The Complete Guide To Losing Visceral Fat

Summary

In this fitness-focused video, coach Dan introduces viewers to the concept of visceral fat, the dangerous type of fat that surrounds vital organs. He outlines the causes of its accumulation, including lifestyle factors and genetics, and provides methods to measure it, such as waistline tests and waist-to-height ratios. Dan then shares a successful protocol used with a client that includes smart eating, exercise adjustments, stress management, alcohol elimination, and improved sleep quality, resulting in a significant reduction of visceral fat.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Subcutaneous fat is the layer of fat that can be pinched around the belly, whereas visceral fat is more dangerous as it wraps around vital organs.
• 🍔 Lifestyle factors such as junk food, lack of exercise, poor sleep, high stress, and excessive alcohol consumption contribute to visceral fat accumulation.
• 🧬 Genetics can predispose some individuals to accumulate visceral fat more easily, but environmental factors can be controlled to mitigate its effects.
• 📏 Ideal visceral fat levels are as close to 0 lbs as possible, with waistline measurements being indicators of high visceral fat for men (40 inches or more) and women (35 inches or more).
• 📊 The waist-to-height ratio is recommended to be half of one's height, providing another way to assess visceral fat levels.
• 📈 A visceral fat calculator from the University of Luxembourg offers an estimation of visceral fat based on entered data, though it's not a precise measurement.
• ⚠️ Visceral fat is linked to hormonal imbalances, inflammation, and increased risk of serious health issues like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
• 🥗 Eating smart with nutrient-dense, high-protein foods and tracking calorie and macronutrient intake is crucial for reducing visceral fat.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Combining weightlifting for muscle building and low-intensity movement for overall health is an effective strategy to combat visceral fat.
• 💆‍♂️ Managing stress through activities like walking and ensuring proper sleep quality is essential for reducing visceral fat and improving overall health.
• 🚫 Eliminating alcohol can significantly contribute to visceral fat reduction by avoiding empty calories and the associated increase in appetite and stress.

Q & A

What is the difference between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat?

Subcutaneous fat is a layer of fat that can be pinched around the belly and is on the surface level. Visceral fat, on the other hand, is located deeper within the body, surrounding vital organs and is considered more dangerous due to its association with various health risks.

Why is visceral fat considered more harmful than subcutaneous fat?

Visceral fat is more harmful because it wraps around vital organs and can cause hormonal imbalances, inflammation, increased blood pressure, and insulin resistance, leading to diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

What lifestyle factors contribute to the accumulation of visceral fat?

Lifestyle factors such as binging on junk food, lack of exercise, poor sleep quality, high stress levels, and excessive alcohol consumption contribute to the accumulation of visceral fat.

How does genetics play a role in the accumulation of visceral fat?

Genetics can predispose some individuals to accumulate visceral fat more easily than others. However, while one cannot change their genetic makeup, they can control environmental factors that influence fat accumulation.

What are some methods to determine the amount of visceral fat on one's body?

Methods to determine visceral fat include CT scans, MRI scans, DEXA scans, waistline measurements, waist-to-height ratios, and using a visceral fat calculator provided by the University of Luxembourg.

What waistline measurements indicate a high level of visceral fat for men and women?

For men, a waistline measurement of 40 inches or more indicates a high level of visceral fat. For women, a measurement of 35 inches or more is a sign of excessive visceral fat.

How does the waist-to-height ratio help in assessing visceral fat?

The waist-to-height ratio is a simple method where the waist measurement should be approximately half of one's height in inches or centimeters, indicating a healthier level of visceral fat.

What dietary changes were implemented in the client's 4-month program to reduce visceral fat?

The dietary changes included trading processed foods for single-ingredient, nutrient-dense, high-protein foods, aiming for 40 to 50 grams of protein per meal, and starting the day with a high-protein meal.

How did the exercise routine change for the client in the 4-month program?

The client's exercise routine changed to include weightlifting for strength and muscle building, and low-intensity movement for stress management. High-intensity cardio was replaced with walking to limit stress on the body.

What role does stress play in the accumulation of visceral fat, and how was it managed in the client's program?

Stress can increase appetite, emotional eating, and potentially lead to more fat accumulation, especially around the belly. In the client's program, stress was managed through timing of meals, incorporating walking as a low-intensity cardio, and discussing stress perception.

How did alcohol consumption affect the client's visceral fat reduction, and what changes were made?

