How to Banish Belly Fat- Very interesting Article

Hi Everyone!! Hope you are having a great week. I touched on this tip a few weeks ago, but find it so interesting. Yes, exercise and eating are huge when it comes to losing or maintaning weight, but this article shows us one more reason to not stress over the little things. Remember, next time you start to get worked up over something (in with the pink and out with the blue) take a few minutes to breathe ask yourself is it worth my health and extra weight. Hope you enjoy!!

Rubman’s Digestion Connection: How to Banish Belly Fat

More than half of all American adults are overweight and it’s hard to turn on the TV without encountering a commercial for another weight loss remedy. A new kind of product being touted is cortisol-control aids, such as Relacore and CortiSlim, which promise to banish the spare tire around your middle by reducing your levels of this “stress hormone.”

Interestingly, in this case, the commercials have it half-right, says contributing medical editor and digestion guru Andrew L. Rubman, ND. Cortisol levels are very relevant to weight control. Even if you have a perfect diet (and who does?), if your cortisol is not held in check, you are likely to get fat — and you’ll get the worst kind of fat, which is excess abdominal fat. This type of fat causes the spare tire or dreaded “apple-shaped” body that puts you at higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.

But, says Dr. Rubman, those commercials have the other half wrong. He does not believe these remedies are any kind of a solution. He says that he finds many of these products do not work, because they fail to address lifestyle-related methods. Instead, he recommends that you learn to naturally even out your cortisol levels — and thus glucose (blood sugar) levels, since the interaction between the two is what usually leads to fat accumulation.

THE CORTISOL CONNECTION: STRESS AND THE SPARE TIRE

Cortisol is a hormone normally secreted by the adrenal glands to regulate carbohydrate metabolism and blood pressure. In the often-cited “fight or flight” response, when you perceive a threat — whether it’s an oncoming car or an argument with your partner — your body shifts into high gear, pumping out extra stress hormones to help you withstand the attack. Cortisol boosts your energy level during such stressful periods… yet too much of this hormone keeps the appetite stimulated and glucose production revved up. Excess glucose gets converted into fat, which the body stores in the belly for easy access.

This isn’t really a problem if stress is a rare occurrence — you cope with the problem, life calms down and cortisol levels go back to normal. However when you live in a state of constant, chronic stress (you know, problems at the office, overdue bills, college tuition, aging parents… life as usual for a lot of us these days) your body produces a steady stream of cortisol, which can create excess belly fat.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

A surprising “diet trick” to make belly fat go away is to add a third mantra to the classic “eat less, exercise more” weight-loss formula. To banish belly fat and return to an optimal weight, Dr. Rubman says it’s also essential to reduce stress. Though that may be easier said than done, Dr. Rubman says consistent practice of the following strategies can help your spare tire melt.

Emphasize high-quality, low-glycemic carbohydrates in your diet. The glycemic index is a measure of how fast a carbohydrate raises your blood sugar. To keep blood sugar on an even keel, the majority of carbs you consume should be healthful, low-glycemic ones, such as most fresh veggies and fruits.

Make sweets only an occasional treat. The goal, of course, is to cut back on high-glycemic carbs. These lead to fluctuating blood sugar levels, which cause food cravings. Avoid these by saying no to candy, cookies and soft drinks, as well as fast foods, processed foods, chips and white bread.

Monitor food combinations. When hunger strikes, quiet your appetite and boost your energy with a healthful protein/carb combo. For example, try nut butter and whole-wheat crackers… low-fat yogurt and granola… a fruit salad sprinkled with walnuts… or turkey breast, lettuce and tomato tucked into a pita. Protein/carb combinations tend to reduce the impact of high-glycemic index foods by slowing their absorption and thereby reducing the speed at which they’re converted to glucose and then fat.

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise three to five times a week can help people lose weight and ward off heart disease and diabetes — it also keeps stress in check. My personal favorites are biking, skiing (a cross-country ski machine works too) and brisk walking.

Practice effective stress management. A great diet and regular exercise can be unfairly sidetracked by the high levels of cortisol that accompany ongoing stress, so it, too, needs to be regulated. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga and Tai Chi really do bring results. Personally, I find that just taking short breaks can smooth out my day enormously — instead of pouring a cup of energy in the form of coffee or tea, I head outdoors for a 10-minute walk in the fresh air and sunshine.

Really, you can think of that spare tire as “excess baggage” you don’t need to lug around. In addition to eating right and exercising regularly, anything you can do to reduce stress will lighten your load — in every way.

Source(s):

Andrew L. Rubman, ND, director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
Have a great Week!