Visceral fat, although dangerous is easier to get rid of than subcutaneous fat if you follow the right diet. I know this for a fact after years of dieting so I speak from first-hand experience. Here are 5 signs you are losing visceral fat according to science.
After having my kids, I found it a lot harder to lose belly fat, I couldn’t fit in my clothes anymore and felt like I had a ball sitting in my upper belly. That was when I went to see a dietician and she put me on a low-calorie diet plan.
After the first few weeks, I wasn’t losing weight so she ordered some blood tests. The results showed that I was pre-diabetic, and my cholesterol, CRP and cortisol levels were through the roof!
I was also diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis which caused my elevated CRP (C-reactive protein) levels.
That was when I realized that this wasn’t a joke anymore, I had to do something, dieting alone wasn’t getting me results.
I started going for 1-hour walks daily, removed processed, sugary foods and drinks from my diet, and started researching a lot on healthy food options.
I decided to become a skinny fit mama and that’s how this blog was born. When I started, I weighed 130kg, now I weigh 90kg. My goal weight is 70kg because I’m 5 feet, 8″ so I have 20kg to go! Wish me luck.
Please note that the content in this post is for informational purposes only. I am not a doctor or a dietician. I simply do a lot of research and also share my personal experiences of conditions and results I’ve gotten. Read More About Me Here:
So What Is Visceral Fat?
Visceral fat is a type of fat that is found deep within your body that is hard to the touch. It is usually found between your muscles and internal organs and makes up 10% of your total body fat.
People with high amounts of visceral fat usually have a large apple-shaped belly which is also called a beer belly.
Having too much visceral fat is very dangerous and has a lot of health risks. The good news is that it’s really easy to get rid of visceral fat. In most cases, all you have to do is change your diet, drink enough water, and work out more.
What’s even better is that once you get rid of visceral fat, you may also successfully reverse conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and prediabetes. (which I did)
Visceral Fat Symptoms
Visceral fat may not always have symptoms, in fact, some people carry a high amount of visceral fat and don’t even know it. However, one of the most common symptoms of visceral fat is fatigue.
You see when fat accumulates around your internal organs such as your heart, lungs, liver, and intestines, these organs stop working properly.
Daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea are also symptoms of visceral fat due to low oxygen levels and cytokines. Cytokines are an immune compound produced by fat cells that leads to daytime sleepiness.
So if you get tired easily during the day, feel sleepy when you shouldn’t, and experience sleep apnea, you may have a high percentage of visceral fat.
Another common symptom of visceral fat is inflammation, this study shows that people with a lot of visceral fat had higher inflammatory markers than those who didn’t.
Other serious symptoms include high cholesterol, prediabetes, diabetes, heart problems, fatty liver, and high blood pressure.
Visceral fat symptoms include fatigue, daytime sleepiness, sleep apnea, inflammation, digestive issues, high cholesterol, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, fatty liver, and high blood pressure.
5 Signs You Are Losing Visceral Fat
I personally experienced all of these visceral fat loss signs after starting my weight loss journey. Maybe you won’t notice yours at first but hang in there, after a few weeks, you’ll start feeling and looking different, I promise you.
1. Decreased Waistline
Keep a tape measurer handy because when you start losing visceral fat, you are going to notice your waistline getting smaller day by day.
You start to close your skinny jeans more easily and some of your previously tight clothes start to fit more loosely. Make sure to document your progress by measuring your waistline weekly.
I found that it helped encourage me to continue my diet.
2. You Feel Lighter
One of the first signs you are losing visceral fat is lightness, even though it won’t show through your clothes, you will feel it.
When you start losing visceral fat, the fat cells in your body start to shrink and are evaporated through carbon dioxide, sweat, and urine.
As this happens, you begin to feel lighter. Another reason is that you might be losing water weight which helps your muscles and nerves function better making you feel more energetic.
3. You Have More Energy
Having high amounts of visceral fat decreases your oxygen levels that’s why you see people who are obese get tired or exhausted while walking, or climbing stairs.
