How to get Rid of Belly Fat -- The Reason for Belly Fat and the Key to Losing it for Good

Are you frustrated by your ever-expanding mid-section? Do you wish you knew how to get rid of belly fat? Read on to discover the key to losing your stomach fat.

It's maddening. You may actually manage to lose some weight, but it seems losing belly fat is getting harder and harder. And if you lose half an inch, you'll find a week later that it has come back -- with company.

So where does all that belly fat come from all of a sudden? One word: stress.

We live in a time of ever-increasing stress, and it's taking a big toll. And your belly fat is only part of the problem, albeit the most obvious part.

Maybe you have heard of Syndrome X. It's a combination of symptoms that often occur together:

Lack of insulin sensitivity, pre-diabetes or diabetes, high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and lots of belly fat. An additional frequent accompaniment: burned-out adrenals. It's the disease of the new millennium, and it can kill you.

We're so stressed, constantly and without mercy, that our worn-out bodies know only one way to protect us -- by padding our middles. Gaining weight is bad enough, but accumulating that unsightly fat right up front is worse, for a lot of reasons.

Why is belly fat so problematic?

Not only is belly fat one of the most unattractive types of excess fat, but it's also one of the deadliest. Fat thighs don't seem to cause nearly as many health problems.

Our bodies are trying to protect us, and at some point in the distant past, when stress was mostly caused by saber tigers chasing our ancestors, that reaction was probably helpful. Now, it's not.

Here's what happens: Stress causes an excess of stress hormones to flood our bodies, and they prevent fat from being burned and instead any and all calories that come our way to be turned into extra padding.

How do you get rid of belly fat caused by excess stress?

If your stomach has a tendency to accumulate too much fat -- and you've been stressed lately and maybe still have too much stress in your life, your focus needs to be on lowering your stress. Unless and until you get that under control, your dietary efforts will only take you so far. And there are two ways in which you need to tackle the stress in your life.

1) Reduce the overall stress in your life

There are actually two ways to approach it: Lowering the general stressfulness of your life and lowering your response to stress in the moment.

Unfortunately, lowering the stress in your life overall can be easier said than done. However, for your long-term sanity and health, not to mention a trim body, you will have to find a way to do that eventually.

2) Tame the stress of the moment

Meanwhile, it's crucial that you learn to lower your stress response in the moment. There are a number of strategies that will help with that, including deep breathing, exercise, meditation, aromatherapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). When you're wondering how to get rid of belly fat, start by lowering your stress.