(Edited)Fiber...For Belly "Girth" Reduction

This post used to be called "Fiber, For Belly Fat Reduction".  Since the article is not about belly fat reduction, I edited the title so as not to mislead anyone.  My bad!

Since I've been off of Atkins, I KNOW I'm not getting enough fiber.  I read a very interesting article in Shape magazine about how to start getting more to help lose my belly.  Who knew there was an art to it???

My belly has to have the most resistant fat on the planet!!!

http://www.shape.com/weight_loss/diets/diets/the_flat_abs_di et

I can hear Neecee squealing all the way from California!

Mary

P.S.  I ain't eating Chinese takeout nevva no mo'.

I'm sorry to say that there is no concrete, reproducible research to support that certain diets and exercise can promote the loss of abdominal or any other kind of fatty deposit in specific areas of the body. We deposit fat onto certain areas of our bodies primarily due to evolution and heredity.

When we eat a greater number of calories than we can burn, the fatty deposits start being laid down in our large muscles. It's the same when you see marbled beef at the supermarket--that is the result of the initial deposit of fat on the cow. Next, when the muscle becomes fairly saturated, fatty deposits are made under the skin. For men, they usually deposit fat on the abdomen ("beer belly"). Women either deposit on the abdomen or the hips, thighs and buttocks (the classic pear shape).

Once calorie intake is reduced and the body is forced to use the accumulated fat for fuel, subcutaneous fat is burned first, then intramuscular fat. No special diet or exercise, no matter how cunning, will make you lose belly fat first unless you put it on last! That is why ALL of the diets have, in very small print, "Shayla's results are not typical. Individual results will vary."

Unfortunately, because I've dealt with this big ol belly all of my life, I know exactly what you mean about visceral fat and subcutaneous fat and the order in which the body sheds it.

What this article is talking about is how fiber helps you shed excess body fluid by eating the right amounts of fiber, thus reducing the swelling and bloating in the abdominal region.

Maybe I should have used different wording for my post title???  It shouldn't be about losing belly fat, it's about losing abdominal circumference. 

Lord knows with the struggle I've had with this "girth" all of my life, I'll take ANY suggestions on how to get it smaller.  I figure by the time I get a 29 inch waist, my legs and arms will be all bones...Yikes!

Mary

Hi Mary, good to see you. How do you get fiber on Atkins? There is no fibre in meat, only plants? I thought you were continuing on Atkins because you have done so well on it? I hope you're not messing with all that hard work you've done!!!!!

I'm afraid Waterwench is right - there is no diet that can guarantee losing that miserable belly fat.

However I believe strongly that I'm so successful on my diet because of the fibre - as they explain in the article it fills you up and keeps thinks running and moving through. So eat those veggies.......

Skylar

Hey Sky, I've been on Atkins maintenance for three years so after taking some time off, I'm just on regular low carb which I will eat this way for the rest of my life.  It's a common misconception that there are no vegetables on Atkins because most people only see the first two weeks of the diet when you only consume 20 net carbs, the same with the South Beach Diet.  Once you move to the next phase you add in more vegetables and low glycemic fruit.  Next come the nuts and bread rungs.  I was NEVER a vegetable eater until I started Atkins on which they are REQUIRED to be a greater percentage of your daily menu as you progress and the protein decreases.  Now I'm addicted to a salad a day and who would ever think that I would enjoy cauliflower?  I use it as a potato substitute.  I used to gag on cucumbers, now my favorite salad is cucumber salad with red onions marinated in olive oil and red wine vinegar/garlic.  Yum!  So thanks to Atkins, I started eating clean and getting in my vegetables.  They do have their way of moving things right along, don't they?

Mary