The other night I was on a online hunt for ways to reduce belly fat as my middle is getting a lot thicker lately than I would like. Well, I came upon plenty of information on visceral fat and in a couple of articles I was surprised to read that belly fat can actually increase your risk of dementia. Oh no, not that too, on top of contributing to heart disease, diabetes, now it's dementia, gee, can't even enjoy a donut anymore!

On a serious note, there is more than one type of belly fat. Subcutaneous fat is the jiggly jelly like fat just under the skin that wobbles and you can pinch...it may make you feel bad but this isn't the fat to worry about..

Visceral fat is the hidden fat deep within the abdomen that crams out your inner organs and contributes to all sorts of health problems.. heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high cholestrol and triglycerides, dementia etc...even people of normal weight may have this dangerous hidden fat.

The good news is that diet and exercise helps to get rid of this fat...they say the visceral fat disappears first and then the soft jelly fat disappears after that..

Well anyways, there is hope for us...Rule
1 cut down on the donuts and
all other junk food, and guys..that
means those chips as well and yah..
I know it's only one..

2. cut down on saturated fats and trans fats

3. eat smaller portions

4. walk and exercise

5. Avoid stress as it raises cortisol,
and cortisol contributes to belly fat
and belly fat increases your risk of
dementia ha ha, how are we
supposed to do that?.

If you cheat and have a few donuts too many, that's okay because you probably won't remember...hee hee..

now I can go back to bed and worry about my belly fat LMAO

I wonder about these studies... since they really don't know what causes ALZ. "we don't know how it does it but this is the statistical information that we conjured up!" Yep, I'm a statistical skeptic.

Now off to bed with me!

Love, deb

I was quite heavy around the age of 50. Then when my marriage broke up I lost 20 pounds and the hectic life in NYC with Mom kept it down. When I came to live here at age 66 I gained a lot of weight back.

My answer was to join Curves, go to a local indoor pool even in winter, and lately, ride a 3 wheeled bike. Now at age 70 I am back to a good weight for me. I always found that exercise is better than dieting, but of course some things are no-nos .. like donuts. Once a month you can treat yourself to one, but never have a whole box in the house ...

My Mom also had a heavy time around menopause, but by the time she got Dementia she was skinny.

''I was told the water is polluted, so I stopped drinking water. I was told food is bad for you, so I stopped eating. I was told the air is polluted so I stopped breathing. That didn't work - so I just stopped listening to all the bad news!''

Love,
Martha

Good one Martha............thanks for the smile this morning. I needed one and there you are.........

Love, Chris ;)

I have a friend who eats naked in front of a mirror. She's lost a lot of weight that way! :D

Emily

Ha ha that's hilarious..think I'll try that one, but not only will I quit eating donuts but I'll be running around the block as well. Hope I remember to put my clothes on.

I hate these various studies...takes the fun out of life, doesn't it, but with this one they claim that the same dangerous fat that sits in the abdomen can also surround your brain and thus the dementia.

The big belly associated with stress is true because I've experienced it many times. Most people can figure out when they're stressed by other symptoms, but take a look at your stomach and see if it is expanded..no study needed. While it may not happen for everyone, for those unfortunates, it is a good indicator to sit back, relax and get rid of as much stress as possible.

Hugs to all my big belly friends and to those without..
LoL, every once in a while it helps to have a laugh to help deal with the pressures of life.

Martha, I haven'[t been on a bike for years but a 3 wheeler sounds awesome, I think I could handle that. Last month I seen a 3 wheeler Scooter for sale and thought that was pretty neat but the thought of being run over by a semi did occur to me, as we have very few bicycle paths around here and have to share the roadways with motor vehicles. Anyways..good for you for keeping yourself toned and trim. I'm working on it.

I have a friend who eats naked in front of a mirror. She's lost a lot of weight that way! :D

Emily

YOIKS! Yup...I'd sure loose my appetite!! I saw the title of this thread and hesitated even looking...just one more thing for me to worry about!!

