Diet and Exercise

• A consistently unhealthy diet and lack of exercise leads to an increase in tummy fat. Eating fried foods, sugary desserts and sodas and high-calorie, low nutrient foods, all make you gain weight. If you lead a primarily sedentary lifestyle and don't get any exercise, your weight will quickly increase. Exercising burns calories and may help balance out the calories consumed from food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that adults get at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week to reap health benefits. A healthy diet contains fiber from vegetables and fruits, unsaturated fats from olive oil and canola oil, complex carbohydrates from whole-grains and lean protein such as fish and chicken.
  
  

Stress and Sleep

• Constant stress may result in fat around your middle. High stress levels make your body release more cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that, according to The Natural Health Website for Women, increases your hunger and makes you gain weight, especially around the waist. The reason the fat gets stored in your tummy is because it's close to your liver, and therefore easily converted into energy when needed. Lack of sleep makes you less stress-resistant and can lead to excess cortisol production. Getting eight hours of sleep each night and practicing meditation are good remedies to manage stress.
  
  

Age and Hormones

• As you age your body's metabolism naturally slows down. This may lead to an increase of fat in your tummy. Similar to men, aging women also store fat in the tummy. For women, this is hormone related. During menopause a woman's physical activity level decreases and she may experience a lack of sleep, depression and an increase in hunger. According to WebMD, estrogen levels decrease during menopause, causing a reduction of thigh and hip weight and an increase in belly weight.
  
  

Medications and Medical Conditions

• Prescription drugs can cause an increase in belly fat. Steroids, anti-seizure medications, antidepressants and diabetes medication may all cause an increase in your weight. Medications can trigger hunger or change the way your body stores fat and maintains insulin levels. Thyroid hormone deficiencies may also be the cause of fat gain around your waist. It slows down your metabolism and triggers weight gain. Cushing's Syndrome, which triggers cortisol production, is another medical condition that can lead to increased belly fat.