A big stomach without being overweight often points to bloating (gas, food intolerances, constipation, IBS) or weak core muscles causing a forward pelvic tilt (anterior pelvic tilt) that pushes the belly out, rather than excess fat. Other factors include visceral fat (deep, hormonal fat) that can accumulate even in slim people due to stress, poor diet (processed foods), lack of activity, or hormonal changes, and sometimes underlying conditions like gastroparesis or thyroid issues, requiring lifestyle changes or medical advice.
If you're skinny everywhere, but your belly, your genetics may simply predispose you to storing fat from excess calories there. Certain types of food are also more likely to cause you to accumulate middle fat. Sugary foods and refined, white carbohydrates are culprits.
Many women notice an increase in belly fat as they get older even if they don't gain weight. This is likely due to a lower level of estrogen because estrogen seems to have an effect on where fat is located in the body. Genes can contribute to an individual's chances of being overweight or obese too.
This is commonly caused by food intolerances, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eating too fast or eating foods that cause bacteria in your gut to produce more gas (eg beans, broccoli and cauliflower). However, in some cases, there may be an underlying health condition causing your stomach to bloat.
Your belly could be appearing larger due to a few factors like bloating, poor posture, or weak abdominal muscles. Even if there's not much fat, bloating from gas or digestion issues can make the abdomen stick out. Sometimes, retaining fluid or having food intolerances can also cause this effect.
Body Shapes with the Highest Risk of Health Problems
Apple and pear body shapes tend to have the highest risk. Apples tend to be at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and strokes because they hold a larger amount of tummy fat.
In most people, about 90% of body fat is subcutaneous, the kind that lies in a layer just beneath the skin. If you poke your belly, the fat that feels soft is subcutaneous fat. The remaining 10% — called visceral or intra-abdominal fat — lies out of reach, beneath the firm abdominal wall.
Here are additional suggestions to decrease bloating:
Functional reasons for a distended abdomen tend to involve digestive problems that cause gas and/or digestive contents to accumulate. Causes might include: Gas from functional indigestion, food intolerances or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Constipation causing a build-up of feces and back-up of digestive contents.
The only way to lose fat around your middle is to lose overall fat from your body. You can do this by being more active and eating healthy foods. The reason you lose fat when you move more and eat less energy (calories) is because your body uses up more calories than it has creating what's called a 'calorie deficit'.
“When you gain weight and start to grow extra body fat, one of the first places that it grows is in the back of your tongue,” Li said. Unlike the flexible tip or the strong, muscular middle, the base of the tongue acts like a “big fat pillow,” he explained, helping chewed food slide down into the stomach.
Here are 10 common foods that may be contributing to chronic inflammation and belly fat.
So, does “mom pooch” go away? Yes — at least, most of the time. Although postpartum belly is stubborn, the good news is that eventually, much of it will disappear on its own. Just as you experience hormonal changes during pregnancy, your hormones shift after you've given birth.
8 Ways to Lose Belly Fat and Live a Healthier Life
A hormonal belly typically appears as accumulated fat around your waist, typically towards your lower waist. There are a few tell-tale signs that this excess weight is due to hormonal causes: You're only gaining weight around your abdomen. Women typically gain weight on their butts, hips and thighs.
PCOS belly refers to weight gain around your midsection. It's a common concern for many women with PCOS. “Having PCOS can lead to what we call an 'apple shape,' where you carry excess weight around your belly even when the rest of your body is lean,” Dr. Thigpen shares.
Stress, genes, aging, pregnancy, and weight gain are all common reasons people get lower belly fat. Though some fat in this area is natural, there are a variety of solutions to reduce stubborn belly fat, which we'll examine in this post.
If you had a baby months ago and have a belly bulge that won't go away, it could be a sign of diastasis recti—a separation of your abdominal muscles. See how it's treated. You gain weight over 9+ months of pregnancy, so it's normal to take 9+ months to get back your pre-pregnancy body after your baby is born.
Drinks that may reduce bloating include water, certain herbal teas, and fermented drinks like kombucha and kefir. Carbonated beverages, as well as drinks containing artificial sweeteners or caffeine, may lead to bloating.
Explain the difference between bloating and fat.
Fat will largely stay the same throughout the day and will only change slowly over time. Bloat will not generally show up on the scale is large changes, unless it is related to something else such as too much stool.
Poor sleep can lead to a variety of digestive issues, including bloating, heartburn, and irregular bowel habits. Studies show that people who get fewer than seven hours of sleep each night are more likely to experience digestive discomfort.
It's no surprise that the best one-two punch for reducing visceral fat is a combination of exercise and a healthy diet. However, the type of exercise matters, as does how you adjust your diet. “To fuel belly fat burning, you need to build muscle mass, which means increasing resistance exercise,” says Dr. Apovian.
Cortisol belly simply looks like abdominal fat, and there is no way to identify it by appearance. More important than its appearance is what cortisol belly can do to your health.
The stomach is supposed to be soft, since a rigid or hard abdomen can be a sign of appendicitis or peritonitis. It's also not supposed to be distended, or swollen beyond its standard size.