每逢佳节胖三斤！为什么你体重正常，肚子还是很大？

国庆节过完了，老实讲，你胖了几斤？

最显著的变化，是不是那个肉呼呼圆滚滚的小肚子？

Big belly, double chin, thick neck… these are images coming into your mind when people talk about obesity.

大肚子、双下巴、粗脖子……谈及肥胖时，你的脑海里总是会浮现这些画面。

Besides an apple-shaped appearance, people can also find out whether they are obese through their Body Mass Index, which is obtained by an equation: weight/height squared. Those whose BMIs are over 30 kg/㎡are considered overweight.

除了像苹果身材，人们也能根据BMI指数判断自己是否属于肥胖人群。BMI指数=体重/身高的平方，BMI指数超过30 kg/㎡ 的则为超重。

The problem is, why do people with normal BMI still have a big belly? Although they are able to wear smaller-sized clothes, why is belly fat still forcing them to give up tight clothes?

问题是，为什么有的人BMI指数正常，肚子仍然很大？虽然可以穿小号的衣服，但为了遮肚子，这些人还是要避免穿紧身的衣服。

The reason is, it isn't just regular fat. It is visceral fat.

答案就是，肚子大不是因为一般的脂肪，而是内脏脂肪。

visceral ['vɪsərəl]：adj.内脏的

Different from subcutaneous fat, which is directly under the skin, visceral fat is found around organs in the abdominal cavity, including the liver, pancreas and kidneys.

皮下脂肪是储存在皮下的脂肪组织，而内脏脂肪与它不同，存在于腹腔内，包裹着人的脏器，如肝脏、胰腺和肾脏。

subcutaneous [,sʌbkjʊ'teɪnjəs]：皮下的

abdominal [æb'dɒmɪn(ə)l]：腹部的

cavity：洞；腔

liver：肝脏

pancreas ['pæŋkrɪəs]：胰腺

kidney：肾脏

It is necessary to have some visceral fat to protect your organs, but too much visceral fat is anything but healthy. Excessive visceral fat can lead to heart disease, hyperlipidemia and other cardiovascular diseases.

适量的内脏脂肪有利于保护脏器，而过多的内脏脂肪则会对身体有害，引发心脏病、高血脂及其它心血管疾病。

hyperlipidemia[,haɪpɚ,lɪpɪ'dimiə]：高血脂

cardiovascular[,kɑrdɪo'væskjəlɚ]：心血管的

A visible impact is too much visceral fat contributes to thickening subcutaneous fat, which makes your belly more pronounced.

内脏脂肪很明显的影响就是会增厚皮下脂肪，导致肚子越来越大。

pronounced：显著的

Therefore, if you want to get rid of a big belly, the first step is to burn visceral fat, through discipline and dedication, instead of weight-loss pills.

因此，要想甩掉“大肚子”，首先就要通过自律尽力燃烧内脏脂肪，而不是去吃所谓的“减肥药”。

How to burn visceral fat?

那么，如何减少内脏脂肪呢？

▌Do regular full-body exercise

定期做全身锻炼

When you do long-term exercise, visceral fat will provide energy, followed by subcutaneous fat.

做长时间的锻炼时，内脏脂肪和皮下脂肪会相继提供能量。

And full-body exercises, such as squats and lunges, can activate many muscles at the same time, improving the efficiency of fat burning. Over time, flattening your belly can become a reality.

而如深蹲、箭步蹲一类的全身运动能同时活动多处肌肉，提高燃脂效率。假以时日，平坦的小腹就不再只是梦想。

箭步蹲 Since our main purpose is losing belly fat, abdominal muscle exercise is suggested, including belly roll and planks.

既然主要目的是腹部减脂，那么卷腹、平板支撑一类的腹部运动也必不可少。

平板支撑 ▌Improve diet

改善饮食

Burning fat requires eating less carbohydrate-rich food:

要想减脂，就要少吃富含碳水化合物的食物：

►eat less food with refined sugar including milkshakes, ice-cream, and pies…

少吃含精制糖的食物，如奶昔、冰淇淋、派……

►eat more high-protein food including fish, meat, eggs, and milk

多吃高蛋白食物，如鱼、肉、蛋、奶

►eat more vegetables

多吃蔬菜

Remember not to diet blindly. It offers no benefit but makes you very hungry.

切忌盲目节食，饿得头晕眼花也没用。

What are you waiting for? Get started!

还在等什么？快点行动起来吧！