Lifelong belly fat

Question
Hello! I have a question regarding losing belly fat in my stomach. I have no health issues so far but my mom has high cholesterol and blood pressure and has a similar shape as me.
I am thin but have always had a couple inches in my belly which always made me feel awkward. I've tried running and lost some of it but it won't all go away. I have always had a problem being constipated and a few other people in my family have that problem too, through the generations.
I've tried psyllium husk, prunes, running and swimming and they all do some good but my stomach doesn't ever look perfect. Though I don't exercise a whole lot. I do eat breaded foods, friend foods and have an addiction to sugar and caffeine. My energy levels go up and down throughout the day. Lately I've been drinking more water but it doesn't push the bowels out as some people tell me to do. Do you think I would lose weight in my stomach if I was able to have a bowel movement every day? Would you recommend a general diet to go about doing this? How could this be hereditary? Lots of questions, I know. Anything you can do to help I would greatly appreciate and thank you for your time!
Be well, Jenny

Answer
Dear Jenny,

There could be two things going on here: one is that you (and your family) carry your extra fat stores around your abdominal area.  This is quite a common place to carry it.  It won't all go away unless you lose weight and this may be the last place it comes off.  Doing abdominal exercises will not help you lose weight from this area, but it can firm up your abdomen and improve the appearance of the area by making your ab muscles stronger and improving your posture.

The other likely scenario is some type of intestinal bloating that makes your abdomen protrude more.  This sounds like it may be the case (although both the presence of fat and the issue of bloating can occur simultaneously too).
Sometimes certain foods make it worse: dairy is a common culprit (for which there are milks made with reduced lactose); wheat causes this reaction in many people (for which there are gluten free products) and often it's just eating a bit too much, especially of fatty foods.

One reason your energy waxes and wanes during the day is because you're getting energy from caffeine and sugar and then you have a sharp drop when this "chemical high" wears off!  If you were to try a healthy diet with whole grains and 5 to 6 small meals a day, things might level off--worth a try, isn't it?

Start with a whole grain cereal or toast and fruit for breakfast; have a mid-morning snack if there is time before lunch (like a tablespoon of peanut butter and 8 whole grain crackers or fruit and yogurt); lunch should be light, like a sandwich with a low fat protein (not hot dogs or bologna, but roast beef or tuna or turkey) on whole grain bread with maybe a small salad on the side--be sure to give yourself a small treat for dessert if you like--something under 200 calories like a serving of 2 small cookies; an afternoon snack could be a granola-type snack bar or string cheese; dinner a small portion of meat or chicken or fish with a healthy serving of veggies and some type of starch.  An evening snack ... well I happen to like the Skinny Cow ice cream treats, most under 170 calories!

These are some examples of small and nutritious meals and snacks--they'll keep your sugar and energy levels more stable throughout the day; if you get hungry you know there's another serving of food coming along in just an hour or so.

See if eating like this for a week helps the constipation and bloating.  Water is certainly essential and not getting enough can lead to constipation.  Enough exercise helps, too, and this could just be a 20 minute walk every day if you aren't exercising now.

If you like the results, this would be a great lifestyle!  I know you're thinking "I don't want to give up sugar and fried foods," but I'll tell you the truth: when people go on a healthy eating plan, the anticipation is that they will miss what they're used to--a few months after they've been on the new way of eating, the fact is they do NOT miss that ol' junk!  This is a proven fact and I can tell you it worked this way for me too!  I always had bloating and intestinal problems and was even on medication for it, but when I finally tried giving up the McDonalds and pizza and all those foods I thought I couldn't live without, I feel wonderful!  Never have stomach aches anymore and don't drool over the thought of having pizza... it's just a distant fond memory, along with those extra 12 pounds :)

Let me know how it goes!
Laurie

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