Ditz

Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Vanities

Media Credit: www.photobucket.com user:Episode 101 Here, we see a girl who has almost no body fat, yet still maintains that small layer of flesh beneath her belly button. This goes to show that not even starvation diets can't even banish the belly.

Dear Alice,
I am skinny and weigh 122 pounds and I am 5'7" tall. But I have a belly that just won't disappear, and I have been doing sit-ups for a month but my belly has not gotten smaller. What do you suggest for me to get a flat stomach? I am female and 15 years old (if that helps). Please help me! I really want a flat stomach!

Sincerely,?Help

I found this question on the advice website, www.goaskalice.columbia.edu. It expresses a desire felt by countless women across the United States. Possibly beyond that, especially here in Los Angeles.

This question was posted in the Fitness & Nutrition section-not Mental health, not General Questions. This girl, as well as many others, think that having a bit of extra skin beneath their belly button is a sign of poor health, laziness, gluttony, or all of the above. And society has done nothing to stop it. In fact, we've made almost every effort to promote this notion.

It's hard to open a magazine or turn on the television without seeing some reference to a "belly blaster," "tummy buster," or simply "rock hard abs." Women who grace the covers of fitness magazines may as well be amateur body builders given the amount of time they dedicate to their bodies. They follow a regimen that is not only unrealistic for the average woman, but can be downright dangerous to your health.

For starters, it's important to note that women are supposed to have a belly. That's right-in case we've forgotten, there's an important organ in there called the uterus. To maintain normal functioning, this organ is protected by a layer of fat that may cause the area beneath your belly button to swell.

Let's go back to Alice. Her response helps us reveal the genetic unlikelihood of a female flat stomach. "Among many other physical traits, a person's genetic makeup determines the shape of internal organs (e.g., stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys)," she replied. "Depending on these organs' shapes and sizes, they may or may not contribute to a slight roundedness of our stomachs." Alice also went on to point out that another factor out of our control and predetermined by genetics is fat distribution. Bodies may naturally store more fat in the waist than anywhere else on the body.

Continued...

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