belly fat - Fat Loss Quest

What is Belly Fat – An In-Depth Explanation of Belly Fat and What Causes Belly Fat.

7 August 20252 August 2025 by PhilH

What is Belly Fat?

To fully understand this question, we need to understand the biology behind belly fat and specifically how our bodies create this ever growing mountain of stored energy.

The Role of Adipose Tissue / Adipocytes in Energy Storage

What is belly fat? Belly fat is an excess of fatty adipose tissue (fat cells) around the abdominal area

Belly fat (also known as stomach or abdominal fat) is the excess energy stored within the adipose tissue in your abdominal area. Whilst this excess energy can be stored throughout the body (hips, shoulders, chest, thighs, arms), the abdominal area is typically the first part of the body to store this excess energy.

In this discussion we are solely focusing on belly fat – the excess energy that is stored in our belly or abdominal area. Belly fat is generally the first type of fat we accumulate. In the early stages this “energy” can be lost relatively easily through an increase in exercise / reduction in glucose storage. Left to accumulate, it can become very serious health problem for you….

How to Lose Belly fat. Contextual illustration of belly fat in male

Understanding What is Belly Fat

This 3d conceptualised Illustration reveals the layering of belly fat within the abdomen. Understanding what causes it can lead to the rapid loss of belly fat and improve overall health.

The 2 Types of Belly Fat…

There are two distinct types of belly fat. Subcutaneous fat and Viceral fat. Each having their own issues in regards to your health and how they are removed. The differences in belly fat are largely dependant on lifestyle. Predominantly, poor diet and lack of effective exercise are the primary causes of both visceral and subcutaneous belly fat.

Two Types of Belly Fat : Subcutaneous and Visceral. Subcutaneous Fat is easier to lose with simple dietary improvements. Rapid loss of subcutaneous fat can be achieved in a clean eating weight loss plan that incorporates H.I.I.T (high intensity interval training).

The Visceral Fat (fat that surrounds the organs inside the body cavity) needs a longer, more intense diet and exercise regime.

Image : Adobe/zhenyakot

Visceral Fat. Visceral fat is stored around the internal organs of the body and is potentially the most lethal of the two. Visceral fat can ‘strangle’ the organs and effectively cause multiple organ failure. Deposits around the liver, kidneys and heart can have catastrophic effects on other parts of the body, potentially resulting in death or severe disablement through oxygen starvation to the brain, muscles and other organs. Nutrient supply to the body’s organs are also restricted causing a wealth of health related issues – loss of brain function / disease, loss of muscle tissue leading to a further increase in fat deposits, poor skin condition, poor hair condition, loss of energy and vitality.
Subcutaneous Belly Fat. The second type of belly fat sits just under the skin. In our early years, this was also known as ‘puppy fat’. This is the easiest type of belly fat to remove or burn off. This can be done easily through a healthy low carb diet (low carb diets reduce the volume of useless and dangerous carbohydrates entering the body). Wheat and wheat based products are probably the biggest causes of excess fat deposits and the obesity epidemic – a subject to be discussed in greater detail in another article.

What Causes Belly Fat?

As previously mentioned in “The Role of Adipose Tissue” belly fat is caused by the excess accumulation of glucose stored as fat in the adipose tissue. There are numerous causes of belly fat – not just through excess glucose storage including :

Poor diet / diet rich in sugary foods and carbohydrates.
Cellular Inflammation (the leading cause of weight gain and obesity)
Excess Alcohol Consumption
Chronic Stress Levels – Elevated levels of Cortisol result in the cycle of fat storage
Inactive Lifestyle and…
Lack of Effective Fat Burning Exercise

Now, you may already know or understand some of the reasons but let’s recap on the causes…

Which Foods Cause Belly Fat?

