What Causes Lower Belly Pooch?
Jesse Feder, Clinical Dietitian at the Memorial Regional Hospital South, says, “Women’s lower belly could be sticking out for several reasons. However, the most common reasons include bloating and/or stomach fat.” Let’s take a look at the causes:
Poor Diet
No surprise! Poor diet is the number one reason more than 59% of adults in the US have belly fat (1). Consuming too many processed foods (salami, sausage, wafers, pizza, burger, etc.) and not enough vegetables and fruits affects your body functions. This leads to slow metabolism and chronic inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation, in turn, induces fat accumulation in the belly region (2), (3).
Too Much Alcohol
There goes your weekend out the window! Kidding. Limited alcohol consumption is fine. Things go downhill when you consume more than 60 mL of alcohol every day. Alcohol causes dehydration (4). Dehydration causes inflammation and inflammation-induced weight gain. Alcohol also gets stored as fat in the body if you don’t drink enough water and workout regularly.
Lack Of Exercise
Exercising is the best way to shed fat and feel great. Leading a comfortable, sedentary life might seem easy, but it’s not recommended. To keep your body healthy and active, you have to exercise every day. Your circulation, metabolism, digestion, sleep, and brain function will improve 10 fold. The ultimate result – reduced stress and chronic inflammation.
Stress
With practice, you can be calm and think of a real solution instead of getting stressed about issues. Stress increases the chances of accumulating fat in the lower belly region. The trigger is the same – inflammation.
Pregnancy
You just gave birth to a squishy and cute life. Congratulations! But the hormonal and physical adjustments your body went through are now showing up in various forms. One of those signs is belly pooch.
Genetics
You can toss away jeans but not your genes. If you are stuck with genes that add to your belly fat problem, we feel you. Various issues like obesity, anxiety, depression, stress, diabetes, heart disease, hormonal ups and downs, etc. are hereditary. You cannot do much about it. But, don’t let that bog you down. You can counteract the effect of your genes and get rid of that tummy pooch. How? Scroll down to find out. Main Idea: A sedentary lifestyle, stress, genetics, and pregnancy might cause lower belly pooch.
How To Get Rid Of Belly Pooch Fast
1. A Good Diet Always Rewards
Nutritious and filling foods are best for losing that belly pooch. Add leafy greens and other veggies to your diet. Consume low-GI fruits like cantaloupes, grapefruits, and berries. Consume lean protein like fish, chicken breast, and ground turkey. Include plant proteins like lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, and soy. Don’t ignore healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, ghee, avocado oil, seeds, and nuts. The best way to consume these foods is to have them raw, boiled, or sautéed.
2. Eliminate High-Calorie Foods
Refined sugar, refined flour, fried foods, frozen foods, canned foods, and fast foods are high in calories. Some of these may not be high in calories, but the amount of salt, preservatives, and additives they contain make them potentially dangerous for your health. Start by reducing the consumption of these foods. Gradually, eliminate them from the diet.
3. Tone Up With HIIT
The best workout you can ever do. Draining yet highly effective, HIIT is a great way to shed fat and get a toned body. It is anaerobic exercise, and you will do small bouts of high-intensity exercises at equal intervals. Sprints, jump squats, Russian twists, leg in and out, flutter kicks, and crunches are good to tone your belly region.
4. Practice The Tupler Technique
The Tupler technique helps new mommies to rejoin the stretched connective tissues in the belly region. You have to wear a splint for six weeks and avoid vigorous exercises. After your abdominal muscles heal, you may start exercising.
5. Minimize Stress Levels
Do what you like in your free time. Make time for yourself, even if it is 20 minutes a day. Read a book, dance, paint, cook, skate, put on makeup, sing, walk, play, and meditate. De-stress as much as possible. Unwind every day and not just on the weekends.
6. Avoid Gas-Producing Foods
Certain foods may cause bloating. Avoid those. Most fast foods, sodas, cabbage, radish, cauliflower, etc. may cause bloating.
7. Avoid Being Constantly Seated
“Posture can most definitely cause a lower belly pooch. I see a lot of nutrition and training clients who can already see a big difference in their belly when they sit and stand with good posture,” says Jesse Feder. Sitting is the new smoking. Be it at work, home, or while commuting, we sit more than we stand or walk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (like brisk walking) every week to stay active (5). Main Idea: A good diet, exercise, de-stressing, and leading a better lifestyle can help you get rid of the belly pooch. What can you do to whittle away the tummy flab? First, follow this diet chart.
Sample Diet Chart To Get Rid Of Belly Pooch
Early morning (7:00 a.m.) – 1 cup water with 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds soaked overnight Breakfast (8:00 a.m.) – Oatmeal with 4 almonds, 2 dates, and strawberry/blueberry Snack (10:30 a.m.) – 1 cup green tea + 1 digestive biscuit Lunch (12:30 p.m.) – ½ cup brown rice + 3 oz chicken/fish (or 1 cup dahl) + ½ cup sautéed veggies. Snack (3:30 p.m.) – 1 cup green tea + 10 in-shell (unsalted) pistachios Dinner (6:30 p.m.) – 1 cup mushroom clear soup or Kidney bean chili
Next, do these exercises.
Exercises To Reduce Belly Pooch
1. Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle crunches work on your upper abdomen muscles, middle abdomen, lower abdomen muscles, side waist muscles, quadriceps, and calf. This is a fun workout and here’s how to do it. Steps:
2. Forward Plank
This is an excellent exercise to strengthen your core. Forward plank works on your glutes, upper and lower abdomen muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Here is how to do it. Steps
3. Side Crunches
This is a very easy but effective exercise. It works on your mid-abdomen and lower abdomen muscles, glutes, and obliques. Here is how to do it. Steps
4. Scissor Kicks
This is an exercise that looks simple and easy to do but is very effective when it comes to losing the belly pooch. It acts on your lower abdomen and upper abdomen muscles. Here are the steps. Steps
5. U- Boat
This is one more easy exercise that acts on your lower abdomen muscles. Here are the steps to do it. Steps Main Idea: Diet and exercise are a MUST to lose belly flab.
What causes upper belly pooch? Jesse Feder, “The cause of upper belly pooch can also be due to both belly fat and/or bloating.” Is it possible to lose belly pooch by skipping? Jesse opines that it is possible to lose belly pooch from skipping. Skipping can be a good cardiovascular workout that can help you burn off extra calories and, in turn, reduce belly fat. Will my belly pooch ever go away? “You can start to lose belly pooch in as little as a week. However, results can vary depending on the methods used to achieve your results. If you combine a healthy diet plan with a good exercise plan, you can see results quicker than if you were to do one or the other,” says Jesse Feder. Why is it so hard to lose a belly pooch? Insulin resistance and slower fat metabolism in the cells could make it harder to get rid of fat in certain areas of the body, including the abdomen (5). Why am I skinny but have a pooch? This could be most likely due to genetics, bad eating habits, lack of exercise, and underdeveloped core muscles. You need to modify your lifestyle and diet and work your core muscles to tone and strengthen them to help distribute the fat evenly. Is lower belly pooch normal? It could seem normal post-pregnancy, and due to genetics or aging. However, you can always work on the core muscles to reduce and get rid of the belly fat.
