Belly Fat Differences in Men and Women
One of the most frustrating issues that many women face in terms of their body image is finding ways to get rid of that stubborn belly fat. This can become especially upsetting when dealing with a male counterpart as, the methods that help him shed pounds without lifting a finger, may not work for you no matter how many times you lift, curl, or push all ten of your fingers…and toes. Don’t stress it (seriously, don’t, stress contributes to belly fat), it’s not that you aren’t working hard enough, the problem is that men and women have totally different types of belly fat with different functions and thus, it requires different methods to get rid of.
Men
For the most part, men tend to carry their belly fat exclusively in their extra fat in their belly region. Although many of them manage to pack on the pot-bellied fat rather quickly, their abundance of testosterone naturally promotes muscle mass which makes the extra fat almost as easy to lose. Men carry two types of fat subcutaneous, or love handles and visceral, or pot belly.
The term subcutaneous is translated to mean fat under the skin. An excess of it can be rather unsightly but there is a such thing as a healthy amount of this type of fat (believe it or not) as it functions to cushion the body against trauma, protects vital organs, and is an energy storage for that needed extra energy during spurts of hyperactivity, i.e. running for one’s life. Due to the fact that this fat primarily stores energy, exercise is the most effective way to burn it off.
Visceral, or intra-abdominal fat, is the fat that literally surrounds the inner organs. As you can imagine and abundance of this type of fat can cause a slew of ailments i.e. high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. On the plus side, this fat is the primary source of belly fat for men and it is pretty easily lessened with proper dietary changes.
Women
On the other hand, women carry mostly subcutaneous fat around their hips, buttocks, and thighs, which is the reason why dietary changes are usually considerably less affective when specifically targeting belly fat. It seems that the primary reason for women carrying this type of fat in these areas is to aid in pregnancy, birth, and motherhood, all of which require incredible amounts of strength and energy. While a lot of new mommy belly fat can be worked off by breastfeeding, that is not always an option for new moms and this is a totally irrelevant fact for those who either don’t have children or have children passed the breastfeeding age. Proper diet and exercise are important for women to get rid of belly fat, there’s just no way around it.
On the Whole
The differences in belly fat between men and women may seem unfairly sorted, however, belly fat in women is much more vital than it is in men and thus, it will be harder to lose. Whether you are male or female, just remember that some level of belly fat is both healthy, and necessary, so not that you have a better perspective on how to get rid of belly fat, don’t give up on your goal for a better looking mid-section but do, cut your belly some slack!