Belly fat ain't no joke people- though if you have ever struggled to get rid of it you probably never thought it was very funny to begin with.

In understanding how to get rid of belly fat, it's best to start by understanding the difference between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. 

Subcutaneous: the fat that builds up directly beneath the skin, is usually more squishy and easy to pinch. 
Visceral: the fat that builds up around your abdominal organs. A build up of visceral fat comes with some health risks including diabetes, insulin sensitivity, high blood pressure, and cholesterol issues.  Visceral fat tends to be harder to the touch. 

Two things to note:

• Extra large bellies will usually be made up of a mix of both of these types of fat.

• Having too much of either types of fat is not good for your health, but visceral fat especially because of the extra health risks that come with it.

To me, when I see a beer belly, it is a signifier of a hormonal imbalance. It is a sign that your body is not responding well to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that takes sugar and brings it into the cell so it can be used for energy. When your cells start to resist insulin, we may find ourselves developing blood sugar issues, in a pre-diabetic sort of state.  This is hugely influenced by our diet -- too much sugar, too much booze, too many up and down roller blood sugar roller coaster rides created by imbalanced macronutrients (carbs, fats and proteins) and over eating. 

The good thing to note is that you can start combating with some nutritional and lifestyle changes. 

Here are 5 Important Guidelines for Getting Rid of Stubborn Belly Fat

1. Watch your portions and avoid over eating

2. Nix the processed and refined foods and focus on eating whole foods instead

3. Reduce starchy carbs and sugar, focus on getting carbohydrate energy from veggies mostly and also some fruits.

4. Ensure you're getting adequate protein and healthy fat

5. Get a good nights sleep! (7-8 hours is ideal)

6. Focus on managing your stress- meditation, yoga, going for walks, or just doing whatever it is you like to do that helps relax your mind is great! Do a little (or a lot) of this daily.

Following this guideline is going to be a really great start to reducing fat that won't seem to budge. Not only because you will be eating more balanced macronutrients and more wholesome nutrition, but you'll also be supporting your hormonal health, which is a huge contributor in itself to the development of belly fat in the first place. 

And of course, if you really want to super charge your results (and your health), exercise is going to be a huge benefit to you as well.