What is the most stubborn type of body fat to lose? Answer: Belly fat that is hormonally created! This is the most hated fat that accumulates around the torso in women and right in front for men. What causes this type of fat? How do you get rid of this belly fat? And most importantly, what are the hormones that cause it?

 

The Cause

The major point to remember about body fat is that it is an accumulation of excess. All fat is excess. An excess of stored energy and fat-soluble hormones that the body did not need at the moment. The body is hoarding these for a later time of need. When the body collects body fat around the belly, it is predominantly trying to store an excess of two major hormones, estrogen and cortisol.

 

Excess Estrogen

Excessive estrogen is commonly referred to as estrogen dominance. This is often associated with perimenopausal women as they begin the big life change and generally create less of the hormone progesterone. Their body shifts to a more estrogen dominant position creating symptoms such as increased facial hair, irritability, anxiety, hair loss, decreased libido, insomnia, and weight gain around the belly and hips.

 

Men are not immune to these changes as they often exhibit some similar symptom patterns of loss of muscle mass, fluid retention, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, anxiety, enlargement of breasts, an enlarged prostate, type-2 diabetes, and accumulation of belly fat.

 

What Causes Excess Estrogen?

In women, excess estrogen is often in relationship to progesterone. As women age, they frequently produce less estrogen and progesterone but commonly the ratio of these two hormones shifts heavily in the estrogen direction, creating a relative excess of estrogen. This is compounded by the plethora of estrogen mimickers that are absorbed by our body from our environment. These estrogen disruptors are compounds found in plastics, cosmetics, hair products, they are sprayed on our foods and are even in things that we are drinking. These chemicals are mistaken by our body for estrogen and can cause similar effects of the hormone. Environmental estrogen mimickers are the primary mechanism for men to become estrogen dominant and have become an epidemic in our modern society.

Find this hard to believe? Think of the effects of beer on the body. Beer creates a glutenous bloat around the belly, but beer is also an endocrine disruptor. The excessive estrogen that beer creates causes the increase in belly fat, enlarged breasts, and a decrease in testosterone.

For those who want to investigate their cosmetics, beauty products, laundry detergents, perfumes, and other household items for endocrine disruptors, try the Yuka app. The Yuka app allows you to scan any product that you are investigating and give you the details on the ingredients found within it. Using this app for a few minutes will help you to realize that these harmful ingredients are in so many of our culture’s favorite products. Don’t just complain about belly fat, take an action step and throw out these estrogen laden products!

 

Excess Cortisol

The other hormone that is stored in excess in the belly fat is cortisol. This hormone is most often associated with stress and affects both men and women. If you find yourself really stressed out, here are a few small tips to deal with that stress better and to reduce the belly fat that it creates.

  1. Move Often:-If you are feeling stressed don’t just sit there. You have to get up and move! Movement, particularly in those stressful parts of the day, helps to prevent the storage of excessive cortisol in your belly fat. In fact, movement actually uses cortisol so it can help the reduction of existing levels of cortisol.
  2. Avoid Sugar: We all know that we should eat a balanced diet rich in whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. But, avoiding sugar and high carbohydrate meals and snacks may be the key to reducing belly fat. These foods spike your insulin resulting in elevated cortisol levels and an increase in belly fat.
  3. Adequate Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Establish a consistent sleep schedule, create a relaxing bedtime routine, and optimize your sleep environment for restful sleep.
  4. Cold Plunges: Cold plunges are becoming more of a lifestyle activity like exercise and healthy eating because of the great results people are experiencing. Cold plunges particularly work well to reduce body fat as it helps to change white fat into brown fat. White fat is the dangerous fat that is often found in the belly around our organs. It is difficult to burn and resistant to becoming more metabolically active. Cold plunges help white fat become more metabolically active changing it into brown fat. For more on how cold plunges can improve your health and how best to do them, check out our article The Health Benefits of Cold Plunges.

 

Target Belly Fat Loss

Can you target belly fat loss when you’re losing weight? There is some evidence that you can. People commonly lose weight in a particular pattern. They lose fat in the face, followed by the back, legs, bust, and finally the belly and hips. No wonder it can be so frustrating to try to lose weight around the belly! Again, this is often hormonally driven as the body will hold onto belly fat as its long term storage of excess energy and hormones. You can target belly fat loss by trying two simple hacks.

 

  1. Castor Oil: Spread some castor oil on your belly fat before you go to bed each night to open up and dilate both the capillaries and the lymph vessels in the belly fat. This helps the body to prioritize the use of this stored energy over the use of fat found in other areas of the body.
  2. Intermittent Fasting: One of the best research studies on fasting showed a specific pattern of fasting reduced belly fat more than several others. In this study participants fasted for 36 hours straight followed by 12 hours of eating. The participants in this study did this pattern for 30 straight days and the results were impressive. I do not feel that you need to follow this aggressive approach to achieve good results. I have seen many patients try a 36 hour fast once every week or two and achieve results that they were very excited about.
  3. Garcinia: Garcinia cambogia is a plant native to SE Asia that has been used for centuries by traditional herbalists. Garcinia’s primary bioactive constituent, Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), has been extensively studied for its effects on citrate lyase, which is the main enzyme responsible for the cellular synthesis of fatty acids. Scientific studies indicate that in the presence of HCA, cells produce fewer fatty acids from carbohydrates. It has been shown to reduce abdominal body fat and have a moderate weight loss effect

 

 

 

Conclusion

By implementing these strategies consistently, you can effectively reduce your belly fat and improve your overall health and well-being. When done consistently, these metabolic changes will slowly mobilize body fat deposited around the belly and expel any stored hormones. Like most things in life, decreasing belly fat is a multifactorial strategy that may require several adaptations along the way. We want you to know that it is our promise to be here for you, guide you, and to help you become healthier than you have ever been.

 

 


Daryl C. Rich, D.C., C.S.C.S.