Fit Forever: Visceral Fat Hazards and What to Do About It

Carrying extra fat has long been established as being unhealthy, but did you know that the places on the body where those extra pounds are stored can have a serious impact on your health?

For example, having too much weight in the thighs or rear is less harmful than the deep, internal abdominal fat – known as visceral fat – that has a direct and negative effect on your health.

How do you deal with visceral fat and its negative consequences? First you need to be able to identify this issue. For instance, the fact that your pants may be tighter but your scale weight hasn’t changed may not be as good a sign as you think.

This is because subcutaneous fat – the sort that gives you cellulite – lies under the skin and is often stored on the thighs, buttocks and arms isn’t nearly as problematic as visceral fat. Although it’s important to keep overall fat levels within a healthy range, it’s visceral fat that people should be more concerned about.

The good news is visceral fat is not necessarily here to stay. In fact, visceral fat is often the first fat to go when starting a weight management program. This is because it can be used as stored energy.

But you need to keep an eye on your waistline and don’t put so much stock on scale weight or body mass index numbers. Some studies have found that even if you do not fall in the overweight category, if you are building up fat around the middle, you may be storing too much visceral fat. So take regular measurements of your waistline to help monitor this possible fat build up.

Here are a few suggestions on how to combat the creeping threat of visceral fat:

• Exercise now
  • Get off the couch and get moving. It doesn’t need to be a marathon run, but regular moderate exercise – 30 minutes per day – can be helpful. Cardiovascular exercise and weight training will change your body composition, encouraging a higher muscle-to-fat ratio. Exercise also encourages stored fat around your organs to be converted back into energy
• Consume good fats
  • There are plenty of good fats that you can eat that can be part of a healthy diet. Choose polyunsaturated fats over saturated fats, and avoid trans fats. Foods high in omegas such as nuts and fish provide healthy fats.
• Cut back on processed carbs
  • Refined sugar, pasta, white bread and sweets will convert to glucose in the body and can be stored as fat.
• Eat healthy proteins
  • Start with breakfast, such as boiled or poached eggs, lean meats and nuts. Throughout the day, snack on high protein snacks to keep your hunger at bay and ease away from the carb dependencies.
• Use the TruHealth™ Fat-Loss System^ŧ
  • The TruHealth is composed of three products, the TruPLENISH Nutritional Supplement Shake, TruPURE Sachets  and TruSHAPE Herbal Dietary Supplement capsules. This system combines beneficial, whole food diet and water intake recommendations with naturally sourced supplements and exercise to help support the body’s natural ability to reduce harmful toxins and encourage healthy fat-loss.* The TruHealth Fat-Loss System focuses on targeted fat loss and maintaining, if not increasing, muscle mass while encouraging healthy metabolism rates.

While visceral fat can be the secret enemy when many pursue their fat loss goals, it is not something that we are doomed to suffer with forever.

ŧ Always consult with your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before embarking on a new diet or program. This program is not recommended for pregnant or lactating women. If you are taking medications, have a health condition or are planning a medical procedure, consult your health professional before beginning this program. It is also not recommended for children under the age of 18. If you have any specific questions about these matters you should consult your doctor or other healthcare provider.

^*These statements have not been evaluated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.