While having some amount of subcutaneous fat is good for your body since it protects your bones and organs from hard impacts and injuries, an excessive amount is equally harmful and can lead to long-term diseases. The major causes of having subcutaneous fat is a lack of exercise and eating more sugar and calories than you can burn.
Diabetic patients are more prone to having subcutaneous fat, and hence should be more cautious. The ideal percentage of body fat in men is 8-12% of their body weight and 18-22% in women.
If you wish to know how to target subcutaneous fat and get rid of it to reach your ideal weight, try the following remedies:
All these foods are highly rich in protein(1). Aside from the fact that they are good for health, they also make you feel fuller for longer and hence reduce the unwanted, in-between meals that do not let you get rid of subcutaneous fat.
Try consuming some amount of protein in the form of a vegetable or curry or simply cooked pulses or lentils. You can eat them along with salads.
Each meal you eat can contain any of these proteins in one or more forms. This will help you sustain your hunger for a longer time, plus they are a great source of energy!
[Read: Does Alternate-Day Fasting Help Lose Belly Fat?]
Eating high-fiber foods like fruits, nuts, beans, and whole-wheat bread can also help burn subcutaneous fat drastically. They contain much fewer calories than processed foods and can make your stomach feel fuller for a longer period of time and also reduce appetite and hence reduce unwanted subcutaneous fat.
Add fruits and nuts to your cereal or oatmeal. You can also eat and snack on high-fiber foods(2) in the evening or have a couple of freshly cut fruits before going to bed.
Eat at least one fruit in a day and snack on nuts, dry fruits throughout the day in small, limited portions. You can also eat beans or bread for breakfast once in a while.
Lemons are often associated with weight loss food due to the pectin fiber in them that expands in your stomach to make it fuller.
Mix lemon juice with water (you can mix honey to this) or add lemon juice. You can even mix it with honey. Drink the juice after every meal or once a day before going to bed to speed up your digestion process.
[Read: Here’s How You Can Get Rid of Leg Fat]
Green tea consists of an antioxidant called catechin, which is a flavonoid. Catechin is known to promote speedy metabolism in the body and can hence make the digestion process easier and help lose subcutaneous fat layers.
Bring some regular water to a boil, but let it cool off for a bit before pouring it in the tea. Do not overheat the water since it can damage the catechins- one of the main ingredients.
Aloe vera is known to consist of acemannan(3), which is a carbohydrate that absorbs nutrients from the food and also speeds metabolism, hence aiding quick digestion and weight loss.
You can try an Aloe Vera juice. Aloe vera juice is made by mixing the gel of the aloe vera plant with water. It is best to obtain this gel directly from the plant rather than buying any processed gel.
[Read: Super Foods That Can Heal a Fatty Liver]
Turmeric is a traditional spice that is known for a lot of health benefits, including weight loss. It sheds belly fat and actually stops the accumulation and formation of new fat cells when ingested.
You can crush some fresh turmeric powder and mix it with water. Also, you can add turmeric powder to milk and drink it before going to bed.
[Read: Exercises to Get Rid of Thigh Fat]
Do not sit around all the time. Indulge in some form of physical activity. Indulge in regular exercise, mainly aerobics that includes walking, swimming, cycling, or running. Indulge in High-Intensity Interval training, which essentially means short but intense workouts that help facilitate your aerobic exercises.
Eat healthily! Make sure your diet consists of lean proteins and low sugar.
Adding more high-quality protein to your meals can help you lose subcutaneous fat and maintain a healthy weight, according to studies. As protein helps keep you full between meals and also helps you reduce the urge to snack.
You can opt for:
Eating soluble fiber helps suppress appetite, which can, therefore, reduce visceral fat. Soluble fiber is commonly found in oats, barley, nuts, seeds, and beans, and lentils.
[Read: Natural Remedies To Treat Fatty Liver]
It’s not a secret that consuming too much sugar can lead to weight gain.
Studies suggest thatSugar-sweetened beverages and risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes are interlinked: Epidemiologic evidence. People who eat more added sugar have more visceral fat.
Opt for approximately 30g of free sugars a day. Also, to cut down your sugar intake, opt for whole foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. Do not consume processed food or excessive sugar.
Drinking too much alcohol can have a negative impact on a person’s health!
A study published in The Journal of Nutrition (‘Alcohol Drinking Patterns Differentially Affect Central Adiposity as Measured by Abdominal Height in Women and Men’) stated that alcohol consumption might encourage fat to be stored as visceral fat. Thus, men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
Trans fat is fats created by pumping hydrogen into vegetable oils. They are added to many processed foods. However, studies reveal that trans fat pumps up levels of visceral fat and may cause health problems (‘Health effects of trans-fatty acids: experimental and observational evidence’). So, eat less of this!
Men and women both are at risk of developing subcutaneous fat layers. It is important to strike a proper balance between a healthy diet and exercise, follow a consistent plan, and only then can you reach an ideal amount of subcutaneous fat, shedding all the excess, harmful weight.
Subcutaneous fat is found right under the skin. It can be spotted as the jiggly part of the skin and is majorly found near the belly, hands, and inner thighs.
This depends completely on your diet and exercise plan. A disciplined diet and regular exercise can easily help reduce both subcutaneous and visceral fat.
Eliminating 500 calories from your diet every day will help you lose 1 pound in a week. Also, increasing physical activity will help you burn more calories than usual.