Just The Fats Ma'am

I have bad news (hey, whaddya' expect? It's a weight loss blog). You don't just have fat. You have two kinds of fat. (No that is not the fat version of the joke, “He's two kinds of stupid.”) . Our bodies are comprised of two kind of fat: subcutaneous and visceral. The question you should be asking yourself about now is, “why do I care?”

Well, have you ever noticed that when you loose weight belly fat is not only the hardest to get rid of but the last to go? That's probably because it is visceral fat and because visceral fat is so deeply embedded, it is twice as hard to loose. Subcutaneous fat is the fat the resides just under your skin (hence, subcutaneous – clever huh?). Diet alone will actually help to reduce subcutaneous fat. But visceral fat is a different story. It seems to be very stubborn.

Visceral fat is sometimes called organ fat, because it is the fat that not only makes beer bellies, but also wraps around your organs (very dangerous stuff this visceral fat). That is actually a bit of a misnomer because both fats are actually organs themselves. Yep – that's right. Fat isn't just a lifeless blob, it is an organ that produces hormones (we've mentioned that before) and even sends signals to a lot of other organs.

Back on topic – Visceral fat is deeply embedded, surrounds organs, and leads to all kinds of health issues including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. So, while it takes longer to get rid of, you really want to get rid of this stuff. The question is how?

Exercise - and not light exercise. You need to get at it. At least 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, 6 days a week. Don't fall into the trap that infomercials perpetuate – you can not spot reduce. In other words, sit-ups do not focus your fat burning in the stomach area. It will help tone those muscles so that eventually, once the visceral fat is gone, you'll be well toned, but nothing more.

If you want better, faster results, try interval training. It is the best way to loose visceral fat. Interval training basically means going at the exercise hard very briefly and the taking it a little easier for a bit, then repeating the process. You may recall me mentioning that as I get into shape I like to start each mile of my bike ride with a sprint. Well, as I continue to get into shape, I like to increase the interval at which I do a sprint but, at the same time, I shorten the length of the sprint.

Research shows that the quicker the intervals of intense work out, the greater the results in lowering visceral fat – even when the duration of each intense workout segment is shorter! So, as I ride my bike I sprint for say 10 sections of pavement then peddle at a moderate pace for 15 – sprint, peddle – sprint, peddle – sprint, peddle – sprint, peddle.

So, find the interval training that works best for you and get at it! We've got fat to burn!

I'm looking for weight loss topics you'd like to know about. So, let me hear from you.

Keep at it – you can do this!