Alcohol consumption increases appetite and provides empty calories, which can hinder fat loss. The client initially reduced alcohol intake to one to two drinks a week but eventually eliminated it completely, contributing to a significant reduction in visceral fat.

What changes were made to improve the client's sleep quality, and why is sleep important for reducing visceral fat?

Changes included creating a dark sleep environment, adjusting the sleep temperature, and using a sleep tracker to monitor quality. Sleep is important because poor sleep can increase hunger hormones and stress, which can contribute to visceral fat accumulation.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Understanding Visceral Fat Accumulation and Its Risks

The first paragraph introduces the concept of visceral fat, which is a dangerous type of fat located around vital organs. It explains that lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, stress, and excessive alcohol consumption contribute to visceral fat accumulation. Genetics also plays a role, but environmental factors are modifiable. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of minimizing visceral fat for health and provides alternative methods to medical imaging for assessing one's visceral fat levels, such as waistline measurements, waist-to-height ratios, and online calculators.

05:01

💪 Implementing a Comprehensive Approach to Reduce Visceral Fat

The second paragraph outlines a protocol that was successfully used to help a client reduce their visceral fat by 50% in four months. The approach includes smart eating with an emphasis on high-protein, single-ingredient meals, tracking food intake for better macro management, and combining weightlifting with low-intensity movement. It also addresses the importance of managing stress through low-intensity cardio, proper meal timing, and exercise scheduling to mitigate the impact of high-stress jobs on visceral fat accumulation.

10:03

🍷 Eliminating Alcohol and Prioritizing Sleep for Visceral Fat Reduction

The third paragraph discusses the negative impact of alcohol on visceral fat reduction, highlighting how it increases stress and appetite, leading to poor food choices. The client's successful experience with reducing alcohol intake is shared. Additionally, the importance of sleep quality for hormone regulation and stress management is emphasized. The paragraph details steps taken to improve the client's sleep environment and the use of a sleep tracker to monitor progress, ultimately contributing to the reduction of visceral fat.

Keywords

💡Subcutaneous fat

Subcutaneous fat is the layer of fat that lies just beneath the skin and is visible and palpable, such as the fat that can be pinched around the belly. In the video, it is mentioned as a less concerning type of fat compared to visceral fat. The script uses the term to contrast with the more dangerous fat located deeper within the body.

💡Visceral fat

Visceral fat is a type of body fat that is stored within the abdominal cavity, surrounding vital organs. It is considered more dangerous than subcutaneous fat because of its association with various health risks. The video's main theme revolves around understanding and reducing visceral fat, emphasizing its harmful effects on health.

💡Lifestyle

Lifestyle factors are personal habits and choices that affect health, such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress levels. The script identifies poor lifestyle choices as significant contributors to the accumulation of visceral fat, including unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, high stress, and excessive alcohol consumption.

💡Genetics

Genetics refers to the hereditary factors that influence traits and conditions. In the context of the video, genetics is mentioned as playing a role in the predisposition to accumulate visceral fat. However, the script also highlights that while one cannot change their genetic makeup, they can control environmental factors to mitigate its effects.

💡Waistline test

The waistline test is a simple method to estimate the amount of visceral fat by measuring the circumference of the waist. The video provides specific waistline measurements for men and women that indicate a high level of visceral fat, serving as a practical tool for viewers to assess their own health risks.

💡Waist to height ratio

The waist to height ratio is another method to assess the presence of visceral fat, suggesting that the waist should measure half the height of an individual. The script uses this ratio as a health guideline to determine if one has excessive visceral fat, emphasizing the importance of maintaining proportionate body measurements.

💡Visceral fat calculator

A visceral fat calculator is an online tool provided by the University of Luxembourg, as mentioned in the script, which estimates the amount of visceral fat based on inputted data. It serves as an accessible alternative to medical scans for individuals to gauge their visceral fat levels.

💡Inflammatory signals

Inflammatory signals are chemical messengers in the body that initiate inflammatory responses. The script explains that visceral fat sends out these signals, contributing to a state of chronic inflammation, which can lead to various health issues, highlighting the active role of this fat in disease processes.

💡High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a form of exercise that alternates between short bursts of intense activity and recovery periods. The video mentions it as an effective way to reduce visceral fat but also notes that it was not used with the client due to the need to manage stress levels, illustrating the importance of tailoring fitness programs to individual needs.

