Written by Lena, M.Sc. Medical Nutrition

If you’re looking for a flat stomach and better health, you’re in the right place! The fat on the abdomen is difficult to get rid of and can lead to health problems. With a little help from Almased, you can lose belly fat fast and support a long and healthy life

Topics at a glance

Reading time: 6 minutes

Why is abdominal fat so dangerous?
An unhealthy lifestyle causes visceral abdominal fat to grow.
When does visceral fat become critical for women and men?
Hormones are going crazy!
Lose belly fat – How to reduce abdominal fat through a balanced diet.
Strengthen muscles with abdominal training.
3 tips for a flat stomach.
Reduce stress and lose visceral fat at the same time.
Start burning fat with Almased.
Losing abdominal fat permanently has never been so easy!
Which type of weight loss person are you?

Why is abdominal fat so dangerous?

Not all fat is the same. There are two types of adipose (fat) tissue: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is located directly under the skin and can be pinched between two fingers. Visceral fat is located in the abdominal cavity around the organs. Visceral fat makes up only about 10% of the fat in your body, but it can have a big influence on your health.²

What many people don't know is that our fat deposits are one of the most metabolically active organs in our body. They emit messenger substances that have important functions. Belly fat sends signals to the liver to help with your metabolism (food breakdown). But some of these signals can be dangerous in high quantities.

Fat cells release molecules that cause inflammation and lead to serious health problems.² If you have too much visceral fat, you may be at risk of some cancers, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and kidney disease. Excessive fat can also disrupt your sleep, lead to diabetes, or cause pain in your joints.

If you have too much subcutaneous fat, you also might have too much visceral fat. Extra belly fat is a sign that you might need to make a change toward a healthy lifestyle. But first, you need to know if your fat levels are too high.

Measure Your Fat at Home

You can tell if you have an unhealthy amount of abdominal fat in a few ways. One method is called the body mass index (BMI).¹ This calculation takes into account your height and body weight. An online tool can give you an estimate of your BMI in seconds.⁴ If your BMI is above 25, you’re considered overweight. If it’s above 30, it may mean obesity.

Another method to measure your fat is with your waist circumference. To try it yourself, put a tape measure around the middle of your body near the belly button.If your waist circumference is too high, you may be at an increased risk of health problems. For women, health risks begin if it’s more than 35 inches (89 cm). For men, the limit is 40 inches (102 cm). Detailed instructions on how to measure abdominal circumference are on our blog.

Body Shape Can Predict Health Risk

The general body shape and location of overall body fat can also reveal a lot about health risks. When body fat accumulates on the thighs and buttocks, it’s called a “pear shape”. Fat deposits that accumulate mainly on the abdomen lead to an “apple shape”.

The pear shape poses fewer health risks than the apple shape. This difference is because belly fat has a bigger influence on visceral fat and metabolism than other types of fat.

People of all body types should, of course, pay equal attention to their health. But if you’re apple-shaped, even if you’re not overweight or obese, you should take steps to limit your belly fat.

From menopause onward, women are increasingly prone to exhibiting the "apple shape". Postmenopausal women thus have more visceral fat compared to premenopausal women. Find out how Almased can help you lose weight during menopause!

Unhealthy Lifestyles Are Driving the Rise in Obesity

A lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet is the main cause of extra fat in the abdomen. Eating too many foods with added sugar and fat quickly leads to unhealthy weight gain.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 40% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Obesity-driven diseases such as type 2 diabetes are currently on the rise.

The change in our lifestyles is part of why we are putting on more weight and becoming more unhealthy. Our sedentary lives are making us more and more inactive. Meanwhile, our diet has more fatty, fried foods, sugary drinks, and packaged foods.

Following a healthy diet and increasing your physical activity is the best way we can tackle this growing problem. Easier said than done, right? The reason dieting can be so hard is because of the hormones that fat cells release.

When does visceral fat become critical for women and men?