Foods high in carbohydrates (sugar, starches and wheat based carbohydrates) are the primary cause of dietary related belly fat. High dietary sugar content has been shown to reduce the ability of a person to reduce fat and can slow down the metabolic process. Products marked low in fat are usually high in sugar to increase the flavour. Sugar also causes and addiction due to it’s pleasing taste and is another reason why manufacturers use sugar in their products.

Belly Fat and Sugar Intake

Research has also revealed a direct connection between belly fat and high sugar content, particularly through the use of High Fructose sugar. While this research has its merits, it should also be noted that the research focused on sugars only and NOT the overall benefits. Fruits containing high sugar content can also be rich in essential vitamins and minerals which can promote weight loss and more importantly permanent weight loss.

Trans Fats.

Trans fats cause inflammation. Leading scientists and researchers have confirmed that inflammation is the biggest problem behind the worlds obesity epidemic. According to the American Heart Association, replacement of trans fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can decrease the risk of heart diseases, insulin resistance, diabetes and obesity as a whole [2].

Carbohydrates

While performing essential functions in the human body (energy processes and electrolyte production), carbohydrates cause many health problems. Specifically in the type of carbohydrate and volume of consumption.

After each meal, carbohydrates are turned into glucose (a type of sugar). From here there are 3 pathways for the glucose:

Consumed immediately as fuel for activity
Stored in the liver as Glycogen
Converted (with insulin) into fatty acids to be circulated around the body and stored as fat in adipose tissue (the fat cells).

While immediate consumption and normal levels of liver storage are not cause for concern (we can safely store sufficient glycogen in the liver for essential use and use in survival mode). It is the excess that is converted into fats and stored in the fat cells that causes the problems. Within 4-8 hrs, any excess glucose from overeating is stored in the fat cells.

To reduce the fat storage, it is necessary to reduce the excess consumption of carbohydrates.

Starch Based Carbohydrates

Potatoes

While there is nutritional evidence supporting the continued consumption of potatoes, there still remain issues with the full nutritional benefit. Potatoes are starchy and contain high amounts of carbohydrates. White potatoes have a higher glycaemic index than sweet potatoes causing a higher sugar spike on energy release within the body. However, white potatoes have a 3x higher satiety value compared to white bread.

Fried potatoes can have 3 x the caloric intake compared with boiled potatoes!

Starchy foods produce acrylamide (a potentially harmful chemical) when a person cooks them at high temperatures for a sustained time. The FDA Trusted Source says that acrylamide is a human health concern.

Wheat Based Carbohydrates – Bread, Cakes, Pies, Pastries and Pasta,

Wheat Based Carbohydrates such as doughnuts, cakes, bread, pastries, pasties and pasta are all high carb / low nutrient foods with a darker side than the press / medical professionals / food manufacturing and government health officials will tell you (they have a vested interest in the continued production and consumption of these foods).

Wheat also contains “anti-nutrients” which limit the absorption of the healthy nutrients (vitamins and minerals) we actually need in our diet.

Belly Fat and Alcohol Consumption.

Beer is one of the biggest causes of belly fat. — Beer Belly?Beer is one of the biggest causes of belly fat which led to the creation of the phrase “Beer belly”. Beer and Alcohol in any form are created from and contain high levels of sugar (sugar is converted into alcohol through enzymatic reactions through the yeast)

Excess alcohol consumption can also cause an increase in visceral fat, especially around the liver. Excess alcohol consumption can cause cirrhosis of the liver on its own. Adding the excess fat into the equation increases the risks of cirrhosis of the liver and an increase in the risk of cancers, heart diseases, reproductive disorders and many more issues [3].

Lack of Exercise.

Lack of Effective Exercise Encourages Weight Gain.

You are probably aware that we all need to exercise in order to stay fit and healthy. The problem arises in the frequent misconception / poor advice on what constitutes effective and healthy exercise. Now, exercises come into a variety of classes and purposes. Studies have repeatedly shown that high intensity interval training (hiit) is the ONLY effective fat burning exercise / fat loss workout. Cardiovascular exercise has been proven to be counterproductive through numerous studies[4] and can actually increase belly fat through our stress hormone Cortisol.

