How to Lose Female Belly Fat

Abdominal fat seems to resist many diet and exercise programs. Medical researchers know that hormonal imbalances between male, female, adrenal hormones and insulin create the tendency to develop resistant abdominal fat. From perimenopause through menopause, progesterone levels gradually decrease. After menopause, two kinds of estrogen -- estradiol and estriol -- cease circulation in the body, according to "The No Nonsense Guide to Menopause" by Barbara Seaman and Barbara Eldridge. Estrone, a form of estrogen, attracts fat from the buttocks to the stomach area in some women. Abdominal fat produces more estrone. Losing belly fat involves exercise, nutrition and hormonal balance.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Body weight scale

Instructions

1. • 1
     Balance 10 hormones to lose resistant belly fat stores, recommends to Michael Aziz, author of "The Perfect 10 Diet: 10 Key Hormones That Hold The Secret of Losing Weight." Avoiding fake fats and processed foods help to balance your female body. Aziz reports that consuming fat-free dairy, sugar, margarine and alcohol creates hormonal imbalance. Consuming whole milk, cheese, butter, eggs, fish, and poultry help to restore balance to a woman's hormone production. Eating low fat foods helps women gain weight and stay obese, according to Aziz.
   • 2
     Reduce belly fat by managing your body's insulin production, recommends the Mayo Clinic. The estrogenic activity of belly fat may increase resistance to insulin, requiring more insulin production to metabolize sugars and simple carbohydrates. If diabetes runs in your family, presence of too much belly fat indicates a possible prediabetic condition and insulin resistance. Calculate your waist-hip ratio to determine whether you've got an unhealthy belly fat level. A waist measurement of more than 33 inches may indicate a potential health problem.

     Ask your doctor about a sensible exercise and nutrition program to reduce weight and belly fat to avoid increased potential for other serious diseases, such as breast cancer, hypertension and metabolic syndrome, also called Syndrome X.
   • 3
     Get enough sleep, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School in August 2010. In addition to decreasing your waist size and consuming enough calcium-rich foods, getting enough rest helps you lose belly fat. Stress hormones released by the adrenal glands cause an increase in blood fats. Look into mindful stress reduction practices, such as yoga. Sleeping less than five hours or more than eight hours increases a woman's tendency to store too much belly fat.

     Unlike too much fat stored on the thighs and hips, belly fat tends to collect as visceral fat. This kind of fat collects around the organs. Visceral fat also stimulates the production of proteins called cytokines. These proteins may cause inflammation in the body. Constant inflammation may trigger heart disease and other serious illnesses.