I do know "stress" is a culprit for many of us...it seems to be all around us...now we have the "bulging-belly-syndrome"...ARHG!

Hmmm...hereditary...hard bump on the head...and fatty belly.........I'm a candidate for sure..............Pam:dizzy:

Martha.... I love it :) We just have to temper what we read with common sense.

Stress itself and stress eating (which I do tend to do) are both at fault for the love handles!! As you all know I have lost 75 pounds. I did it by throwing out fast food and junk food. I limit going out to eat and when I do I only eat about half of what is served. And I bought a bicycle. I had not been on a bicycle in 35 years but now I love riding. I pack at the back of the parking lot and walk to the store. I take the stairs instead of the elevator when possible. Did I tell you guys about the 9 mile walk in Hawaii? It's only 20 minutes to Diamond Head!!! It is to the base of the WRONG side to climb to the peak. 9 miles and 870 feet in elevation change later... we were back at the hotel. I weigh every morning and gauge what I eat on what the scales say. After my trip I am down to rabbit food!! Seriously... two weeks of eating out and snacking packed on 6 pounds that has to come off. I fell off my new life style in a big way. It's not a diet in my life.... it's a life style change :)

Love, deb

Deb -

(lil' deb bows at your feet ) I am truly impressed. 75 lbs is WONDERFUL. Just about what I need to lose. Good for YOU!

I lost 60 lbs 2 years ago. Watched my calories, fat and exercised every day - just a 30 min walk or a 30 min swim - took me 8 mo. And you know what? I gained it ALL back.

I was just looking at Patrick as he was talking to a friend. The kid has gotten fat. Real fat. So I went in the kitchen and threw out the chocolate cake I made 2 days ago that he can't stay out of.

Tomorrow, project lil' deb and son begins. A good egg-beaters breakfast followed by a taped workout...just 30 min worth...and even though daddy is still with us, I will no longer just sit here and eat chocolate and watch him die. Know why? Because what will happen will happen. But my son is only 13. I will not let him have my (and dh's) eating issues.

Tomorrow dawns anew. Wish me luck - and perseverance!

...lil' deb

Wish you luck lil deb. From what I read about overweight children or teens is, it's mostly caused by the lack of physical activity so the pounds come on quickly. A lot of kids spend their time infront of a computer playing games or watching tv. Of course diet will help, but get Patrick up and moving and rev up his metabolism so his body will be able to burn calories quicker.. Does he like sports, weight lifting? Apparently muscle burns off double the calories so it has it's benefit as well.

In Canada where I live, you can enroll your obese child into a Fitness activity and it can be written off as a tax write off. It seems the Canadian govt is concerned about the future health and welfare of their children. Good luck with your son.

Good Luck, Lil Deb.

We'll all just stick together and go on talk shows to cure Alzheimer's and lose belly fat. We need a slogan. ..Like Mind over Matter. :D

Me? I am always losing 20 pounds...oh I could well lose more than that but 20 pounds is my number..if I lose 20, I need to lose 20 more...and in the meantime I gain 20...oops...back to the starting point.

Love, Meg

Meg, all that matters is that your are trying and feel comfortable with the weight you are or want to become.. Rule no 1..love yourself no matter what weight you are...we do.

love
Dorri

That is something else I did Little Deb.... I stopped baking!!! It saves me time and calories. I do occasional now but not often. Then I give half of it away. It took me about 9 months to get the weight off and I have kept it off for over a year. So far so good!! Most of my life has been a yoyo up and down but I am determined to keep it off this time!!

Why don't we make that..... Mind over middle!!!

Love, deb

Oh my goodness, Dorri, this is quite a funny thread you started, and you likely did not mean it to be!!

I'm still laughing about the "eating naked in front of a mirror" bit.....

Caroline :)

That's okay Caroline..we all need to take the seriousness out of our daily lives and have a good laugh every once in a while.

Take care.

Hugs
Dorri