Reducing fat deposits on the hips and butt in women

I was reading an article recently by Charles Poliquin on disruptions in the female endocrine system and how it can cause fat accumulation on the butt and thighs.  Given that losing subcutaneous fat off that region is one of the primary goals of most women, I thought I might share the following extract from the article...

improper levels of the right elements in the gut flora can impact the amount of fat on your legs. Let me explain. One of the ways the body excretes the bad types of endogenous estrogens, and xeno-estrogens is through a process called glucuronidation. In this chemical process, there is binding of the given estrogen to glucuronic acid via a glycosidic bond. The human body also uses this detoxification process to excrete a large variety of molecules, including many pollutants and pharmaceuticals to name a few. The problem is that when you have bad gut flora there is an abundance of this enzyme called Beta-glucuronidase. This enzyme has the nasty habit of breaking the bond between the nasty estrogen and its escort the glucuronic acid, which means that the bad estrogen goes back into circulation. When the gut flora is optimal, the activity of the beta-glucuronidase diminishes.

Now, why do you get poor gut flora? Oral contraceptives use, frequent antibiotic use, intestinal pathogens, stress and a host of other factors can be blamed. The point being: bad gut flora can lead to fat legs.

You don't have to understand all the biochemistry, just the take home point at the end.  Given that a lot of women, particularly young, career focussed women, take the pill, get sick a lot and take antibiotics, suffer from stomach issues and are highly stressed, they may want to start supplementing with good bacteria.
As stated previously, I recommend Natures Sunshine health supplements.  Here is the link for their Bifidophilus product.
http://naturessunshine.eu/uk/optimiseperformanceandwellbeing/index.asp?act=moreinfo&id=103&subcat=

I would also recommend that everyone but particularly women that fit this description, take the Healthy Lifestyle Analysis on the website.  I'm fairly certain these women will come out needing the Nutri-Calm stress relief product.

'15 Foods That Will Help You Lose Belly Fat'... my comments

There has been a lot of promotion online, by nutritionist and personal trainers like Joel Marion, Craig Ballantyne and Jesse Cannone, of Josh Bezoni's '15 Foods That Kill Belly Fat Fast' report.  I have reproduced the list here and added my own comments.  I agree with a lot of what he has to say...  

15 Foods That Kill Belly Fat Fast

1. Avocados: These little suckers are loaded with two nutrients that are KEY to killing belly fat: hunger-crushing fiber (11 to 17 grams per avocado!), and monounsaturated fats, which studies have shown to actually “spot reduce” belly fat. Zowie!

2. Peanut Butter: Okay, not just peanut butter, but mostly any seeds and nuts (these are the best): pistachios, walnuts, almonds (or almond butter), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds. Why? They keep you full and satisfied for long periods of time, and they’re stuffed with healthy, belly-burning fats and minerals.

3. Crisco: KIDDING! Just seeing if you were paying attention. That stuff is deadly. Healthy oils like olive oil, coconut oil and brand names like Udo’s Oil and Barlean’s Oil (I like the swirl flavors) actually help you burn fat by supplying healthy oils your body needs to burn body blubber.

These first three points all relate to 'good' fats.  I am a huge fan of omega 3 fatty essential fatty acids! If you haven't already read it (or if you have), click now on this link to read the blog I wrote in the last year on how amazing these are for your health. The most important point in relation to this subject, omega 3s increases metabolic rate and leads to a reduction in fat mass and increases in lean mass!

4. These Veggies: I’ve got to thank my buddy Mike Geary for this one. Turns out certain vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, and cabbage contain special phytonutrients, such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which help to fight against environmental estrogens that can add belly fat. Mom was right…eat your veggies!

My clients who have received and read my guides to eating for weight loss will know that I endorse eating unrestricted amounts of certain vegetables, including the ones mentioned above, even when on a fat loss programme.

5. Omelets: Eggs aren’t bad, they’re nutrient-dense and loaded with belly-burning protein, vitamins B6, B12, A, D, E, and K, folate, choline, lutein, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, they keep you full for long periods of time. Choose eggs that come from free-range chickens. You’ll get more healthy nutrients.

I am a big fan of eggs.  I carry hard boiled eggs around with me to snack on every day I'm at work. Another big fan is is certified nutritionist and personal trainer, Mike Geary.  Read his blog on eggs here. 
I advovate a version of the Poliquin 'Meat and Nut Breakfast'. I am not as hardline as Monsieur Poliquin.  What my rules basically boil down to are eating a no carb, high protein, high essential fat breakfast.  Recently this has, for me, meant having a four white and two yolk omlette for breakfast, with half an avocado (See no. 1) 

6. Dark Chocolate: That is not a typo. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants (nearly eight times the number found in strawberries) and it contains stimulants that can have a positive effect on fat burning, including theobromine and caffeine. It also contains a nice dose of oleic acid, which is a monounsaturated fat. Make sure to choose the 78% or higher cocoa levels for best results.
Most of my clients and, certainly, my fiancee know that I love dark chocolate! 

