Do you like to wear elegant and fashionable clothes? For a woman over 40, there is often a problem with them: they are tight and reveal excess fat. Especially belly fat does not look good in tight clothing. Recently, a woman over 40 told me, “I need to lose belly fat now! Summer is coming, I want to put on my old clothes again!”
Of course, a woman over 40 also wants to look good in winter, but on the beach, at a pool party, or simply excluding thick winter clothing from her wardrobe, belly fat becomes particularly unsightly. Losing belly fat is often difficult for a woman over 40, and it is much more than just a visual problem. Belly fat is a serious health hazard.
Belly fat can accumulate both above and below the abdominal muscles. And that’s the main difference between belly fat that just doesn’t add to your beauty and belly fat that is really dangerous.
- If the fat deposit is more or less directly under the skin and above the abdominal muscles, it is not pleasant to see, but to some extent it is not really dangerous. This type of body fat is mainly caused by eating too many calories, even if they come from healthy foods. You can also overeat healthy foods!
- If fat accumulates inside your belly, below your abdominal muscles, you are putting your health at risk. This fat surrounds your internal organs and is very active in your metabolism. It emits fatty acids into the blood, which makes the blood thicker. Also, it releases hormones that cause many dangerous processes in your body, making permanent weight loss difficult for a woman over 40. This particularly dangerous type of fat often comes from eating too much sugar, fat, and lack of exercise.
If you have accumulated a buildup of soft fat on your abdomen, it is probably fat in the upper part of your abdominal muscles. If you can feel the muscles in your abdomen, then the fat is within your abdomen (below the abdominal muscles).
You have probably heard of BMI (body mass index). There is another method to assess your health risk when it comes to body fat: Measure the circumference of your abdomen. Take the standing measurement and get your biggest circumference. For an initial assessment, check your health risk in the table below:
- Men: 37 inches or more: short
- Men: 40 inches or more: Medium
- Men: 42 inches or more: Tall
For a woman, the health risk is even higher:
- Women: 32 inches or more: short
- Women: 35 inches or more: Medium
- Women: 37 inches or more: Tall
Hormonal changes after age 40 make it increasingly difficult for a woman over 40 to lose ugly and dangerous belly fat. If you are a woman over 40, you have probably already tried various diets and have tried unsuccessfully to lose belly fat for a few years. You might consider a custom program specifically designed for you to lose belly fat permanently.