enviroment.
- Genetic and environmental factors: Genetics determine your body shape and how your body stores visceral fat and fat in general.
- Hormonal changes: Visceral fat is more common in males than females and can increase in females after menopause due to high hormonal fluctuations.
While genetics seem to play a role in how we store fats, but their effects can be minimised by adopting a better lifestyle.
Maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise is crucial to prevent the buildup of excessive visceral fat and reduce the associated health risks.
Health Risks of Visceral Fat
The visceral fat messes with your hormones raises blood pressure, and makes you more insulin-resistant, setting you up for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and a whole host of other lifestyle diseases that you don’t want.
The more visceral fat you have, the greater your health risks. Even a moderate amount of visceral fat can be harmful.
How to measure visceral fat & what is the healthy range?
The best way to measure this is a CT scan, MRI, or DEXA scan.
In-body scale produces close enough results.
You can also use home-based smart scales, which aren’t accurate but provide a good reference scale.
But in the absence of the above methods, you can calculate visceral fat with simple measurements at home –
- Waistline: A waist circumference of 35 inches (88 cm) or more for women and 40 inches (102 cm) or more for men indicates a high amount of visceral fat and increased health risks.
- Waist-to-Height Ratio: Some health experts also suggest using the waist-to-height ratio as a more accurate measure. The recommendation is that your waist circumference should be less than half your height. For example, if you are 70 inches tall (5’10”), your waist should be less than 35 inches.
- Waist-to-Hip Ratio: The waist-to-hip ratio compares the circumference of your waist to that of your hips. A healthy ratio for men is less than 0.9 and for women is less than 0.85.
- Visceral fat calculator: Scientists at the Luxembourg Institute of Health created a calculator to estimate the amount of visceral fat in one’s body. Calculate your visceral fat here.
How to lose visceral fat
1. Dietary protocol to lose visceral fat
- Prioritize protein in all your meals: Eating a high-protein diet improves satiety levels, leading to much fewer cravings for unhealthy junk food.
- Increase Fiber Intake: Incorporate high-fiber foods, such as vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, and whole grains, which can help with satiety and digestive health.
- Limit Unhealthy Fats and Sugars: Throw the deep-fried, packaged foods outside the window. Switch to healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, and olive oil.
- Consider Intermittent Fasting: Fasting helps regulate insulin levels and promote fat loss. Start with a 12-hour fast and slowly increase the window to where you find it manageable. Access my free fasting guide to get you started.
Sample diet:
- Breakfast: high-protein meal, such as a protein smoothie or egg omelette with idly / poha.
- Lunch: Low-fat paneer or tofu with boiled chickpeas/rajma, veggies, and a small portion of rice / roti.
- Dinner: A big portion of protein food like egg / chicken / tofu, along with veggies and a carb source like roasted potatoes or sweet potato.
- Snack: high protein yoghurt or a few nuts with green tea.
2. Exercise Recommendations
- Strength training: Strength training exercises at least twice a week to build muscle mass, which helps increase metabolism.
- Incorporate High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Effective in burning visceral fat in a shorter amount of time compared to moderate-intensity workouts.
- Low-Intensity Aerobic Activity: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, such as brisk walking or cycling.
- Stay Active Throughout the Day: Look for opportunities to move more, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking during breaks.
Sample exercise plan:
- 2 days of strength training
- 2 days of HIIT workout
- 30mins brisk walk every day
3. Manage stress better
- Manage Stress: High stress can lead to weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Incorporate stress-reducing activities such as yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises.
- Prioritize Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Poor sleep can disrupt hormones that regulate appetite and fat storage.
- Appropriate Fasting window: Sometimes choosing a longer window may cause more stress and may lead to binging later on.
- Breaks during the day: Take 10 mins break during a stressful work day. Short walks, especially post big meals can have double benefits.
4. Eliminate Booze
When trying to eliminate visceral fat, you must set up an environment that supports it.
- Leads to weight gain: Alcohol is empty calories that lead to weight gain without nutritional benefits. When you consume it, your body prioritizes processing the booze before any other calorie.
- Poor choices of food: Drinking often pairs with poor food choices, adding to the calorie surplus.
- Increases cortisol: Alcohol also increases cortisol levels, promoting visceral fat storage.
5. Monitoring Progress
- Track workouts & activity: It’s important to know if you are meeting your marks or not. The only way to keep yourself accountable is to track.
- Measure food intake: No matter how clean you think you are eating, the importance of food tracking can not be looked down upon. It’s easy to munch on high-calorie nuts, causing you to overeat and put on more fat.
Consulting with a nutritionist will keep you accountable while providing you with personalized guidance tailored to your specific health needs and goals.
By integrating these strategies into a busy lifestyle, professionals in their 40s can effectively reduce visceral fat and improve overall health.
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