Why can’t I lose belly fat?

Vicki Witt
Jun 25
4 min read

“First place on, last place off.” That’s how many people describe how belly fat happens.

For many people excess belly fat seems unexplained and almost impossible to eliminate. Let’s look at some reasons that you may be holding onto belly fat, despite doing “everything right”.

Unfortunately excess belly fat means more than not being able to do up your pants. It can lead to long term health issues like high blood pressure, sleep apnea, high blood lipid levels, some types of cancer, diabetes and fatty liver.

High Stress Levels

When you experience stress, your body produces the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol increases fat storage around the belly, especially when levels are chronically high. Cortisol also increases insulin release which increases blood sugar levels, and can cause cravings and can cause insulin resistance.

Exercise and stress reduction methods can be helpful in reducing stress levels.

Not Enough Sleep

In today’s high paced world, many people do not get enough sleep. You may be going to bed too late, trying to get everything done, doomscrolling for hours after you’ve turned out the lights, or just lying awake because you’re suffering from chronic stress.

Lack of sleep, or poor sleep is associated with increased belly fat, even in relatively lean individuals. It can cause hormonal imbalances, slow your metabolism and make you more likely to make poor food choices.

People who get more sleep have been shown to consume fewer calories. One likely cause is the hormones ghrelin and leptin. These appetite regulating hormones become unbalanced when you have insufficient sleep.

A good bedtime routine can help you to get better sleep.

Your Diet Needs An Overhaul

If your diet consists of too many carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, you’re more likely to see excess belly fat. Excess carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels which increases the likelihood of fat storage in the belly. Not enough protein makes it difficult to maintain muscle, causing a slower metabolism and more fat storage.

Processed foods, whether carbs or protein, may also be making it more likely you can’t lose belly fat. These are often high in fats and sugar, low in nutrients, and can contain substances that disrupt hormones making it harder to lose belly fat.

Fibre and nutrient rich carbohydrates like legumes and non starchy vegetables should be the main part of your carbohydrate intake. Lean unprocessed meat, fish and poultry is your best choice for protein.

Menopause

People going through menopause or perimenopause often complain that they can’t lose belly fat. The hormone imbalances that occur during menopause are the main cause of this. Other symptoms of menopause like trouble sleeping and anxiety can also contribute to increased belly fat.

But the excess belly fat experienced during menopause can also be caused by general weight gain. Your metabolism may have slowed due to decreased muscle or poor eating habits catching up with you.

Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen dominance can occur in both men and women. It can be part of perimenopause as progesterone levels drop before estrogen levels or part of the age related drop in testosterone known as andropause. It can also be due to high stress levels, a high refined carbohydrate diet, or high body fat levels. Endocrine disruptors present in plastics and toiletries can also contribute to estrogen dominance.

Drinking Too Much Alcohol

Alcoholic drinks are high in calories and sugar. Drinking alcohol also contributes to poor food choices. Alcohol can also disrupt hormones which can make it harder to get rid of belly fat, especially if hormones are already disrupted for another reason.

Mocktails, de-alcoholized beer (beware of the yeast content in de-alcoholized beer) and herbal tea are alternatives to help you enjoy yourself without alcohol.

Wrong Type Of Exercise

When your waistline starts to expand you’re likely to target it with exercise. Unfortunately many exercise choices don’t actually help with belly fat.

Endless crunches will be more likely to cause back pain than to get rid of belly fat. High intensity cardio might burn calories, but it also puts your body under a lot of stress which contributes to belly fat.

Full body strength training and moderate intensity cardio are more effective at burning fat. Stress relieving exercises like yoga can also help you to reduce belly fat.

Getting Older

As people age they are more likely to have expanding waistlines. This is usually due to one or more of the factors listed above. Slowing metabolisms, lower muscle mass and hormone changes make it harder to get rid of belly fat as you get older, so you’ll need to focus on what you can control like your food, exercise and lifestyle choices.

What Can You Do?

If you are having trouble getting rid of belly fat here are some things you can do:

Practice stress reduction techniques
Create a better bedtime routine that helps you to improve your sleep
Eat more lean protein and fewer sugary and processed carbohydrates
Get hormone levels tested
Choose mostly nonalcoholic drinks
Get moving especially with strength and moderate intensity cardio
Get professional help

How I can help

I can help you to determine the root cause of your belly fat so we can understand what areas you need to focus on. Together we can come up with a plan that addresses your diet and lifestyle to make sure the causes of your belly fat are addressed.

Book a free nutrition assessment

Warm wishes,

About Vicki:

Vicki Witt is a Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Coach, and Reiki Master. She has been practicing over 25 years and specializes in holistically customizing diet and lifestyle plans to each individual for weight loss and hormonal control. Her clientele often report they feel the best they have ever felt and wish they had started sooner. One of the USA and Australia's top Nutritionists, she has won multiple awards for her services in the industry.