I’ve considered liposuction…
Dear Donovan,
I have been struggling with losing weight from my belly for years now and I’m even considering saving money for liposuction surgery. I’ve changed my diet this year to everything fibre to including rice, cereals, low fat milk and sometimes soya milk. I even stopped taking sugar in my coffee and decreased my intake from five to three cups and started having low carb meals, increasing my daily exercise/jog routing and I am drinking green tea daily. For breakfast I’m having fruits and vegetable smoothies. Despite my efforts, my tummy is there. I sit down and it sits on my lap with me. Should I give it a few more weeks to see the results? Your input will be highly appreciated.
The issue of belly fat has regrettably become a major concern for many people all around the world. The problem with belly fat is not only in the looks, but also excessive belly fat has been associated with many lifestyle disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, increased cholesterol and cancer, to name a few. It is therefore important to get rid of your belly fat as soon as possible. I see where you have been struggling with your belly fat for years and it will take some amount of effort to get this issue under control. It would have been helpful to know if you are struggling with weight generally or just in the tummy region. I also wanted to know if the belly feels hard or soft. If the belly feels hard, you may need to do a detox programme followed by the tightening of the stomach muscles. If the belly feels soft, doing more exercise on the stomach would probably be of more importance. The long and short of your situation is that you are not getting the results you need, therefore, it means something is wrong with what you are doing on your own. I would suggest you speak with a qualified nutritionist or health professional who will help you to audit what you are doing now. For example, are your calories low enough for you to lose weight? What about the level of carbohydrates in your diet? Are you drinking enough water? How is your bowel motion? Are you doing the right exercise programme? To better assist you in getting the belly down, all these questions and more would have to be answered. I am seeing where you love coffee, but despite your reduction in the number of cups you have, you might still be having too much. I think you should consider reducing your coffee intake some more to about one cup per day. Some recent studies have linked coffee/caffeine intake to increased belly fat. In a nutshell, what some recent studies have shown is that coffee can elevate cortisol levels in the body. This can trigger fat deposits in the abdominal region as well as increase appetite. Coffee has also been shown to increase insulin and lipoprotein lipase which are the main fat storing hormones found in the body. I have also seen where you have made some changes in your diet in the last year, but I suggest you make some more. Instead of making a smoothie, you could just eat your fruits and vegetables. You could also incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Drinking soup could also be helpful. Ideally you would want to get the belly soft and then tighten up the stomach muscles with exercise.