The amount of unhealthy abdominal fat can be determined by the circumference of the abdomen. To do this, a tape measure is placed around the middle of the body just above the iliac crest. There is an increased risk of metabolic diseases from a waist circumference of more than 80cm in women. For men, the limit is 94cm. Detailed instructions on how to measure abdominal circumference can be found on our blog.

The general body shape can also reveal a lot about increased risk. While body fat in women is mainly stored on the thighs and buttocks, the fat deposits in men accumulate mainly on the abdomen. The female so-called "pear shape" poses fewer health risks than the male "apple shape". Nevertheless, men and women should, of course, pay equal attention to their health.

From menopause onwards, women are also increasingly prone exhibit the "apple shape". This is due to the hormonal changes in this phase of life, which also make it difficult to lose weight. Find out here how Almased can help you, especially during the menopause!

Hormones From Fat Make You Hungry

The appetite hormone leptin is made in adipose tissue. Leptin signals to the body when it is full. If excess fat has built up, this signal becomes so high that your body starts to ignore it. That phenomenon is called leptin resistance, and it makes losing weight very difficult. Despite increased leptin levels, you feel hungry all the time, so dieting is a challenge.

How can we tackle this? Break old habits and start a new healthy lifestyle! With Almased, it's easier than you think.

4 Tips To Lose Excess Belly Flat and Get a Flat Stomach

1. Start Replacing Meals With Almased

In most cases, a complete change in diet and exercise is the best way to lose excess belly fat. Nutritionists recommend a diet high in lean proteins and low in sugars and refined carbs. This can be done easily by replacing 1–2 meals a day with an Almased shake.

Almased is a meal replacement shake made from all-natural ingredients. The combination of soy, honey, and yogurt brings 27 grams of protein into every serving. With this high-protein formula, Almased helps restore the hormonal balance in your body.

Almased helps to support that “full feeling” once again. A recent study shows that Almased brings down leptin levels and other hormones involved in appetite regulation. People who replaced their meals with Almased lost weight, had more energy, and didn’t feel hungry. Another study confirmed those results and found that leptin decreased more with Almased than with other diet plans. That led to significant weight loss for the Almased dieters.

2. Eat a Balanced Diet

Complement the shakes with a selection of high-quality foods and a balanced composition of meals. With the Almased plate principle, this can be done without much thought!

Simply divide your plate into different areas. Half is reserved for vegetables in boiled or raw form. One-third of the plate should be filled with a high-quality lean protein source. These include, for example, low-fat meat or fish, cottage cheese, legumes, or tofu. The remaining space can now be filled with complex carbohydrates. Whole wheat pasta, potatoes, or whole grain breads are good choices here. Finally, include high-quality vegetable oils such as linseed, rapeseed, or walnut oil. There’s no room for processed foods or sugar-sweetened beverages.

3. Exercise for a Flat Tummy

If you want to lose abdominal fat, you should not only have a healthy diet but also be physically active. High-intensity interval training is a great way to burn belly fat and burn calories in a short time. If the body is in an energy deficit, the pounds start to fall off.

Strength training is also ideal for losing belly fat. People who do resistance training have a higher metabolic rate. That means fats ingested with food are used as an energy source rather than stored. Plus, intense exercise builds muscle mass all over the body, and the fat distribution is altered.

If exercising alone seems daunting, consider joining a program. Research has shown the positive effects of training in group programs. No matter how much extra belly fat you have, or how old you are, you can lose weight with an exercise training program.

Combining Almased shakes with physical activity is the best way to reach a healthy weight. A large trial showed that adding Almased to an overall healthy lifestyle change helped people lose more weight. Participants who took Almased saw their waist circumference shrink in just 4 weeks!

Another study looked at resistance training in middle-aged men. Almased and training together made their waist circumferences smaller and led to muscle growth.

4. Reduce Stress and Lose Belly Fat at the Same Time

A lifestyle factor that also has an impact on our metabolism is stress. Those who do not rest in everyday life can have high cortisol levels. An increased cortisol level stops the breakdown of fat, so it all gets stored in your body.