💡Stress management

Stress management refers to techniques and strategies to cope with and reduce stress. The script discusses the role of stress in increasing appetite and potentially contributing to fat accumulation, especially around the belly. It suggests low-intensity activities like walking as a means to manage stress levels and improve overall health.

💡Sleep quality

Sleep quality is the measure of how restful and rejuvenating sleep is, rather than just the quantity or duration of sleep. The video emphasizes the importance of good sleep quality in reducing hunger hormones and managing stress, which in turn can help in reducing visceral fat. It provides tips for improving sleep environment and using sleep trackers to monitor and enhance sleep.

Highlights

Subcutaneous fat is a surface-level fat that is less concerning compared to visceral fat.

Visceral fat is the most dangerous type of fat as it surrounds vital organs.

Lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, stress, and alcohol consumption contribute to visceral fat accumulation.

Genetics play a role in visceral fat accumulation, but environmental factors can be modified.

Ideally, having as little visceral fat as possible is best for health.

CT, MRI, or DEXA scans are the most accurate methods to measure visceral fat, but they may not be accessible to everyone.

Waistline and waist-to-height ratio are simple ways to estimate visceral fat levels.

A visceral fat calculator provided by the University of Luxembourg offers an estimation of visceral fat.

Visceral fat affects hormones, causes inflammation, and can lead to serious health issues like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

A client's success story is shared, where he reduced his visceral fat by 50% in 4 months.

Eating smart with nutrient-dense, high-protein foods is crucial for reducing visceral fat.

Tracking food intake and macros helps in understanding dietary habits and making necessary adjustments.

Combining weightlifting with low-intensity movement is an effective way to reduce visceral fat.

High-intensity interval training is beneficial for fat loss, but it was avoided in this case to manage stress.

Stress management is key in reducing visceral fat, and low-intensity cardio can help.

Fasting patterns and meal timing can influence stress levels and eating habits.

Eliminating alcohol is essential for creating an environment conducive to losing visceral fat.

Improving sleep quality is crucial for overall health and reducing visceral fat.

Using a sleep tracker can provide valuable feedback on sleep patterns and the effectiveness of changes made.

The goal is not to achieve a certain body type but to reduce body fat to avoid preventable diseases.

