FAT-FIT-FAB journey!
When lockdown brought me in front of my mom’s scanner, I was sure that I won't be spared! She led out her tip of the finger-pointing straight to my belly “You’ve grown fat!!! I’m not going to sugarcoat it because you will eat that too.”
These words of hers led the entire room to burst into laughter. Poor me! Couldn’t regain back silence in the room for the next 5 mins.
I’m sure there are those of you out there who adore your six-pack so much that you’ve added a layer of fat to preserve it. Although having some body fat is beneficial, not all fat is made equal.
When I came across the definition of visceral fat, I discovered a harsh reality. This fat can actively raise the risk of significant health problems and so is commonly referred to as`Äctive Fat”. Visceral body fat is accumulated in the abdominal cavity. It’s close to a number of essential organs like the liver, stomach, and intestines. Besides this, visceral fat also builds up in the arteries.
Gyan Kendra Number 1:
>> A large amount of belly fat may not necessarily be accounted as visceral fat. The body also stores another kind of fat known as subcutaneous fat, which is proportional to the amount of visceral fat. Thus, your body is mostly made up of two types of fat: subcutaneous fat (found beneath the skin) and visceral fat (found around the organs).
As compared to others, visceral fat is more likely to put you at risk for major health problems. Heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and high cholesterol are only a few of the diseases connected to excess fat in the trunk. Why wait until this fat gets its storehouse built in our very own vital organs? <<
How can you measure Visceral fat?
Unlike subcutaneous fat, which can be seen on the arms and legs, visceral fat is situated inside the abdominal region and is not visible. So, how can you quantify this difficult-to-measure fat that fuels the fires to many diseases?
1. Bathroom scale? Not even okay for non-vigilant!
Measuring our body weight or Body Mass Index doesn’t really help us understand our obesity levels. What if someone has heavy bones and low belly fat. So despite all permutations, BMI will never solve our problem as bodyweight simply accounts for the entire body mass made of muscle, bone, water, and fat.
2.. Measuring Tape? Too vague to get an estimate!
This is an easy way to get a rough estimate. Wrap a tape measure around your waist and over your belly button to get an accurate measurement. Women with visceral fat have a waist circumference of 35 inches or greater. It’s 40 inches for guys. But it’s again, a crude tool that will keep us wondering if we have really solutionized our problem or not.
3. MRI?…. Uffff…be ready for heavy credit card payments!
Obviously, you can’t afford to spend your entire bonus on pricey body scans to determine whether or not you have visceral fat. Despite his bulging pockets, no doctor would even recommend the scan.
Waving your magic wand with a few funny words might twirl your hat in the air for a few seconds, but how about shoeing away your belly fat? No sci-fi movies have also dared to shed off the belly fat in a fraction of a second.
Many people dread looking at the results of that little bathroom scale. Is the scale, however, capable of telling you the complete story? While keeping track of your weight is a good thing, it’s also crucial to know what makes up your weight.
Gyan Kendra Number 2:
>> The proportion of fat to lean tissue(composed of bones, organs, muscles, body water, etc) in your body is referred to as body composition. This measurement provides a more accurate picture of your fitness. Obesity-related disorders are more likely to be developed by the ones who have a larger proportion of body fat, regardless of their weight. <<
Barring the sportsman and top-notch film world folks, we don’t see the Aam Aadmi aware of the fat level distribution in their body. Understanding fat levels in your body should be the primary goal in achieving a fit body. We see many of the routine checkups do not even include tests to check the fat levels.
STOP-MEASURE-THINK-EAT-REPEAT
Your body was designed to store fat as a reserve in the event of a famine. When you ingest fewer calories than you expend during exercise or rest, your body burns fat storage. We all know that the secret to keeping a healthy body is to consume fewer calories than you burn. This keynote has been self-branded for a long time now! If you eat too few calories or eliminate all carbohydrates, you’ll lose fluids and muscle instead of fat. In this situation, your weight will drop, but your body fat percentage will rise, making you unhealthy. So keeping the right balance will be worth it!
Imagine having a gizmo that constantly updated you on your fat levels. Actual levels that aren’t summarized by programs that need you to provide your own data. (That’s my take on some of the most popular applications with flashy marketing.)
There is just too much promise that no electoral party would dare to make.
