Beer belly or kind of a kangroo pouch…

My daughter told me today that one of her teenage friends, who is otherwise slim is developing a kind of beer belly, but because she is not drinking beer yet she calls it kangaroo pouch.

Let’s talk a bit about fat cells. The amount of fat cells you develop during your childhood and teenage years stick with us for the rest of our lives (unless undergo a liposuction treatment what only works with subcutaneous fat cells). That goes for slim as well as for chubby or obese kids and teenagers. The difference is just how full the cell’s are at a given time.

With a balanced diet and exercise you can empty the fat cells, but they are still there. So people that used to be chubby will always gain weight more easy then people that never did develop a high amount of fat cells as a kid and teenager.

Where people develop fat cells has to do with genetic patterns you get from your parents but also with how balanced your diet is. Some develop more fat cells around hips, thighs and butt, some gain fat cells around the belly and waist line.

An interesting fat cell development you can see with people that have chosen liposuction for some parts of the body, without changing their eating or exercise habits. They won’t fill any cells around common body parts anymore because the fat cells are gone, but tend to gain weight on arms, neck and rip cases.

Conclusion: chubby babies and kids may look cute and in some traditions are a symbol for wealth and success, but you don’t do them a favour for their future weight & health management.

It is important to keep the development of fat cells at bay when kids turn into teenagers. I know that many people explain the getting more butt, hip and belly during this time with hormonal changes. Yes, that can be one cause that has an influence. But never less it is important to stick to:

1. A balanced healthy diet (2 parts fruits and veggies, 1 part low GI Carbohydrate, 1 part unprocessed protein per meal)

2. Enough sleep (limit online social media’s and YouTube in the evening)

3. Exercise (make the kids walk, take stairs, organize a sportive hobby for them)