I have a friend who said, “Sorry!” any chance she had. Whether someone accidentally bumped into her or she spoke before someone else in a meeting…she was the most apologetic woman I’ve ever met. She didn’t realize how much she said it, and how it actually sabotaged her inner confidence. It’s like she took the fault for the smallest things. And her peers (namely, her male peers) took her a little less seriously because of it. It’s funny how something so seemingly small can spiral into deep consequences…hidden hazards you may not have known of. That’s why I want to talk to you about belly fat. On the surface, we know getting rid of belly fat will help you look great. But did you know it can also be dangerous to your health? I’m talking a 275% increase in risk of heart disease….and more! Before we get into that, let’s take a look at how it all works. First thing to know is… Not All Fat is Created Equal There are two types of abdominal fat all humans have: subcutaneous and visceral. But what’s the difference? Subcutaneous fat covers up your abs from being visible (or more noticeable) and causes cellulite. It’s that layer of fat we try to get rid of for beach season. You could easily see it just by looking at the mirror. Visceral fat, on the other hand, lies deeper in abdomen under your muscle. It’s stored around your liver, intestines, and pancreas. And it’s responsible for that dreaded “beer belly.” However, it’s not exactly easy to see with your eyes and sometimes takes an MRI to see its size. Which is exactly why the dangers of visceral belly fat is “hidden.” And what causes visceral fat? There are lots of causes, but the mains ones are: genetics, exercise (or lack of!), and of course, your diet. Large amounts of calories and no exercise will result in high visceral fat, and therefore high risk of disease and illness. Why is that? Visceral fat boosts production of bad cholesterol in your arteries and forms plaque. This plaque gets inflamed and causes swelling that narrows arteries, restricting passage of blood…which increases blood pressure and strains the heart and damages tiny capillaries. And while both subcutaneous and visceral fats are dangerous in excess, visceral is far worse. How Your Visceral Fat Can Kill You (Even if You’re Not Obese) The health risk of visceral fat goes far beyond not fitting into your favorite pair of jeans. A study by European Society of Cardiology Congress discovered visceral fat is WAY more dangerous than we ever thought…especially for women over 55 years or men over 45 years. So if you fall in this age range, pay attention closely! New research from Mayo Clinic found being normal weight with excess belly fat is actually riskier than being obese! And we all know how obesity puts us at risk for disease…turns out visceral belly fat is MUCH worse. In the study, they took 12,000 Americans 18 and older. They looked at waist and hip measurements and diseases they already carried. Subjects with normal BMIs but with higher waist-to-hip ratio were TWICE more likely to die from any cause, compared to obese subjects. Even worse, they were 2.75 times more likely to die from heart disease! So if you’re not obese, it doesn’t mean you’re safe. Here’s why… People with larger midsections (and deep visceral fat) tend to lose sensitivity to insulin, a hormone that helps us burn energy. Which means, your body could be off-balance, and likely to develop insulin resistance syndrome or metabolic syndrome. People with insulin resistance often develop type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Plus, it releases more inflammatory molecules into your body CONSISTENTLY. That’s right, it happens without you even trying! Simply having visceral fat triggers the inflammation on a regular basis. And we all know inflammation makes it nearly impossible to lose weight. So, if you have visceral belly fat and want to fight this down… Here’s How to Melt Away Visceral Fat and Lose Inches Off Your Waistline Remember the #1 silent killer and anti-weight loss culprit: inflammation. So to get rid of belly fat, we want to fight the inflammation in our bodies first and foremost. But what causes inflammation in the first place? It has everything to do with your gut. If you have a sick, “leaky” gut (and I’m willing to bet most of you do), the walls of your gut break apart, making it easy for metabolic waste and microbial toxins to enter your bloodstream. A sick, “leaky” gut is caused by a couple things: 1) Antibiotics that get rid of the good bacteria 2) A poor diet 3) Stress! Stress poisons your gut’s microbes’ environment. 4) Insulin resistance. When you eat a ton of carbohydrates, you jack up your blood sugar…skyrocketing your levels of insulin, and giving you insulin resistance. Which means, instead of turning those carbs into energy, it’s stored as fat in–you guessed it–your belly. So if you want to get rid of your belly fat once and for all, you need to fill your diet with inflammation-healing foods, and incorporate intermittent fasting into your week. The Irresistible Inflammation-Busting Elixir We already talked about carbs as the culprit to inflammation. Without carbs, what can you eat? One of my favorites (and by far the most effective in fighting inflammation and melting away fat) is bone broth–it heals and protects your gut from losing beneficial bacteria it needs to fight off inflammation. Which means, sipping on delicious bone broth gets rid of the belly fat problem right at the source! Bone broth has plenty of anti-inflammatory, gut-healing nutrients. It also has collagen for smoothing out your wrinkles, protein to keep you full, and SO much more. Plus, the most evil culprit to belly fat is the Sugar Demon. And we all crave sugar every once in awhile…it’s hard not to! But adding bone broth to your diet and following my Bone Broth Diet will curb those sugar cravings that often derail your healthy diet. And best of all, you eat delicious foods you never knew were healthy. (Picture yourself eating Sweet Black Cherry jello for dessert…while dropping inches off your waistline!) Intermittent Fasting Your Way to a Slimmer Waistline I know the word “fasting” has a bad reputation. Before you write this off, let me clear the air: intermittent fasting is FAR different from starving yourself. While intermittent fasting, you take a break from eating only twice a week. Because you’re taking in fewer calories, well, you lose weight. But what’s different about this is, during intermittent fasting, I recommend you drink cups of bone broth throughout the day. Which means, you don’t miss out on nutrients on your fast days, AND you won’t be hungry. That way, it doesn’t even feel like you’re fasting or like you’re on a diet. Which is why it’s so easy to keep off the pounds and make a healthy lifestyle change once and for all! Hundreds of women (and counting!) are dropping the pounds with the Bone Broth Diet and intermittent fasting and saying sayonara to belly fat for good: Ariane C. lost 5.6 inches off her waist and 27 pounds total (17 pounds in 21 days!)…without exercise! And the weight keeps coming off. “This is a lifestyle change for me–not just another short-term fad diet.” Regina C. lost 5” off her waistline, 3” in her hips, and .5” in her thighs in only 21 days! “It changed my life and how I think and feel about food for the first time in my long journey of yo-yo dieting.” Claudia W.: “My goal was to lose 10 pounds and 2 inches of my waistline. In 21 days, I got rid of 11 pounds and 4 inches of my waist! I am SO proud of myself for this, and I look forward to the ongoing diet change after the 21 days.” It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how far you are into your healthy lifestyle. As long as you start now, and do it the right way, you could trim your waistline and get rid of that deadly visceral belly fat. It all comes down to eating healthy and incorporating intermittent fasting into your diet! Keep thinking Big and living BOLD!