7. Oatmeal: Packed with fiber and whole-grain goodness, you can’t go wrong. Just be sure to avoid the processed, high-sugar junk out there and stick to slow-cook oats. Add a dash of cinnamon, some walnuts, berries, and a natural sweetener to taste. BAM! Good stuff.
Just not first thing in the morning. Have the protein and fat breakfast then this mid-morning.

8. Green Tea: Not only does it contain a potent antioxidant, many scientific studies have linked green tea to increased fat burning, including a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that found green tea extract boosted the daytime metabolism of test subjects by 35- 43%.

9. Beans: Black beans, navy beans, refried beans, and lima beans all have 6 or more grams of fiber per ½ cup. Fiber can clean your system of pounds of “toxic waste” and reduce your belly bulge in a big way. (See “Sneaky Trick #5” for details.)

10. Berries: Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are loaded with fiber (which slows sugar absorption), and they’re packed with vitamins that can fight cravings (cravings can come from vitamin deficiencies).

11. Cinnamon: Researchers have found that cinnamon contains a type of antioxidant that increases insulin sensitivity and effectively helps to stabilize blood sugar. Bottom line…you’ll store less belly fat.

I add Chinese 5 Spice to my omlette in the morning and pure cinnamon powder to my after workout shake for this very reason.

12. Chilli Peppers: Studies have shown that the active ingredient in chili peppers and powder, something called capsaicin, increases calorie-burning, stabilizes blood sugar levels (which decreases fat storage), and is a potent antioxidant. Add some of this “spice” to your life.

13. Yogurt: Most regular yogurt is bad for your belly. It’s loaded with belly-bulging sugar (real or artificial) that you want to avoid it. However, Greek yogurts like Stoneyfield Farms Oikos Greek Yogurt (plain) are loaded with probiotics that fight belly bulge. (See “Sneaky Trick #6.”)

14. Wild Salmon: Hands-down one of the best belly-blasting foods because of its protein and high omega-3 fatty acid content. This is like a “double shotgun approach” to killing belly fat. Many people are deficient in omega-3s and when they add them to their diet the fat can really start coming off.

15. Giant Turkey Legs: You got me. I’m pulling your leg. (Get it?) I’m not just talking about turkey meat (white preferred), but any lean protein source is a good belly-blasting food. This includes wild salmon, free-range chicken, whey protein powders, and most especially grass-fed beef because it contains natural CLA—a fat that studies have actually shown to burn fat. The interesting thing about protein is your body will burn off as much as 30% of its calories after you eat it.

There you go!  That is my take on Josh Bezoni's '15 Foods That Kill Belly Fat Fast' report. Pretty spot on if you ask me!

"Get Abs #1" - my advice

Matt Kay recently wrote a blog on the Inspiring Fitness website that highlighted the need to reduce stress to help you achieve the six pack you desire. He highlighted the importance of coping with stressors and gave recommendations on how to deal with stress, like identifying the stressor, avoiding stressors, managing the stress, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, and nutrition and supplementation to help you cope with stress.
I'd like to flesh out these points and give my own advice on how to deal with stress in your life. This will not only help you achieve the flat, waterboard stomach you see in magazines and movies, but also prevent diseases of a stressful lifestyle including cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, hypertension, depression, eczema, IBS, insomnia, fatigue and some forms of cancer.
A lot of the content of this blog comes from The Smart Health Guide To Stress, distributed at Nuffield Health sites. I picked my copy up at the Covent Garden site.

What Is Stress?
Getting 'stressed' is defined as feeling pressure exceeding our ability to cope, i.e. events becoming out of our control.
Stress is not necessarily a bad thing. We have evolved to react to stress by releasing hormones which heighten our senses and metabolic rate ('fright or flight' responses). It can help us achieve our goals. Stress is essential. But when it becomes too much or is not coped with, that is when it can become detrimental. Other hormones, like cortisol, are excessively released and that can cause detrimental effects on the body.
Cortisol counteracts the effects of growth hormone (GH) and testosterone (T) in the body. Both GH and T have been shown to be associated with increased fat burning and decreased abdominal fat, whereas cortisol has the opposite effects, increasing fat deposits around the midsection of the body.

How Do You Know When You Are Too Stressed
If you suffer from any of the follow, then it is likely that your stress levels are excessive:

• lack of appetite
• food cravings when under pressure
• indigestion and heart burn
• poor sleep pattern
• irritability with people
• indecisiveness
• loss of sense of humour
• simmering anger
• poor concentration
• feeling unable to cope
• switching to new tasks when the previous one has not been completed
• no interest in activities outside of work

Coping With Stress
There are 3 main ways you can cope with stress, by addressing the following areas

1. Environment
This area is based around changing the circumstances and events in your life that causes you stress. There are several things you can do to change your environment to limit stress.

