A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Visceral fat pushes your abdominal wall outwards. Though the fat itself is not hard, the tissues that make up your abdomen are, which is why your belly feels rigid when you poke it. The hard belly is caused by the build-up of visceral fat, a soft belly is caused by subcutaneous fat, which is located near to your skin.
In most cases, a tight stomach is caused by physical factors, such as digestive issues or hormonal changes. The feeling can also be caused by chronic stress. Stress reduction techniques, such as mindfulness, may be helpful in such cases.
In most cases, a tight stomach doesn't require a visit to the doctor. However, you should seek immediate medical attention if the tightness is accompanied with severe nausea, weight loss or difficulty breathing.
A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Due to their tendency of accumulating abdominal visceral fat (Grauer et al., 1984), men are more likely to develop an apple-shaped body. The excessive accumulation of abdominal visceral fat is also known as android obesity.
You could have a condition called Diastasis Recti Abdominus, or DRA. DRA is caused by an increase in abdominal pressure and occurs when the rectus abdominus, the abdominal muscle that runs down the center of your stomach, separates.
Abdominal swelling, or distention, is more often caused by overeating than by a serious illness. This problem also can be caused by: Air swallowing (a nervous habit) Buildup of fluid in the abdomen (this can be a sign of a serious medical problem)
People who regularly eat and drink more calories than they burn each day are more likely to gain extra weight, including belly fat. Getting older also makes a difference. People lose muscle as they age. And the problem is worse for those who are not physically active.
It may be the regular consumption of alcohol, stress, hormones, bad posture, recent pregnancy, bloating, or others. If you are determined to flatten your belly, you should exercise more and stick to a healthy diet.
The best way to reduce visceral fat is through losing weight and diet. Visceral fat responds better to diet and exercise than fat on the hips. Regular exercise can also stop visceral fat from coming back. Another option is medication, but studies show this is not as effective in reducing visceral fat as exercise.
With age (predominately during middle age), hormone levels drop in both women and men. We hear a lot about menopause in women, but men also have a drop in hormones during this time, and this tends to lead to growth of the fat cells in the abdomen.
Sometimes, excess fat around the belly is due to hormones. Hormones help regulate many bodily functions, including metabolism, stress, hunger, and sex drive. If a person has a deficiency in certain hormones, it may result in weight gain around the abdomen, which is known as a hormonal belly.
Poor Diet and Lack of Physical Activity
Food products that are high in trans fats such as processed foods, sugar, and saturated fat can contribute to excess belly fat. These foods are high in calories and low in nutrients, which can lead to gaining weight and an increase in belly fat.
In basic terms, the uterus is a muscle and muscles can contract when irritated. How: Braxton-Hicks contractions are usually felt as a tightening and a hardening of the abdomen (the uterus). They usually last only 20-30 seconds and may happen throughout the day without a regular pattern.
Aging also makes you naturally lose muscle mass. Muscle keeps your metabolism burning at a solid rate. When you lose this muscle -- about 1 pound per year after age 30 -- your metabolism declines, and it becomes easier to gain fat, which often goes straight to the belly in men.
While there isn't one magic food that will melt away belly fat, studies have reported certain foods have special belly-fat-burning benefits, such as avocado, artichokes, whole grains, kefir, green tea, eggs, peanuts and chickpeas.
A sedentary lifestyle (i.e., barely exercising) is linked to having higher amounts of that hard-belly visceral fat (it can be linked to subcutaneous fat, too). Women are more likely to store fat as subcutaneous fat than visceral fat, though they start storing visceral fat when they reach menopause.
Health Effects of Hard Fat and Soft Fat
The impacts of hard and soft fat on your body's wellness are significantly different. Hard fat is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses, as was previously mentioned. This is because it increases LDL cholesterol levels.
Is visceral fat hard to lose? Visceral fat is actually easier to lose than subcutaneous fat. This is because it metabolizes quicker and your body can get rid of it as sweat or pee. If you start regularly exercising and eating a healthy diet, you should start to see results in two to three months.
A hormonal belly looks like an accumulation of fat around the belly. It looks like excess fat on the stomach that cannot be removed. Hormonal imbalances can lead to excess fat accumulation in the belly area.
The PCOS belly involves the accumulation of visceral fat in the lower abdomen and typically feels firm to the touch. A PCOS belly is also characterized by a high waist-to-hip ratio of greater than 0.87 (apple body shape). However, some individuals may not experience any noticeable changes in their stomach.