7 reasons why you can’t get rid of your belly fat

Belly fat is the worst! Not only can it make us feel self-conscious, but this type of fat is notoriously dangerous as it wraps itself around our organs. People with visceral belly fat are also more prone to heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

If you’re struggling to get rid of your belly fat, even while following the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge, it could be for a variety of reasons. Here are 7 reasons why you may be struggling.

7 reasons why you can’t get rid of your belly fat

1. Your diet isn’t healthy

If you’re eating junk food regularly, it will impact your health in many ways, especially around your belly, as too much salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates contribute to fat storage.

Ditch the takeaways, sweets and soft drinks and try incorporating foods like green leafy vegetables into your diet and drinking more water. Want to know about more foods and drinks that will BLAST belly fat? See our list here.

2. You drink too much

Unwinding with some wine often feels like a treat, but too much alcohol is linked to weight gain as it contains a lot of empty calories. Generally speaking, alcohol intake is associated with having a bigger waist, because when you drink alcohol, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat. Plus when you drink a lot, it makes you want to reach for unhealthy food choices.

If you want to drink alcohol, try to have one glass of water between each alcoholic beverage to limit your intake and eat something with lots of veggies beforehand.

3. It’s a hormonal thing

When we’re young women, fat is more concentrated around the hips and thighs so we can bear healthy children. But once we get older, our oestrogen levels change and the fat tends to move to our bellies.

You may have a hormonal imbalance. A common disorder is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which can cause weight gain because the body struggles more when using insulin. This insulin resistance means that glucose and sugar can build up in the blood stream, not only resulting in weight gain but also making it virtually impossible to get rid of that fat.

But it’s NOT impossible! Read more about PCOS here.

4. You’re stressed out

For many busy mums, stress is an all too real problem! But when you’re stressed, the body releases a hormone called cortisol which makes it much easier to store fat, especially around your belly. And when we’re stressed, it’s very easy to comfort eat.

Try clearing your mind with a walk, a bit of yoga or just having a bit of down time with our Mind Body and Breath sessions on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.

5. You’re exercising too much

Working out to the extreme surely means you’re going to banish belly fat, right? Turns out that if you’re pushing yourself to the max with your workouts and exercising excessively, you are raising your cortisol levels. Lower your cortisol levels by finding the right workout for you that you’ll still feel the effects from, but one that won’t cause you too much stress!

6. You’re only doing crunches

It’s a common myth that if you want a six pack of chiseled abs you need to be doing thousands of crunches a day. Sure, core strengthening can help but if you really want to get rid of belly fat, you need to work the whole body.

Work on multiple muscle groups with full body and high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. That way you’ll get toned arms and legs too!

7. You have a medical condition

These are more serious, but certain medical conditions like Cushing’s disease and liver disease mean you’re more likely to develop a bit of weight around the middle. Similarly, people with type 2 diabetes are also more susceptible.

Be sure to chat to your doctor if you are struggling to lose weight while you follow the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.