My fat has a name

I've been watching the Dr. Oz show during my workouts at the gym. And some when I get home and do ab work. Although, I'm starting to think that's a bad idea. He has a segment where he shows what kinds of bacteria or diseases or bugs are on your everyday items - like the remote control (enterococcus - fecal matter), mattress (dust mites eating your dead skin), and the bottom of your purse (some other coccus thingie that I can't remember but causes asthma, yeast infections, meningitis and other bad things). It's painful to watch. It makes me not want to sleep at night. I should probably skip that segment.

But I disgress. Another segment deals with weight loss. He's had several morbidly obese people on that he will hopefully help. He's got some great tips. Did you know that by adding Brewer's Yeast to your popcorn, you gain protein, vitamins and help regulate your glucose levels? And, this is when I found out that my fat has a name.

Omentum - the greater and lesser. There is an organ attached to the stomach that stores fat so your stomach has easy access to it when it needs it. Like when I'm starving - not! There is a lesser omentum and a greater omentum. Mine is definitely Greater! When Dr. Oz showed the audience what it should look like, it was like a lacy flat yellowish thing. That was the omentum of a skinny person. (You know where this is going.) The omentum in an overweight person? Big, fatty, bumpy, gross. The omentum is behind your stomach, so as you store fat (like the 30 extra pounds I'm carrying) it gets bigger and pushes your organs out of the way. That might explain the stomach pain.

Stress can also enlarge your omentum. Another good reason not to fret over that piece of chocolate.

Can my omentum get smaller? I'm hoping. Because now that I know it's in there, I'm determined to get it flat, along with my stomach. Ew. Hard to believe that in my 39 years, I have never heard of the omentum fat organ. Fat organ. I think that will be my new nickname.