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The question, "Why should I lose belly fat," is, indeed, a good one. One reason is aesthetics. Belly fat is downright unbecoming. It looks slovenly; the result of a lifetime of not caring about how you look. But, frankly, that is not enough to motivate anyone to lose weight. Not really. Weight loss, to become a passion, requires much more than being fat. Something else must motivate. Clearly, health is among the better reasons to shed the belly fat that took years to accumulate. Why Should I lose Belly Fat? Your Heart Will Thank You Yes, belly fat is the single largest contributor to heart disease of all types short of genetics. If you are genetically inclined to heart disease and you are anywhere from overweight to obese, you increase your risk beyond all reason. When your doctor assesses you for risk for risk for heart disease three things figure into the assessment. Abdominal obesity or belly fat, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol. Any of these three symptoms suggest that you are at significant risk for a heart-related event. Two of the three adds a risk factor. With all three, the odds are stacked against you for sure. That's the bad news. The good news is that each of these risk factors may be controlled by you and without any drugs and their side-effects. In my own case, I was told by my doctor that if I didn't lower my cholesterol and my blood pressure quickly, I was at significant risk for a sudden heart-related event. My grandfather on my mother's side died suddenly of a heart attack at the premature age of 56. Pictures of him show a man (whom I never met) who was morbidly obese. He used to say, "Doctors don't know nothing," after they warned him about his weight. His heart attack at 56 came with no warning one afternoon while at work. He was found slumping over his desk by his office mate when he came back from a call. Sudden premature death is nothing to scoff at. My mom was just 19-years-old when her father died. She spoke often of the devastation to the family caused by his death. Both emotional and financial support was gone. Her mother had to go to work for the first time in years just to put food on the table for her three younger siblings. Mom was away in her first year of college when her father died. That was the end of her education. The family could no longer afford it. Belly fat not only impacts the person, its effect is felt by whole families. It is selfish to think that what you do has no ripple effect on others around you. Why Should I Lose Belly Fat? Because it is an Act of Kindness Losing your belly fat, and all the weight associated with it is an act of kindness to yourself. But well beyond that, it is an act of kindness to everyone around you as well. By acting to significantly reduce your health risks you are adding years to your expected lifespan. That is good for you. It is also good for your family. Think about it and I am certain that losing the excess pounds you carry around will be a simple decision to make. _________________________ Sara Dawson is the managing partner at The Science of Permanent Weight Loss. Her personal journey going from ‘chubby’ and unhealthy to thin and healthy is one that anyone who suffers from being overweight or in poor health, or both should know. Sara encourages you to visit her Weight Loss Blog where she shares her story along with tips and ideas for healthy weight loss.
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