If you live in America you probably have seen or heard about the famous Beer Belly. Unfortunately its mostly men that suffer from beer bellies but there is a growing number of women that are joining the club. As the number of beer bellies grow, so does the question, “What causes a Beer Belly”?
A lot of men have excess belly fat, or what is known as a beer belly. While the name signifies that the cause of this abdominal fat is beer or alcohol, the truth is that there are a number of reasons why men and women develop a beer belly. In this post, I’ll go over the main causes of a beer belly.
What Causes a Beer belly?
In essence, you gain fat when you enter into a calorie surplus, meaning that you’re putting more calories in than you’re burning. While alcohol and beer are both known high calorie sources, you can get a beer belly without drinking a single drop of booze. As long as you have a calorie surplus, your body turns those extra calories to fat. Some of it will go to your thighs, arms, back, and some will go to your abs.
How come men get more beer bellies than women?
It is normally to do with body type – a man will typically gain weight in the belly area first, while a woman will normally gain weight in her hips and thighs, that is why the beer belly is more noticeable on men than women.
Why alcohol causes a beer belly
Alcohol is the second most calorie dense “food” we consume, second only to fat itself. What makes this scenario worse is that alcohol, unlike fat, contains virtually no energy or nutritional benefit – that’s why they’re called “empty” calories…i.e. they help you to put on weight which causes a beer belly, but don’t give you any of the side benefits that other calorie-rich foods do.
If you have a calorie surplus it’s either because you’re eating too much, burning too little, or both. Even if you’re working out like crazy, you may still have a calorie surplus if you eat too much. It’s about the food choices you make and the quantities in which they’re eaten. You need to focus on food which is lower in sugar, unhealthy fats, and overall calories.
This is why controlling and minimizing your calorie and alcohol intake is the first step in looking for how to lose a beer belly. With a continued high alcohol intake, even the best diet and exercise program in the world is doomed to failure.
If you liked “What Causes a Beer Belly” you may also want to check out Beer Belly Exercises – Lose Your Beer Belly.