As you begin to lose visceral fat, your oxygen levels improve and you begin to feel less fatigued.
This helps you take long walks, and do your daily chores easily and you simply start to feel so much more energetic. This is usually the second sign that you are losing visceral fat so let’s move on to #3!
4. Better Digestion
Some of the most common symptoms of visceral fat are indigestion, bloating, constipation, and acid reflux. These symptoms are caused by visceral fat pressing against your intestines and other organs that are responsible for processing foods and drinks.
With visceral fat loss, it tends to happen first around the belly area which is music to your ears right? Anyway, when you start to lose abdominal fat, it improves your digestive health.
This means less constipation, indigestion, bloating, and GERD symptoms.
5. You are Healthier
Visceral fat increases blood lipids production in the liver leading to higher cholesterol levels. With high cholesterol comes high blood pressure due to fatty deposits in the blood vessels.
When left untreated, these fat deposits may lead to less blood flow through the arteries and cause heart problems.
As you lose visceral fat, your cholesterol levels decrease, blood circulation is improved and you become healthier.
You also improve insulin and glucose function by getting rid of visceral fat.
So reduced cholesterol, glucose, high blood pressure, and heart palpitations are all signs of visceral fat loss.
6. Mental Clarity
According to this study, visceral fat or visceral belly fat can lead to the loss of gray matter in the brain.
You see, most of the brain’s nerves and cells are within the gray matter and when there is a decline, conditions like brain fog, Alzheimer’s, depression, less attention span, and cognitive decline.
Fortunately, as you begin to lose visceral fat, especially in your stomach area, you start to experience mental clarity, alertness, clear focus, and fewer depression symptoms.
How Long Does It Take To Lose Visceral Fat?
Two to three months. Yes, you heard that right! You can be completely free of visceral fat within the next three months by simply following a healthy meal plan and incorporating aerobics into your workout plan.
I was able to lose visceral fat by dieting and brisk walking alone.
What Burns The Most Visceral Fat?
Eating a healthy diet, exercising at least 40 minutes per day, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep can help you burn the most visceral fat.
Simply start by consuming fewer calories by using a calorie calculator and going for a brisk walk 3-4 times per week. (that’s how I usually start my weight loss journey)
Next, consider adding aerobics to your workout plan, I use YouTube videos cause I don’t have time to go to the gym.
Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily to help get the fat out of your urine and finally, eat foods rich in magnesium and potassium so that you improve your sleep.
This will help you lose your first 8 kilograms of water weight and visceral fat. You can also try this 7-day cabbage soup diet to lose your first 10 pounds as well.
Foods That Fight Visceral Fat
There are so many foods that help fight visceral fat and once you start adding them to your diet, you won’t only lose weight but also feel so much healthier.
Green tea, and omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods like salmon, herring, trout, cod, and mackerel are great options.
Eggs, whole grains, avocados, and probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, kefir, miso, and kimchi are great for fighting visceral fat as well.
High-fiber foods like oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley, bran, nuts, seeds, and lentils help improve digestion and aid in visceral fat loss.
Where Does Visceral Fat Go When You Lose It?
Visceral fat leaves your body through carbon dioxide when you exhale, through your pores when you sweat and through your waste when you pee.
That is why you need to drink a lot of water when trying to lose visceral fat and get enough clean air by walking at least 4 times per week.
Do You Lose Visceral Fat First Or Last?
As I mentioned, visceral fat is very dangerous but fortunately, it is very easy to get rid of and is usually the first type of fat you lose (especially around your belly area) as you begin dieting.
I hope this encourages you to start losing those pounds mama cause you will definitely feel amazing when you do!
Conclusion
There you go! You now know the signs of losing visceral fat. I hope you enjoyed reading and found the post helpful. If you did, don’t forget to save it for later.
I would also love to hear your comments below so until next time, keep on keeping fit mamas!