How to reduce visceral fat?

If you're asking this question right now, you're not alone. Studies have shown that the stomach is the area of the body that people are most self-conscious of. Almost everyone would like to drop a few pounds of belly weight and tighten their waistline.

So, why does it seem so difficult to get rid of visceral fat?

This article is going to explain everything you need to know:

• ​What is visceral fat?
• Why is visceral fat such a serious health concern?
• How can you know if you're at risk?
• What mistakes do people make when trying to reduce visceral fat?
• What's the best way to get rid of visceral fat for the long-term?

We've got a lot to cover, so let's get started...

There are two types of fat that accumulate around your waistline. The first, called subcutaneous fat, collects just beneath your skin. This is the soft, jiggly fat that you can grab with your fingers.

As you can see here, subcutaneous fat forms a layer just beneath your skin

The second type of belly fat is known as visceral fat. Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is buried deep within your abdominal cavity, surrounding your internal organs.

This side-by-side comparison shows how tightly packed the abdominal cavity can become with visceral fat

While you'd want to avoid or get rid of large deposits of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat, it's visceral fat that can have the biggest impact on your health. Visceral fat is the most dangerous fat. Keep reading to find out why...

There are many motivations you may have to want to reduce visceral fat, but the video below explains the main reasons why it's so dangerous to your health. 

NOTE: The videos in this article are from a 4-part course I teach called The Visceral Fat Education Series

Here's a summary of what you just learned in this video about the dangers of carrying too much visceral fat:

It's one thing to understand the dangers of carrying excess visceral fat, but it's a completely different story to know if this is the case for YOU. Do you have too much visceral fat?

In the next section, I'll explain 3 tests you can use to determine if you are in the visceral fat "danger zone."

There are 3 simple tests you can take right now to determine whether or not you are carrying dangerous levels of visceral fat around your midsection.

Watch the video below to learn how to measure visceral fat:

Here's a recap of the 3 tests to determine if you're in the "danger zone" for visceral fat:

Remember, if one of these tests suggests that you are at-risk for carrying too much visceral fat, it does NOT necessarily mean that you are in the danger zone right now. You may just need to be proactive to ensure that you don't store any more visceral fat in the future. 

However, if two or all three of these tests suggest that you are in the danger zone, it's time to take action right now. Keep reading to learn what you can do... 

If carrying too much abdominal fat is such a common problem, why aren't more people taking the needed steps to change? Why does visceral fat seem to be a problem that won't go away?

In most cases, it's a misinformation problem. People think they are doing the right things to reduce visceral fat, when in reality, the measures they're taking might actually be making the problem worse!

Watch the video below to learn about the 3 visceral fat mistakes most people get caught up in:

In summary, there are 3 common approaches people take to shrink their waistlines, none of which are effective:

You now know what NOT to do in order to reduce visceral fat, but that leaves one very important question: How can you get rid of visceral fat and keep it off? Let's take a look...

There are many actions you can take to fight visceral fat, but I want to give you the 3 that you absolutely need to start with.

If you commit to taking these 3 steps, your body will be in a perfect place to first stop visceral fat from accumulating, and then it will begin burning the visceral fat that you are already carrying. 

Ready to learn the 3 steps to lose that visceral fat?

If you watched the 3 videos from my Visceral Fat Education Series (above), you've already heard me talk about inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a disorder that leads to wear and tear on your internal body. And, when your body is dealing with inflammation, it is nearly impossible to shed visceral fat.

Fortunately, all of the 3 steps I'm outlining here are excellent inflammation fighters, and the first one begins with the food you eat.

Here's a very simple rule of thumb to follow if you're serious about getting rid of your visceral fat: Eat 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and make sure at least 6 of those are vegetables. 

Why aim for 6 servings of vegetables and only 3 servings of fruit? Here's a clear explanation in another article I wrote on the topic.

If this is the only change you make to your diet, you are going to see a tremendous reduction in the amount of visceral fat your body carries.

You need to drink more water. 

I often tell my clients this and they assure me they're drinking more than enough. I'm skeptical, mostly because I know how much I personally struggle to drink all the water I need!

Here's the calculation I recommend you follow: Divide your weight (in pounds) by 2. That's the number of ounces of water your body needs. Now, take that number and enter it here to get your daily target measured in cups.

Are you drinking this many cups of water every day? If you really want to reduce your visceral fat, you'll start today!

When you have a goal of losing fat, there's a temptation to exercise longer and harder. After all, that's what you've been told in the past: Burn more calories and you will get skinny.

Unfortunately, as you already know, more of the WRONG type of exercise will NOT get you the results you want. You need to exercise consistently, but not with such intensity that your body becomes physically stressed and falls back into a pattern of chronic inflammation.

This video explains what type of exercise I recommend to my clients:

Remember, you do NOT have to exercise longer or harder to shed belly fat. In most cases, more intensity is the exact opposite of what your body actually needs. 

Instead, aim for consistent movement, like the kind I teach in my Low-Intensity Fat Loss (LIFL) workout program. If you move like this each day, your body shape and size will be transformed.

Storing fat around your midsection can make you feel unattractive and frustrated, but even more than that, it can threaten your health.

Begin by taking the 3 tests we discussed earlier to see if visceral fat is a problem you need to be concerned with. If so, don't wait to make some simple changes that will reduce visceral fat naturally: 

You now know everything you need in order to get rid of your visceral fat and to live a healthier life. It's time to take action: Will you begin taking the 3 steps outlined above? You can start today!