Belly Fat and Stress.

Now, we all get stressed from time to time. Employment / lack of employment and the stresses incurred through employment in these everchanging and challenging times. Family issues, housing issues and health related issues all contribute to our elevated stress levels. Chronic (or prolonged periods of stress) causes an increase in cortisol levels.

High cortisol levels cause the body to store excess fat in the abdomen for use later. However, ‘later’ rarely comes with the appropriate countermeasures, ie fat burning exercises, reduced stress levels and improved diet. Without these countermeasures put into effect the fat storage cycle continues with a constant increase in belly fat giving rise to elevated and dangerous health issues (cardiovascular disease, cardiac arrest, prostate cancer. [5]

Belly Fat and Obesity

Visceral fat vs subcutaneous belly fat illustration — “Belly fat” can begin as a small layer of subcutaneous fat in the abdomen typically referred to as “puppy fat” in youngsters and teens. Progression leads to more extensive visceral fat which surrounds the organs. As the viceral fat constricts the organs, it can severely reduce their effectiveness causing multiple health risks. Belly fat is associated with many health risks including cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes.

What is Belly Fat?

Belly fat is an accumulation of excess fats stored in the abdominal area for use at a later date. If not used up before the next influx of carbohydrates then your body will continue to store the excess glucose form the carbohydrates as belly fat. Stress induced belly fat can be reduced by reducing or eliminating stress within the body (of either mental and/or physical origins).

Now you understand what is belly fat and what causes belly fat, it’s time to learn……

How to Lose Belly Fat

Is Keto Good to Lose Belly Fat and Sustain the Loss?

11 December 20239 November 2022 by PhilH

The Keto diet has been proclaimed highly in recent years for it’s ‘claimed’ ability to help us to lose weight – and belly fat. With millions worldwide suffering not only from obesity (which typically includes belly fat), we need to ascertain if keto is good to lose belly fat and sustain the loss. As our overall health is connected to our belly fat (visceral vs subcutaneous) we need to understand if and how the keto diet can actually help us to lose this fat. In this article we discuss the numerous processes involved in burning belly fat and compare those with the alleged benefits of the keto diet in reducing abdominal fat permanently.

“Is Keto Good to Lose Belly Fat and Sustain the Loss?” Belly fat is typically the first place our bodies deposit fat as a reserve energy source for when we need the extra energy after a period of fasting or prolonged stress. Abdominal fat is also the first type of fat we seek to lose so is a very low carb ketogenic diet good to lose the belly fat and sustain the loss?

Before we decide “is keto good to lose belly fat and sustain the loss?”, we need to understand what belly fat is, how it is caused and how the keto diet helps us to lose it.

What Causes Belly Fat?

The abdominal area (or belly) is typically the first place our bodies store excess fat. Excess fat is typically caused through a diet of excess carbs with a low beneficial nutrient intake. Stress, in its many forms, causing an increase in cortisol. Cortisol tells the brain to store more fat and typically stores the fat around the abdomen. By reducing the stresses incurred, cortisol production is reduced permitting the body to consume the stored fat.

the Keto diet helps reduce belly fat by avoiding the high carb intake and cortisol that causes belly fat

Causes and Types of Belly Fat.

Belly fat is caused by an excess of carbohydrates stored as fat. Alternatively, increased stress causes an increase in the hormone Cortisol which tells the brain to store fat – typically in the abdominal area.

Subcutaneous belly fat covers the outside of the abdominal muscles (abs) while Visceral fat lies hidden behind the abdominal muscles

The Ketogenic (Keto) Diet is a superb way to lose stomach fat and sustain the loss.
Here’s why..

