It appears the world is currently obsessed with belly fat - I’ve just batted away yet another ad blinking with artist’s sketch of a muffin top and “tiny belly tips”.
But the obsession is with good reason – carrying excess visceral fat does more than add a few inches to your waist, it can take years off your life.
A flabby belly is often accompanied by high cholesterol, high blood pressure or elevated insulin levels. Having even just one of these symptoms puts you at risk of serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease and stroke, breast cancer and dementia.
The reason most people get a bit of padding in their midsection is a combination of poor diet, not enough exercise and a hectic stressful lifestyle, which causes cortisol levels to spike. When this happens cortisol breaks down lean muscle (which burns calories most efficiently) and also holds on to fat storage in the abdominal region.
So, as with most successful lifestyle changes, it’s a matter of evaluating what you’re doing right now and seeing where you might be going wrong, what you could be doing better, and focusing on having good health and energy.
Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep should be the top of your “new year new you” checklist – it’s one of the best ways to prevent stress-induced weight gain.
According to Liz Vaccariello, author of The Flat Belly Diet (Rodale), constantly depriving your body of rest subjects it to a constant level of elevated stress. “Sleep deprivation results in reduced levels of leptin, a protein which regulates body fat,” explains Vaccariello.
“Not getting enough sleep causes your body to store fat, slows your metabolism and makes you want to eat more. If you’re in any way sleep deprived, it’s that much more difficult to summon the physical energy and mental focus to stick to any diet or exercise plan.
So start spending more time in bed girls!
Stress
Too much stress produces a large amount of the hormone cortisol in your body, which raises your blood glucose levels. This in turn produces insulin, which stores the glucose as....you guessed it...stomach fat!
That stress on the body can get worse with yo-yo dieting; studies show that the stress caused by dieting can increase cortisol levels, making no change in belly fat even if you’ve cut way back on the calories.
Your emotions, stress levels and body image all play a role in how and when you eat - and even how and where you put on weight,” explains Liz Vaccariello.
If you have any emotional eating or stress issues, it’s a great idea to get those addressed. Stop the yo-yo dieting too - if you just start depriving yourself you might lose weight but you’ll also lose muscle, bone density and your sense of humour!
If you’re stressed, simply try to do less and chill out. Do anything that helps you unwind, it will mean less stress and less belly fat.
So how do you live a stress free life?
Diet
Fat has long been the enemy of dieters but what a lot of people don’t realise is that avoiding all fat and eating the wrong kinds is what often contributes to feeling more flab than fab. So get over your fat phobia!
The very best antidote to belly fat is monounsaturated fatty acids, otherwise known as MUFAs, according to Liz Vaccariello, author of The Flat Belly Diet. The best MUFAs to get into your diet are:
Plant based oils:
The health benefits of plant based oils (olive, canola, hemp, safflower, sesame, sunflower, walnut, peanut, flaxseed and rapeseed) are amazing! All of them are rich in vitamin E, but they all have their individual personalities depending which fruit, nut or seed they are pressed from.
Flaxseed and walnut oils are rich sources of alpha-linoleic acid, which your body converts into omega-3 fatty acids. Extra virgin olive oil has strong antibacterial properties and can kill harmful stomach bacteria.
Try and get cold-pressed oils where possible, as this is a natural, chemical-free extraction process and allows the oil to retain many of its natural nutrients.
Olives:
#Get yourself a dish of olives instead of crisps in the pub and not only will you enjoy the MUFAs but some iron, vitamin E, copper (a mineral that protects your thyroid, nerves and connective tissue) and fibre.
Nuts and seeds:
Like oils, nuts can bring a whole host of different health benefits depending on which one you choose. Sunflower seeds are particularly good as they are high in linoleic acid, which helps prevent heart disease.
Pistachios have been shown to keep blood pressure on an even keel and the omega 3 fatty acids in walnuts have been linked to protection against asthma and arthritis.
Nuts are also an excellent source of protein, fibre, iron and zinc. Just one Brazil nut will give you your daily required intake of selenium, a mineral that helps keep your immune system strong. So what are you waiting for? Go nuts for nuts!
Avocados:
I remember in my “must avoid all fat” crazy teenage years seeing the fat content of an avocado and freaking out. What a waste - all those years I could have been enjoying delicious healthy avocados!
They are packed with good stuff. Vitamin E for healthy skin, hair and nails, vitamin K to help clot blood properly, potassium for regulating blood pressure, lutein to help maintain healthy eyes....they are a feast in every sense of the word.
Dark chocolate:
Chocoholics rejoice, dark chocolate is not only a marvellous monounsaturated fat-packed food but also rich in flavanols and proanthocyanins, both of which boost good HDL cholesterol levels.
It also contains serotonin which relaxes blood vessels and pressure and gives you a feeling similar to being in lurrrve (which would explain why we like it so much!). You also get a boost of important minerals like copper, magnesium, calcium and iron.
Liz Vaccariello recommends buying chocolate with a higher “cacao” or cocoa content. The package will usually list the percentage and the higher the percentage the darker, less sweet and slightly more bitter it will be.
Anything over 70% is a good bet...but we dare you to give 90% a try. You will only need one square, trust us!
"Chocolate Is Officially Good For You"
Eat:
All vegetables; wholegrain bread, pasta and rice; goat or sheep dairy products; pulses (beans, peas, lentils); nuts; seeds; protein (eggs, fresh fish, skinless chicken, very lean red meat); and MUFAs.
Liz Vaccariello recommends eating a MUFA with every meal and never going more than 4 hours without eating something. “Waiting too long to eat means you won’t have the energy or patience to think through the healthiest meal choice, let alone prepare one,” she says.
Avoid:
White breads, pastas, rice and flour; cows dairy produce; processed breakfast cereals; dried fruit; fruit juices; potatoes; can sugar; sucrose; glucose; jams and marmalade; fizzy drinks; coffee.
You could also consider taking some supplements - they complement a reformed diet and exercise regime, and ideally they will put back what your hectic lifestyle takes out.
Max Tomlinson, author of Target Your Fat Spots, suggests a daily multivitamin and mineral, a pure fish oil or linseed oil supplement, and an adrenal support formula that can help your adrenal glands recover from exhaustion.
Exercise
Crunches and sit-ups are the not the answer – in fact, you might even make your abdominal muscles bigger! Instead, try exercises that engage multiple muscle groups and work your cardiovascular system.
Max Tomlinson recommends resistance movements like single arm standing pulls, bench presses and squats. Cosmo’s favourite is the PLANK. Hold the position for 30 seconds and repeat as many times as you can.
Moving during the day also really helps – bust out of the office at lunch time and get some fresh air and your muscles moving.
Flat Stomach Moves
Bottom line girls, there is no magic pill or “one simple tip”, it’s a combination of lots of things and getting a balance in your life between sensible eating, keeping active and managing stress in healthy ways is definitely the way forward.
Get balanced, get rested, get healthy and say bye-bye to belly fat!
Article courtesy of - www.cosmopolitan.co.uk
