8 reasons you're not losing belly fat

You have food allergies or food sensitivities

Genetics also play a role in food allergies and food sensitivities, according to Dr. Nusbaum. These food issues could also be to blame for excess belly fat and bloat. For example, he says, “if you are African American and your genetics are purely from sub-Saharan Africa, where [your ancestors] didn’t have corn, and you love your sodas and are drinking tons of high-fructose corn syrup, you’re going to store that away as fat because your body can’t metabolize it preferentially.”