Hydration Helps Abdominal Fat Lose???
 

Over the past few years I've worked on everything from quitting smoking to developing my workout habit to refining my diet.

But, I've never looked at my pure water intake. When I did recently, I discovered that I was drinking 20oz TOPS a day. I have been severely dehydrated for YEARS! All my fliud intake is in diet soda form (or worse, coffee)!

My problem has always been abdominal fat. I'm thin, actually quite thin, but I've always had this little "spare tire". It's actually pretty strange and one would never suspect it.

So I'm wondering, these YEARS of dehydration, could it be a primary factor in my body's strange accumulation of abdominal fat?

I've started to drink 100-120oz of pure water, I hope it helps...

Any experience here? I'd love to hear some opinions.

Thanks

I am willing to bet that dehydration has nothing to do with the fat around your tummy.

Unless we eat an excess of calories....our bodies shouldn't be storing fat unless we have a medical condition. Upping your water intake probably won't magically melt that fat away either. Sad to say, it's going to take some hard work to melt it off.

If you find a cure for tummy flab though let me know ;) I could use to lose a few myself.

I've never come across any research pointing to hydration helping with fat in a particular region. I have however seen research that indicates that abdominal fat responds faster and better to cardio than other types / areas. I'll see if I can't dig up the articles :)

Nat

Visceral vs. subcutaneous fat
 

Here we go; I had to dig up an old post from the LC list and do a little snooping at PubMed.

Generally speaking there are two types of fat stores; visceral (found around the organs and abdomen) and subcutaneous (found under the skin). Women tend to have higher concentrations of subcutaneous fat around the thighs and butt, men accumulate it around the back. Men also tend to have higher concentrations of abdominal / visceral fat due to their hormonal profile.

Abdominal fat has been highly correlated with diseases such as diabetes, insulin resistance and CVD - it's also the basis for BMI measurements (but that's another story ;) ) The reason that this type of fat is considered more dangerous than subcutaneous fat has to do with the fact that it is innervated with nerves that allow the fat cells to release their fatty acids into the body. (E.g. this fatty acid has direct access to the liver, where it can alter the physiology of the liver resulting in a fatty liver). So this is why you want to get rid of this stuff. This innervation is what also makes it possible to get rid of it faster when you are dieting and more importantly, exercising. The nerves that allow the fatty acids to release into your system also allow them to be broken down and released as fuel for your muscles when you exercise. This effect is more pronounced when you engage in cardiovascular activity over say anaerobic activity.

So while it's not possible to spot reduce, if you have a large deposit of abdominal fat, doing consistent and routine cardiovascular exercise can help you lose this type of fat faster while improving your health.

Nat

I heard belly fat is related to stress
 

That when your body is stressed it releases a hormone that produces fat in the stomache area. I don't remember where I read it though.

Josie

Re: I heard belly fat is related to stress
 

I remember hearing that too!

I think you guys are talking about cortisone. I'm not particularly stressed. Actually, I'm very rarely stressed, so...

I didn't mean to say that dehydration is the end all be all of me finally losing that last couple pounds around the midsection, just a possible factor.

I am, after all, looking to get rid of that last 2-3% of body fat to get down to a "ripped" 6-7%. To get there, people who aren't genetically gifted like me have to look at every possible factor...

I was thinking this might be it...

The hormone cortisol is what has been linked to the storing of fat around the abdomen, particularly in lean women.

Cortisol is released under conditions of stress; be it emotional or phsyiological (such as losing your job, or a loved one, getting caught in traffic or after a very long and intense workout). Short bursts of cortisol are not a problem, as long as the body returns to normal afterward. Excessive amounts of cortisol also suppress the immune system and have been linked to CVD and diabetes. Insulin, on the other hand, neutralizes cortisol; the prime reason that bodybuiders use insulin in a controlled manner after a workout to get the body back into an anabolic state.

Nautas, I think that being so very close to your goal you're into some very fine tweaking; men typically have a hard time with that particular area (just as women have a hard time with fat stored around the thighs and butt), it's usually the last to go. I am sure that increasing your water intake will make a difference, just how much I'm not sure.

Nat

Could I be producing cortisol?
 

I'm shaped like a boy w/ breast & my problem area is my waist ,lower belly & back. I go for hour long walks then typically I'll work out for another hour doing resistance or lifting. I don't think my workout are that intense, I feel as if I can go on for longer. I can't seem to shrink my waist. I don't need to lose any more weight , I wear a 3/4 in pants already. I wonder if I'm producing this hormone. Some times I'm stressed but I don't think I'm too stressed.
This week I didn't workout as much, and I notice that my stomach is more define looking. I was thinking maybe I didn't produce as much this week.

Josie