Transcripts

you know that extra layer of fat that

you can pinch around your belly well

that's subcutaneous fat it's a surface

level of fat you don't necessarily have

to worry about but underneath that is

visceral fat and it's known as the most

dangerous type of fat that's on your

body because it resides around your most

important organs so in today's video I

want to show you why we accumulate

visceral fat how you can know how much

visceral fat that you have on your body

and also a simple protocol that we use

to help one of our clients drop 50% of

visceral fat from his body in only 4

months and by the way my name is Dan go

and I've been a fitness coach for the

past 20 years and I help high achieving

entrepreneurs transform their bodies

with ease and minimal stress so why do

we accumulate visceral fat in the first

place well a big part of that is due to

Lifestyle binging on junk food skimping

out on your exercise getting crappy

sleep being too stressed out and

drinking way too much booze all

contribute to the accumulation of

visceral fat over the years and genetics

also plays a very sneaky role in the

accumulation of visceral fat making it

easier for some to collect it than

others but what you need to know is that

genetics is the gun and the environment

is the trigger so you can't necessarily

fix one but you can definitely fix the

other well you may be wondering like how

how much visceral fat is too much well

ideally we want to get as close to 0o

LBS as possible of visceral fat on our

bodies now the best way to figure out

how much visceral fat you have on your

body is through getting either a CT scan

or an MRI scan or even a dexa scan but

for a lot of people that may not be

accessible so here are some other ways

that you can find out how much visable

fat that you have on your body now the

first one is the waistline test so if

you're a guy watching this video

anything at or above 40 in for your

waistline is definitely a good sign that

you have a lot of visceral fat on your

body and if you're a woman that is

watching this video anything above 35 in

is also a good indicator that you have

way too much viseral fat now there's

another method that Health experts

suggest which is your waist to height

ratio the recommendation is that your

waist should measure out to be half your

height when it comes to inches or even

centimeters so let's just say that

you're a 70in man which is around around

510 then your waistline should be around

35 in if not lower than that and the

final way to measure your visceral fat

is to use a visceral fat calculator and

this is provided by the University of

Luxembourg I'm going to be linking it in

the description below and basically you

enter in your numbers and then it

calculates exactly how much visceral fat

you have in your body now again that is

going to be an estimation it's based off

of a formula doesn't mean that is

exactly how much you have

but it will give you a good indicator of

whether or not you are accumulating more

than you should now you may be wondering

what the dangers are to having too much

visceral fat on your body now visceral

fat is not just content to just sit

there it reeks havoc on your hormones

and also sends out inflammatory signals

to your entire body this type of fat can

wrap around your most important organs

like your liver your pancreas and your

intestines it not only messes with your

hormones it also raises your blood

pressure it also makes you more insulin

resistant and then this can set you up

for a bevy of preventable diseases such

as heart disease type 2 diabetes and

certain types of cancer so again like

this ra fat is literally the most

dangerous type of fat that is on your

body and we want to do everything that

we can to get rid of it so how do we do

this well I recently took a client

through a 4mon program and we did a

Dexter scan for him and when the Dexter

scan came back we realized that he had

around 2.5 lbs of visceral fat on his

body and in 4 months we were able to

reduce his visceral fat by

50% and here's the protocol that we used

to do it the very first one is just to

eat Smart uh we changed this diet from

one that was eating out uh that was

getting Uber Eats all the time and and

that was just like generally just

irresponsible and we turned it into one

where he was doing a couple of things so

number one you traded all of the foods

that he was eating for single ingredient

nutrient-dense high protein types of

foods you're getting around like 40 to

50 gr of protein per meal and there's a

very specific reason why we did this

it's because when you're losing weight

you don't just want to lose weight there

is this chance that you might lose

muscle and when it comes to losing

weight we want to be able to retain if

not build maybe a little bit of muscle

while you are dropping fat so with our

client each morning we had him start off

his day with a high protein meal it was

either greas yogurt berries with like

protein powder and also a couple of nuts

or it could have been eggs and also a

combination of Greek yogurt if you was

too busy we would still have him start

off his day with at least a shake just

to make sure that we have protein going

into his body and initially what we did

was we tracked his Foods we tracked all

the calories he was putting into his

body we tracked all the macros he was

putting into his body and we wanted to

get really clear about how much he was

eating and how much protein he was

putting in as well and not only did this

help him lose the visceral fat but it

also helped him drop 40 lbs off of his

body just by switching up what he was

eating now number two was fixing how he

was exercising and how he was moving and

the combination of weightlifting and

also low intensity movement is like the

perfect combination if you want to get

rid of weight especially when it comes

the visceral fat so here's what we did

for our client the first thing is is

that he had no problem exercising he was

actually doing it 7 days a week which is

surprising because he was carrying so

much fat on his body but this is what

happens when you don't necessarily pair

up a proper exercise routine and also

with proper dieting so he was changing

his workouts every single day and we got

him to stop doing that we had him doing

a 16we program where he was focused on

getting stronger at the basic movements

uh things like the squat the lunge the

chest press the horizontal back row the

vertical pullup basically we just had

him doing the same exercises and with a

focus on progressively overloading the

exercises so he can get stronger and

build more muscle and the thing that we

did with this cardio was very specific

we made sure that he was getting at

least 8 to 10,000 steps per day uh he

had no problems doing Zone 2 cardio but

we don't necessarily look at that as a

way to burn fat we do that as a way for

mental health and also physical health

and V2 Max now one of the best ways to

lose visceral fat especially with car

is to do high-intensity interval

training but we did not do that with our

client because we had to manage the

amount of stress that he was incurring

on a daily basis so one of the things

that we did was we just swapped out any

kind of like high-intensity cardio with

walking because we wanted to make sure

that we were limiting the amount of

stress he was putting on his body now

this leads me to number three which is

to chill the [ __ ] out and what I mean by

that is that stress is like a fat magnet

but it doesn't really really accumulate

fat in the way that most people think

what stress does is it increases

appetite it makes people a little bit

more emotional makes people more

reactive especially to the way that they

eat and it has been shown to maybe

accumulate a little bit more belly fat

than usual so this leads me to the

reason why we use low intensity cardio

as a way to manage his stress so my

client runs one of the biggest hedge

funds in America and one of the things

that he incurs is a lot of stress so so

one thing that we did was to mitigate

this stress through timing so when it

comes to his meals he was fasting every

single day up until like 12:00 to 1:

