Visceral Fat?

Question
Hi
I am 55.
In my early 40's I started to get the typical male beer belly.
I have reached a 'stasis point' now where it is not getting any smaller or any bigger, thanks to a lot of walking and watching my refined carb. intake.
I have worked for a long time where I am and there is a large workforce, and I am noticing a lot of guys that were slim in their 20's are now getting the same belly as me as they get older.
Like mine it is quite firm.
Is this what is called visceral or internal fat?
I also notice a lot of the gals are getting pretty heavy in the hips.
Is this type of fat deposition fairly normal?
Of course there are those that though they look older facially are still the same weight as when they started working here.I assume this is genetic.
Is there any way to overcome this? I probably eat less than I did when I was younger and I am more active.
BTW I switched to taking long walks from my usual daily 30 minute jog when my knees started to hurt, and it seems to be more helpfull for fat loss-I actually pulled my belt in a notch. This puzzles me I thought running was better than walking?!
Thanks for your thoughts!  

Answer
Hi,

Visceral fat is different from other body fat. Visceral fat is the fat that surrounds the internal organs. Subcutaneous fat is body fat that is close to the skin's surface and is considered less dangerous, and easier to lose, than visceral fat.

In order to help with losing all fat in the body you need to do the following if possible:-

You need to eat lean protein like chicken, turkey, pork and lean beef. Also you will need energy in the form of complex cars, like whole meal pasta, cereal, and grains. Also any sports drink that has maltodextrin and where 70% or more of the carb content is not sugars.

Try to eat whole wheat products. They have sugars but their form is complex carbs, so they break down slower than simple cars (sweet tasting). Complex carbs help to sustain exercise. Try to consume foods low in fat, low in cholesterol, low in salt and low in added sugars. Include lots of complex carbohydrates (such as whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta), fruits and vegetables. For the liquids you can consume sports drinks that have a high amount of a complex carbs like Maltodextrin.

Carbohydrates are in 2 forms, simple (e.g.: glucose, fructose, sweet tasting foods) and complex (Maltodextrin, whole meal pasta, potatoes etc..). The 100 calories of simple carbs will generally need to be used by your body immediately, or they will be stored as fat.
Complex carbs take longer to break down, so if you do prolonged exercise then most will get burned up. But all excess carb calories generally will be stored as glycogen by your liver then fat as storage for later use.

What about where you workout, do you use a gym? A good weight training program will be required to put on muscle, otherwise a lot of food would start to be built up as fat.

Have you had a body fat percentage test yet? That is a good indicator to see what kind of weight you have put on over a period of time. That way you will increase muscle mass and also reduce fat (fat under the skin) to show off

Joining a gym has the following benefits:-

A) Get the correct instruction for working out,
B) Get the correct advice for exercises from a personal trainer
C) Get access to many different machines to build up your complete body fitness from strength, aerobic fitness to core inner strength to stretching and balance exercises.
D) General motivation from like minded individuals.

You need to get a balanced workout for all muscle groups. All muscles work together in the body and all need even amount of training. And don抰 forget stretching is important as weight lifting can reduce flexibility.

Thanks.

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