Doctor issues serious warning to anyone with 'belly fat' and reveals what it could really mean

After Christmas, it's likely we're all carrying a little holiday weight, as Ross Geller famously once put it — but there's more reasons why you should be working to get rid of any belly fat than just aesthetics.

A lot of people wants to look lean and shift a few pounds so they feel confident and comfortable in their own skin, particularly as we start the new year.

If being 'bikini body ready' (whatever the hell that means) is your main goal though, you might want to reevaluate just why it's a good idea to lose weight around your stomach in particular.

Dr Amir Khan, a practicing doctor who often appears on British daytime TV shows like Good Morning Britain, said people's aim should to be get healthier, not skinnier.

"Now, too often, weight advice is wrong [and] focused on all the wrong things. Trim down for the beach season or show off those rock-hard abs - that's nonsense, of course," Dr Amir said in a video shared to his Instagram page (where he boasts 916,000 followers).

"We should want to get healthy, not thin or ripped," he went on. "Now, if you are carrying extra pounds around your midsection, know that losing belly fat is more than conforming to unattainable beauty standards, because the weight we carry in our abdomen can be a sign of health concerns that are more than skin deep."

Dr Amir went on to explain that there's two types of fat: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat.

Subcutaneous fat is located just under the skin and is pinch-able, while visceral fat lies deeper below the skin's surface and closer to our organs.

If you have too much visceral fat (which builds up around the abdomen), it can lead to diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol, as well as other health conditions.

While visceral fat is more of a concern, Dr Amir explained that it's actually the easier of the two fats to get rid of.

Explaining why, he said: "This is because [visceral fat] is metabolised quicker, and your body can get rid of it in things such as your sweat or even your pee.

"To help the process, think about doing a variety of exercises - things that get your heart rate pumping and build muscle."

According to Cleveland Clinic, the best ways to get rid of visceral fat are: staying active, managing what you eat, intermittent fasting, getting enough quality sleep, reducing stress, and limiting your alcohol intake.