p.m. and he said like okay like this

works for me but what he didn't realize

is that fasting in the early part of the

day especially with all the stress he

was incurring it led to uncontrollable

bounce of eating at night so we switched

up his fasting instead of continuing his

fast in the morning we had him start his

fast early with his final meal of the

day and I call this concept eating to

your circadian rhythm and I find that

this concept works a lot especially for

people who run high stress jobs after

switching him up from skipping breakfast

to eating breakfast he actually started

to report that he was more Fuller by the

time he got to the end of the night so

another part the timing is to time when

he exercises so with our client we made

sure that he was getting his workouts

first thing in the morning that was

something he was already doing it was

great and the next thing that we did was

in the midafternoon especially like

right before the time he was about to go

back home we had him go and take a walk

we had him go and just Dess himself by

putting his phone away taking a walk

outside just for about 15 to 30 minutes

and then what we don't realize is that a

lot of times when we go from our work

back to home we take that stress with us

especially when we have kids jumping all

over us by just having that little 15 to

30 minute buffer to give yourself that

mental health space it does allow you to

approach the rest of your day and the

end of your day with a lot more calm and

a lot more ease and something that we

know about walking in general is the

fact that it helps you de-stress is one

of the best ways to manage your stress

levels now we did also talk about stress

with our client as well because a lot of

stress comes from the perception of

stress rather than what is actually

happening now that is a longer topic for

another video and I'll get into that in

another video in the future now the four

thing that we did was have them

eliminate alcohol completely so when

you're trying to lose visceral fat you

need to set up an environment that makes

it conducive to happen now alcohol is

literally taking in empty calories with

practically Zero nutritional or health

benefit to it and it also increases the

amount of stress that you would

experience after all the alcohol has

just weaned off and the worst thing

about alcohol that most people don't

mention is the fact that itre increases

appetite it has a chance to make you

more ravenous than smoking a doobie with

your friends now one of the things that

my client was doing was that he was

having alcohol on a regular basis and he

still wanted to have like one to two

drinks a week with his wife so I said

okay cool like I'll compromise with you

we're going to have one to two drinks a

week with your wife totally cool but

what happened was he Felt So Good by not

drinking alcohol he was more focused he

was more energetic he was waking up

without any brain fog he was just a

better version of himself that he

decided to just get rid of it completely

for the 4 months that we were working

together and getting rid of the booze

went a long way in dropping his visceral

fat by 50% now the last thing that we

did was to have him sleep like a high

performer now something that I have to

understand about poor sleep is the fact

that it increases your hunger hormones

and it also messes with your appetite

hormone leptin which is supposed to be a

signal to tell you when you've had

enough to eat and lack of sleep also

increases the stress and also the amount

of cortisol that you're inviting into

your body and to me sleep is the number

one performance-enhancing drug on the

planet and it's also the biggest curse

if you're not getting enough of it now

admittedly with our client we couldn't

change everything that we needed to

change especially when it comes to sleep

there's just something about uh people

who are achieving at the highest level

in business who don't necessarily uh

prioritize sleep but the things that we

did do was increase the quality of his

sleep I did talk a lot about this on the

video that you can check out right over

here but the first thing that we did was

we fixed his environment so it was

completely dark we had him sleeping at

the right temperature and he also got a

mattress for himself that was able to

cool his side of the bed and that went a

long way to improving the quality of his

sleep the other thing that we did with

our client was have him track his sleep

using a sleep tracker because you can

make all these changes to your sleep but

you don't know which one is actually

working unless you quantify it now when

it comes to sleep trackers I don't

necessarily recommend using it for the

rest of your life but I do say that you

want to use it for about 6 months maybe

even to a year to find out what things

affect your sleep because if there's

anything I know about sleep is that it

gives you instant bio feedback based on

the stuff that you do the night before

so while our client wasn't necessarily

getting the hours of sleep that he

needed he definitely increased the

quality of his sleep by at least 10%

using some of the tips that I just

talked about now something I tell all of

my clients is that you don't need a

six-pack you don't need to look like any

of these Juiced up influencers that are

on Instagram or social media you don't

need to compare yourself or even have

the bodies of these guys whatsoever you

just need to get your body fat down to a

level where it is going to be avoidant

of preventable disease and the big part

of that is eliminating as much visceral

fat from your body as possible while my

client has made significant uriz and has

dropped 50% of visceral fat from his

body uh we still have work to do this is

still a long-term thing so if you made

it to the end of this video and you're

still looking to get in shape I actually

did a video right up here that shows you

how to drop the first 20 lbs off your

body and you can go right over there and

you can check it out and I'll see you on

the next one