There are different types of belly fat in females with different approaches on how to lose them depending on the type.
Knowing which belly type you have is important for you to find the best available steps on how to lose stubborn belly fat on your road to physical fitness.
We have researched the 4 different types of belly fat in females plus how to lose yours. This will guide you in achieving effective ways in reducing belly fat. Continue scrolling down to get the best tips for your to stay healthy and with that great lean look.
About Belly Fat
To help you understand better body fat before we proceed to the different belly fat types, one important thing to know about is the two different types of fat in the body.
Two types of belly fat make up the overall body fat, the first one is known as the subcutaneous fat that just lies under the skin, and the visceral fat that lies in the abdominal cavity and surrounds the organs.
Subcutaneous Fat
The subcutaneous fat is the one you can see and grab, and it’s the kind that causes the muffin top or love handles. Subcutaneous fat is not as dangerous as visceral fat, but it can still lead to health problems if it’s in excess.
Visceral Fat
The visceral fat is more concerning because it’s the one that’s closely linked to chronic diseases. More visceral fat can lead to heart disease, stroke, insulin resistance, and even some cancers. This type of fat is also more difficult to lose.
Now that you understand the two different types of belly fat, let’s proceed to the 4 different types of belly fat in females and practices that can help you achieve weight loss.
Stress or Adrenal Belly Fat Type
The stress or adrenal belly type is caused by the cortisol hormone, also known as the stress hormone. The appearance of this belly type as one of the woman belly types is that of a sagging belly that reaches down to the lower belly and hips.
The increase in stress leads to over production of cortisol hormone as a coping mechanism and results in fat accumulation in the belly. So, if you have been experiencing a lot of stress and noticed that your belly has slumped to your lower belly and hips, you might have stress or adrenal belly fat type.
Symptoms of Adrenal Belly Fat Type
The following are symptoms of an adrenal belly fat type:
- Increased craving for chocolate and salty foods
- Anxiety and jitters
- Poor memory, worrying, and brain fog
- Trouble sleeping and fatigue
- Irritable Bowel Movement
How to Lose Stress or Adrenal Belly Type
The two ways to lose stress or adrenal belly fat type would be primarily lifestyle changes followed by diet changes. Because this belly fat type as the name suggests is caused by too much stress in the body, losing belly fat can happen by reducing stress from your day-to-day activities. See below for tips on how to lose stress or adrenal belly fat type.
Lifestyle Changes to Lose Belly Fat from Stress or Adrenal Issues
- Practice Meditation for stress management. Meditation lowers the stress levels in the body and in turn helps to lose belly fat fast.
- Identify which day-to-day activity is highly stressful for you and find ways to get rid of the activity or make changes to make the activity less stressful for you. If your current job is causing a lot of stress then you might want to consider finding a less stressful job that would benefit your health in the long run.
- Get adequate sleep. This is very important for an adrenal belly fat type. Getting a good amount of sleep every day would lower your stress levels. Less sleep can result in too much belly fat.
- Be patient with yourself and avoid overthinking things. If you make mistakes, be kind to yourself and not overanalyze things that will cause your stress levels to skyrocket.
- Cut down on alcohol. When the body is in a state of constant hungover, more stress hormones are released.
Diet Changes to Lose Stress Belly Fat
- Avoid a low protein diet.
- Add more protein to your meals. More protein supports the adrenals.
- Eat more vegetables and anti-inflammatory foods. These foods can help you lose weight in the long run.
- Cut down on sugars and processed foods to stabilize blood sugar levels.
- Cut down on caffeine.
- Take probiotic supplements for healthy gut and digestion.
Thyroid Belly Fat Type
A thyroid belly fat type also belongs to the different types of women’s belly fat. This belly type is usually characterized by an overall weight gain not just in the belly but also apparent body fat in the face, arms, and thighs. Diet and exercise will not be much of help to this bell fat type as it is caused by an imbalance in the thyroid hormone levels resulting in visceral fat, water retention, and puffiness, especially on the face.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the lower front of the neck. It secretes thyroid hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism. As one of the fat belly types, Thyroid Belly Type happens when the thyroid gland is not functioning properly which can result in weight gain and water retention.
Symptoms of Thyroid Belly Fat Type
The following are symptoms of a thyroid belly fat type:
- An enlarged thyroid gland (goiter)
- Cold feet and hands
- Puffy face and weight gain
- Fatigue and feeling tired all the time
- Excess fat that causes saggy underarms
- Food cravings
- Difficulty concentrating and irritability
- Sweating at night when sleeping
How to Lose Thyroid Belly Fat
To get rid of belly fat caused by thyroid problems, first, you have to know the root cause causing more belly fat to form from possible thyroid issues and that can be identified by consulting your doctor. Request a thyroid test and discuss with your doctor about the results. Aside from consulting with your doctor, the following lifestyle changes and diet changes can also help in belly fat loss caused by thyroid problems.
Lifestyle Changes to Lose Belly Fat Caused by Thyroid Issues
Just like the stress or adrenal belly fat type, managing your stress levels is also important to reduce the pressure on your thyroid glands to lose fat. You will also need adequate sleep and you can also practice meditation to manage your stress levels if you’re keen on losing belly fat.
