• It’s a more dangerous fat
By Ifeoma Okoye
If you’re carrying a few extra pounds, you’re not alone. But this is one case where following the crowd isn’t a good idea. Carrying extra weight — especially belly fat — can be risky.
The trouble with belly fat is that it’s not limited to the extra layer of padding located just below the skin (subcutaneous fat). It also includes visceral fat — which lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs.
Regardless of your overall weight, having a large amount of belly fat increases your risk of:
• Cardiovascular disease
• Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
• Colorectal cancer
• Sleep apnea
• Premature death from any cause
• High blood pressure
Your weight is largely determined by how you balance the calories you eat with the energy you burn. If you eat too much and exercise too little, you’re likely to pack on excess pounds — including belly fat and ‘Christian Mother’s arms.’
Age and genetics
Aging does play a role too. As you age, you lose muscle — especially if you’re not physically active. Loss of muscle mass decreases the rate at which your body uses calories, which can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight. According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, men in their 50s need about 200 fewer calories daily than they do in their 30s due to this muscle loss.
Your genes also can contribute to your chances of being overweight or obese, as well as play a role in where you store fat. However, balancing the calories you consume with activity can help prevent weight gain, despite your age and genetics.
Alcohol’s calories contribute to beer belly. Drinking excess alcohol can cause you to gain belly fat — the beer belly. However, beer alone isn’t to blame. Drinking too much alcohol of any kind can increase belly fat, because alcohol contains calories. Although some research suggests wine might be an exception, if you drink alcohol, do so only in moderation.
For men age 65 and younger, moderation means up to two drinks a day. For men older than age 65, it means up to one drink a day. The less you drink, the fewer calories you’ll consume and the less likely you’ll be to gain belly fat.
Living to old age is an asset to thank God for, and not to be ashamed of. What all the effort is, is to stay healthy in spite of aging . We want to emphasize that aging should not be synonymous with illness or disease!
Lifestyle Modifications is the best way to work to combat the ravages of the aging process.
QUESTION: When does the aging process begin?
It begins from age 21. And if you are not leading a healthy lifestyle, it accelerates and you achieve degenerative changes prematurely! So many sudden deaths these days, so many belly fat men and women with PSEUDO- PREGNANCY (it’s a time bomb!)
What to do
Easy does it. Set a one year target. It took long for the luggage to accumulate. Combine moderate/right eating with sustained 30minutes to 1hr. Exercise, at least 3 times a week. Nothing, excessive, sustained healthy lifestyle over a year, and you start seeing benefit.
Combine with drinking 60cl of Alkaline water every 1-2hrs and at least 6-8hrs sleep a day and one hour to 2 hours in prayer, reading the word and meditation daily! That works out to 11hrs a day, leaving 13 hours for you to work plus accommodate other exigencies.
Eat like a bird. Eat more vegetables. Trim down the Carbohydrate! Next meal is between 4 pm and 7.30pm. Snack on Water, Carrots, Cucumber, Garden Egg, Nuts (Not more than 10 nuts a day) in between. Snack healthy and hydrate all day – Never leave yourself hungry.
References: Breast Without Spot (BWS) Info; Harvard Health
• NHO Guest writer Prof. Ifeoma Okoye is a Professor of Radiology at the Radiation Medicine Department of the College of Medicine, University Of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu Campus (UNNEC), and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu. Follow her on https://www.facebook.com/bwsenugu