Lose Belly Fat with a Low Carbohydrate Intake

Being a low carb / high fat diet with more beneficial dietary influence from healthful foods, the keto diet limits the volume of carbohydrates to what the
body actually needs – not what you want to feed it. This is crucial in understanding how any effective weight loss diet really works. This minimal supply of carbohydrates is purely to provide enough carbohydrates for electrolyte manufacturing and use (electrolytes aid in hydration of the cells) and a small amount of energy from the carbohydrates being converted into glucose for use by the muscles as an immediate fuel source.

What Carbs are Allowed on the Keto Diet?

There are essentially 2 types of carbohydrates we can consume – refined and natural carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates are essentially processed carbohydrates that are manufactured from raw vegetables.

Refined Carbohydrates and the Keto Diet

Processed Sugars wether they originate from sugar beet or sugar canes are a from of refined carbohydrates. While they can make our food tasty, these sugars are pure carbohydrate with little goodness in them.

Processed sugars (as with natural sugars found in sweet fruits) pose a serious threat to our physiological health. Sugars interfere with our natural physiological processes and cause weight gain aswell as other health problems. Sugar “triggers your liver to store fat and cause fatty liver disease, heart disease and plays havoc with cholesterol levels. Sugar is linked with Alzheimers disease” [1]

Sugars should be reduced/omitted from any diet – not just the keto diet.

Natural Sources of Carbohydrates

Many root vegetables are naturally high in starches (a form of carbohydrate). Potatoes (including sweet potatoes), swede, turnips are naturally high in starch. Being a carbohydrate these vegetables need to be eliminated from the keto diet in order to reduce the high volume of carbohydrates they introduce into our system. By reducing the volume of natural carbohydrates (and starches) we can begin to reduce the excess storage of belly fat.

Carbohydrate / Starch Rich Potatoes.

Potatoes are a staple food item in many cultures yet contain high levels of starch (a form of carbohydrate) which contributes to the excess fat storage and obesity. Starches are found in numerous root vegetables.

While they contain essential vitamins and minerals, the high level of starch causes excess weight gain through fat deposits. This fat storage counteracts the fat burning processes in the ketogenic diet.

Peaches contain high levels of natural sugars - carbohydrates that actively cause us to store fat.

Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots and Other Sweet Fruits

Sweet fruits like peaches, nectarines, apricots, apples, mango, etc are naturally high in beneficial micro-nutrients AND Fructose – a natural sugar. While natural sugars do not cause the sugar spikes refined sugars cause, they still add a large amount of carbohydrate into our system. Sugar also causes numerous other health issues (as mentioned in “Refined Carbohydrates on the Keto Diet”.

Sweetcorn.

Delicious and juicy (esp with a drizzle of butter on) sweetcorn has become a staple of many diets. However, sweetcorn contains starch. Sweetcorn, the main ingredient of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been identified by research scientists as a primary cause of health problems.

Forensic archeologists have also connected the demise of the Aztecs to the introduction of corn into their diet from European explorers. Corn has also been shown to cause tooth decay and increase the risk of osteoporosis and weight gain.

Switching from a carb burning system to a fat burning system allows the body to actually burn off the excess fats. As the abdominal area is the first place the body stores fat, it is typically the first place the body burns fat from.

Lose Belly Fat with Keto’s Fat Burning System

Here we look at the actual mechanism of the keto diet to understand how the keto diet actively helps us to burn belly fat. Firstly take a look at this video by Jesse Chappus of “The Ultimate Health Podcast” as he interviews world re-knowned Dr Steven Gundry on how the keto diet helps us burn belly fat.

The Keto eating regimen reduces the fat saved in the fats cells and turns the body into a fat burning system. During the 1st week the low carb regime reduces water retention in the cells causing an initial weight reduction. By draining the cells of excess water, it allows the skin to firm up to its former, healthier state.

The improved nutritional ratios then encourages the body to release more fats stored in the belly area, thereby causing a cascade effect of fat burning from the previously engorged fats cells.

This then causes fast weight loss (esp belly fat loss) and the dietary conditioning that forms the essence of the weight loss plan retrains you into healthful ingesting behavior which cause long term sustainable weight loss.

