more caloric energy than our bodies can use. “It’s certainly no secret that the way we eat is out of sync with our body’s needs,” writes Floyd H. Chilton, Ph.D., in Inflammation Nation: The First Clinically Proven Eating Plan to End Our Nation’s Secret Epidemic. “Most of the evolutionary forces that shaped our genetic development were exerted 10,000 years ago, when we were hunter-gatherers. Nothing in that programming could have prepared us for the Big Mac.” As Peeke puts it, “Genetics may load the gun, but en- vironment pulls the trigger.” She spent years researching the link between stress and fat at the National Institutes of Health, and says that chronic stress can beget an expansive waist- line because it triggers ongoing production of cortisol that, among other things, spurs intense appetite that causes us to overeat; the resulting weight gain tends to settle mainly in the abdomen.
Declining levels of sex hormones cause both men and
women to develop a paunch as they age. Even pear-shaped women start to lose their estrogen advantage after meno- pause. Remarks Savard, “When they gain weight after meno- pause, the tendency is to put on visceral fat... and transform from pear into apple.”
Strategies
Potbellies are epidemic, and there is no quick-fix approach. Common spot remedies like crunches might tone back and abdominal muscles, but they don’t address fat stored inside the belly. For that, we need to reduce our body’s overall fat storage. Savard advises against being tempted by crash diets; they sometimes lead to weight gain. She advises that, “Re- ducing your caloric intake by more than 25 percent simply triggers your metabolism to go into starvation mode, which lowers your [resting metabolic] rate.” Sticking with a sen- sible, whole-foods diet and moderate, daily exercise will deliver much better results. The good news is that visceral fat, while it may be stored
deep down in your belly, is often the first type of fat to burn off. This fat is metabolically active, so it actually works in our favor when we decide to get rid of it. We’ll do better to forget how much we weigh and focus
on our waistline measurement, counsels Savard. Losing just two inches there can significantly decrease the risk for a host of illnesses and diseases. “Throw away your weight scale, because health is in inches, not pounds,” she emphasizes. Exercise and nutrition, especially eating small, well- balanced meals every three to four hours, is important, says Peeke, but just as significant is learning how to manage stress levels. “I’ve always looked at the mind in addition to the mouth and the muscle,” she says. While there is no quick-fix approach to losing abdomi- nal fat, thinking holistically and making real lifestyle changes can go a long way toward shedding a stubborn belly. By doing so, we’ll not only look great at the beach this summer, but feel great, too.
Anjula Razdan is a Washington, D.C.-based writer and editor whose article here is an adapted excerpt from Care2.
June 2011 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60