Diet Changes to Lose Thyroid Belly Fat
- Lower carbs and avoid sugary foods and sugary drinks.
- Get Vitamin D supplements if you’re not getting enough sunshine.
- Check your Iodine intake. Iodine helps in the production of thyroid hormones.
- Cut down on grains or gluten products.
- Do not restrict your calorie intake.
- Take care of your gut health, there are probiotics and prebiotics have even helped to burn fat and lose weight.
Liver Belly Fat Type
One of the different belly fat types for women is the Liver Belly Fat type. A Liver Belly Fat type is when the visceral fat surrounding the liver increases because of impaired liver function. This type of belly fat is closely related to alcohol consumption and other lifestyle choices that may damage the liver. This can also lead to fatty liver disease when too many fats are in the liver.
The appearance of a liver belly is likened to that of a beer belly. The apparent abdominal fat is also a visceral belly fat because of the fat surrounding the organs. Touching your belly if you have a Liver Belly Fat type may feel tight and hard to touch. Another cause of the protruding lower belly fat is that there could be a fluid build-up caused by your damaged liver. To lose belly fat for a liver belly fat type means to understand how your liver functions when it comes to the accumulation of total body fat.
First, let’s know more about visceral fat as mentioned earlier. This type of fat is dangerous as this abdominal fat is wrapped around internal organs, in the liver and intestines which are major organs in the body. Weight loss is very important if you have high visceral fat because too much visceral fat leads to serious health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Liver Belly Fat Symptoms
Weight gain in the abdominal area associated with the high-waist circumference
- An increase in waist circumference
- Elevated levels of triglycerides
- Elevated levels of cholesterol
- Insulin resistance and elevated levels of blood sugar
- Accumulation of visceral fat in the liver (steatosis)
How to Lose Belly Fat Caused by Liver Issues
There are different lifestyle changes and diet changes that can help to achieve weight loss for the Liver Belly Type. The following are the recommended lifestyle changes and diet changes that can tremendously help you achieve belly fat loss if you have the Liver Belly Type.
Lifestyle Changes to Lose Liver Belly Fat
- The first step is to cut down on alcohol consumption. Less alcohol consumption can help burn belly fat in the long run.
- If you drink alcohol, make sure to do so in moderation only. Too much alcohol can increase your body fat.
- You should also quit smoking as this can damage your liver cells which can result in the accumulation of total body fat.
- Add exercise to your daily routine and make sure to engage your core muscles to help reduce fat accumulation in your liver and burn calories. Exercise also has a lot of health benefits aside from losing weight.
Diet Changes to Lose Liver Belly Fat
- Cut down on simple carbohydrates such as sugar, sweets, pastries, sugary beverages, etc. Focus more on having a healthy diet and avoid incorporating more calories into your diet.
- Avoid processed foods as much as possible. Taking out processed foods from your day-to-day intake might surprise you with how much you can reduce belly fat.
- Increase your intake of fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc.
- Eat more protein-rich foods such as lean protein like fish, tofu, etc., and avoid a restrictive diet.
- Be cautious in your food choices and do not readily believe that there is a magic diet that can solve your problems right away.
Hormonal Belly Fat Type
Last but not the least of the different belly fat types is the hormonal belly fat type. This type is usually seen in women during menopause when there is a drop in the levels of certain hormones such as estrogen. This type of belly fat can also be seen in women who are taking birth control pills or other hormonal contraceptives.
Hormonal Belly Fat Type when it comes to appearance shows a pooch under your belly button. You will also notice that fat stores more in your thighs, hips, arms, and breasts.
Symptoms of Hormonal Belly Fat Type
The following are symptoms of hormonal belly fat type:
- Gain weight around the abdominal area
- Heavy periods and cramps
- Headaches and migraines
- Unexplained anger
- Hot flashes and fibroids
- PMS and sleep problems
How to Lose Hormonal Belly Type
To lose excess weight from hormonal belly fat, the important thing to do is fix the root cause of the problem which is your hormones. To lose belly fat for hormonal belly type, you have to normalize your hormones. The following are lifestyle changes and diet changes that can help to regulate your hormones for weight loss:
Lifestyle Changes to Lose Hormonal Belly Fat
- Ask your doctor for advice to test your hormones. This is helpful, especially for women going through the menopausal stage.
- Avoid excessive exercise as exercise leads to high cortisol levels that result in stress.
- Reduce alcohol intake and make sure you get enough sleep every day.
- Avoid stress and anxiety.
Diet Changes to Lose Hormonal Belly Fat
- Choose organic dairy and meat for your diet.
- Avoid soy and GMO products as this can have adverse effects on hormone balance.
- Avoid processed and sugary foods.
- You can also practice Intermittent fasting which is known to control hormones.
- Cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, and cabbage can help balance estrogen and progesterone. Add them to your diet.
Conclusion
Knowing which belly fat type you have is important to effectively find ways to lose that unwanted belly fat that brings health complications. Belly fat is not only aesthetically unpleasing, but it is also a sign of poor health.
Losing belly fat requires making some lifestyle changes and having a healthy diet. Losing weight, in general, will help reduce belly fat.
The good news is that there are ways to lose belly fat for all types. Just make sure to focus on a healthy diet and exercise routine to help you achieve your goals.