So, incorporate relaxing activities such as yoga or a walk on your way to a flat stomach. Also, make sure you get enough sleep. You can also use supplements to reduce belly fat and cortisol. An Almased shake in the evening can improve your sleep and boost your metabolism overnight.

Regular exercise can lead to a toned stomach

If you want to lose abdominal fat, you should not only eat healthily, but also be physically active. High intensity interval training, along with other endurance sports, is a great way to burn a lot of calories in a short time. If the body is in an energy deficit, the pounds also fall.

Intensive weight training is also ideal for losing belly fat. In addition, muscles are built up all over the body and fat distribution is altered. Those who have more muscle mass have a permanently higher basal metabolic rate. Fats ingested with food are thus used as an energy source rather than stored. Still not in the mood for sports? The special Almased formula has a positive effect on fat distribution and has been proven to increase energy consumption - even if you didn't make it to the gym.

3 tips for a flat stomach

Make sure you have a balanced calorie intake!

This can be done easily by replacing 1-2 meals a day with an Almased shake.

Start with strength training!

Active muscles burn free fatty acids and prevent visceral fat from accumulating.

Increase protein intake!

The high-quality multi-component protein supplies the muscles and contains a variety of health-promoting peptides.

Reduce stress and lose visceral fat at the same time

A lifestyle factor that also has an impact on our metabolism is stress. Those who do not rest in everyday life can have high cortisol levels. The stress hormone can lead to high blood pressure in the long run and blood sugar levels are also influenced by it.

You've probably heard the term "stress belly" before. This is because an increased cortisol level inhibits the metabolism and stores fat more quickly. The unsightly food cravings also occur more often when we are under stress. So, make sure you get enough sleep and also incorporate relaxing activities such as yoga or a walk on your way to a flat stomach. An Almased shake in the evening can also improve your sleep and ensure an optimised metabolism.

Start burning fat with Almased

If you want to lose abdominal fat, you can make it a lot easier with Almased. The high level of protein has a beneficial effect on subcutaneous and visceral fat.

In a 2015 study, researchers looked at the effect of Almased on visceral fat loss. They took images of the internal organs using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They found that people who used Almased had big declines in their internal abdominal fat. As the visceral fat drops, the risk to your health goes down, too. Almased is diabetic-friendly and decreases metabolic risk factors like cholesterol and triglycerides.

While you reduce belly fat, the filling shakes contain all the important vitamins and minerals. The key nutrients in Almased can boost your metabolism, support cognition, and strengthen your immune system.

How To Lose Belly Fat Naturally in 1 Week

Enjoy Almased smoothies to lose belly fat fast with the 4-phase figure plan! This plan is a great introduction to a long-term change in your diet and can help you get the figure you’ve always wanted.

Begin with a fasting phase, in which all 3 meals are replaced by Almased shakes each day. With fewer calories, you optimally prepare your metabolism for losing weight in the first few days.

In the second phase, the focus is on continuous weight loss until you have reached your personal goal. An Almased shake in the morning and evening creates the best conditions for reducing belly fat. At lunchtime, eat a delicious, balanced meal to slowly start changing your diet.

With 2 healthy meals and one shake a day, phase 3 begins. Now it's time to stabilize your weight and integrate healthy eating habits into your everyday life for the long term.

Phase 4 is also what we call the life phase. You will be a real professional when it comes to healthy eating, so put together 3 delicious meals a day. If you gain weight back, you can always find suitable weight loss recipes on our website. Almased can continue to accompany you as a flexible meal replacement when you need it.

Which Type of Weight Loss Person Are You?

No matter what your reasons are for losing abdominal fat, it's best to get started right away. Grab a friend and easily find out which Almased diet plan suits you best in our type test. It’s always easier if you can motivate each other and, in the end, enjoy your successes together.

You can also find a lot of support and great tips on how to lose weight and burn belly fat in our Almased community on Facebook. Network with like-minded people and start your new lifestyle!

Try it today and see for yourself: Almased is the best addition to your lifestyle to help burn fat.

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Lose belly fat: Here’s how to fight your stubborn abdominal fat!