Sustain the Weight Loss with Healthy Eating

In order to lose weight naturally using a weight loss diet, you will need to make changes to your diet in favour of beneficial fats, proteins and micronutrients. Carbohydrates, while essential, are required in minimal volume. Excess carbs (as mentioned previously, only serve to provide a fat reserve. A fat reserve that builds as you progress through your excess consumption of carbohydrates. More-so, the typical daily western diet incorporates high amounts of refined carbs. By eliminating these refined carbs and the excess natural carbs, the keto diet will help you sustain the weight loss.

Healthy low-carb, high micronutrient nutrient meals boost long-term weight loss on the keto diet

Sustainable Weight Loss with Healthy, Low Carb Meals

Meals low in carbohydrates are the mainstay of the keto diet. Meat (including bacon) is a good source of fats, proteins, and minerals. Red meat supplies the essential Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 boosts the function of Folate (folic acid) which helps provide the energy you need for everyday life in addition to maintaining DNA and RNA quality.

The Keto Diet helps you change your nutritional intake to a more effective source of nutrients: fats, proteins, and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). It is the increase in micronutrients that will boost your body’s natural fat-burning systems. This then teaches you what foods to consume to keep the fat cells down in size resulting in a leaner, healthier body.

Learning how to eat what you need, teaches you the process of long-term healthful eating to hold your weight right down to a healthy size.

Fats And Saturated Fats

Fats and Saturated fat have been shown (through extensive scientific research) to aid in weight reduction via many physiological process. The keto weight loss program encourages the body to use fats as a source of energy. These fats assist to

Improve our metabolism
Boost lung health and improve the cellular membranes
Increase the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals increase metabolism and energy release reducing fat storage.
Fats have also been shown to increase satiety in your meals reducing the cravings for more, unnecessary foods further boosting your initial weight loss and sustainable weight loss.

Improved Sleep

Sleep and especially “good sleep” is vital to our overall health and fitness. Sleep is our body’s way of “shutting down for maintenance”. During this time our bodies can perform the daily repair and re-invigorate process ready for the next day. Without good sleep our bodies continue to work and can become overstressed resulting in higher levels of cortisol running through our systems causing fat storage amongst other issues.

is keto good to lose belly fat and sustain the loss? Healthy sleep boosts overall wellness with increased energy levels and our fat burning potential.

By engaging in the healthy eating protocol on the keto diet, our bodies can ingest all the essential vitamins and minerals we need including the essential amino acids Tryptophan (used to help create serotonin – a neurotransmitter that regulates appetite sleep and mood) and Hystidine (another neurotransmitter vital for immune system, sexual function and sleep-wake cycles).

In a study of 324 women “a very low-calorie keto diet did lead to better slumber for participants in the study. After 31 days, they reported significant improvements across all measurements of sleep quality, which was generally linked to weight loss and other weight-related factors.” [2]

Another “study on the effects of keto found that adhering to this eating plan helped reduce daytime sleepiness in a group of obese patients. Previous studies have found similar results, along with increases to REM sleep.” [3]

There are many neurological and nutrient pathways within the human body. Many of these pathways are activated when participating in a ketogenic diet – pathways that are known to modulate sleep-wake cycles, circadian rhythms, and sleep stages.[4]

Science shows us that a healthy diet (including the ketogenic diet) can consistently improve our sleep patterns which in turn can improve other aspects of our lives.

Intermittent Fasting on the Keto Diet

Is Keto Good to Lose Belly Fat and Sustain the Loss?

With it’s low carb, high nutrition content, the Keto diet is a great diet to help you lose belly fat. By reducing the excess carbohydrate intake and introducing more beneficial nutrients (vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, amino acids and phytonutrients) the keto diet can increase your fat burning potential.

By also introducing intermittent fasting (12-15 hr window between last meal of the day and first meal the following day) to induce ketosis we can elevate our fat burning potential further.