• identify the stress and, if you can, remove or reduce it
• spend more time doing the things you enjoy
• identify what is preventing you enjoying the things you do
• improve time management - diarise everything and write lists
• only allow yourself to work a certain number of hours
• surround yourself with positive and supportive people - avoid stressful relationships
• take a 5 minute break every hour at work, 55/5 rule.

2. Perception

This is when you create stress for yourself by 'dwelling' on things or assuming things are stressful. There is often at least two ways of looking at something. Try to maintain a positive outlook.
If you suffer from any of the follow, you are likely to see situations as stressful when they may not in reality be so

• Perfectionism
• Desire to please others
• Insecurity
• Fear of failure
• Lack of flexibility
• Negativity
• Need for control
• Unable to ask for help
• Fierely independent

Some self-reflection may help you not to perceive events around you as stressful. Try asking these questions;

• Is what you dealing with really that important?
• Live in the present, not the future. Are things that bad today?
• What is it that I am stressing about? Why? Is it that bad?
• What good may come out of this situation?
• What is one way I could reduce the stress in this situation?
• Who can I talk to about this? Friends, partner, colleagues, boss, spiritual leader, shrink?
• Is there anything positive about this situation? Could I make it more so?
• What other coping strategies could I try?

3. Physical Resistance

There are two components to this area: releasing stress and increasing relaxation.
Releasing Stress

Exercise! Preferably after the stess, i.e. after work. It clear the stress hormones: adrenaline and noradrenaline. But not for too long. Exceeding an hour of medium to high intensity exercise will release more cortisol which will be counter-productive. As Matt Kay recommended, try intervals when doing cardio, or do weights, or punch a bag or pads in spurts.
Increasing Relaxation

Improving your nutrition is a great start to helping you be more relaxed. Try:

• Make sure you have a decent breakfast with wholegrains and protein (oats, egg whites, etc)
• Eat some regular meals throughout the day
• Take a lunch break, do not eat at your desk or 'on the fly'
• Avoid sugars and refined carbohydrates (white pasta, bread, rice, etc)
• Try to avoid caffeine and stimulants
• Eats lots of fruit and vegetables
• Drink lots of water - dehydration of only 3% can increase your sense of effort by 70%.

You could also try the following relaxation strategies

• Meditate or just sit quietly for a few minutes, visualising non-stressful situations
• Listen to music, read enjoyable books and do not watch TV just for the sake of it
• Conduct deep breathing at least once per day
• Enjoy a long bath or shower... with a partner? ;-)

What If You Can Not Avoid Stress?
Nutrition is something that most people can attempt to alter to help them cope with stressors. However there are some supplements that can help you deal with stress and try to regulate your stress hormone (adrenaline. noradrenalin, cortisol) outputs.
Siberian Ginseng
Siberian Ginseng is an adaptogen. An adaptogen is a natural herb product that increases the body's resistance to stress, trauma and fatigue.
Ginseng's name comes from the Chinese jen shen, which means ‘man root’, so-named because some roots have limb-like branches resembling arms and legs.
Nutri-Calm
During stress, your body becomes depleted in Vitamin Bs and c. This supplement contains a mixture of B-complex vitamins and vitamin C, plus camomille and anti-oxidants to calm you down and prevent damage from free-radicals which are produced during stress.
Hops and Valerian Root
Hops and Valerian Root are excellent herbs to help relax you and help you sleep. This supplement can also be taken by those who suffer from any phobias, eg. fear of flying, to help calm them before and during the activity.
Perilla & Cyperus Combination
This is another supplement based on Eastern herbs to help with coping with stress. Perilla is also helpful in the relief and prevention of seasonal allergies and hayfever.

Diet or Exercise for losing body fat? - Inspiring Fitness - www.inspiringfitness.co.uk

Diet or Exercise? - Inspiring Fitness - www.inspiringfitness.co.uk

Evening Standard - Wed 27 Jan 2010 - Heath&Beauty

Tonight's 'Evening Standard' newspaper, distributed in London, U.K., had two articles in succession that tweaked my interest enough to offer my opinions.

The first, an interview article with celebrity chef, Anthony Worrall Thompson highlighted the growing number of people being diagnosed with and dying from complications to do with Syndrome X, a condition associated with high blood fats (HDL and trigylerides), high blood pressure, high blood sugar and obesity. This condition can lead to cardiovascular disease and Type II (Non-insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).

Some of the more eye opening quotes for the general public included:-

I could have died from diabetes, says Antony Worrall Thompson

When his wife Jacinta picked him up after the test
results, his first words were "I'm going to die".

"More people are going to die from diabetes than
from smoking. People don't realise that you can lose limbs (through
diabetes)."

Though really just a promotional piece for Worrall Thompson's new cookbook for diabetics, this is a brillant article to highlight the apathy of the general public about Syndrome X and its causes. People do not seem to understand the seriousness of this condition, and it does not get the government support and health promotion that it should.

Perhaps it is because it is somewhat of a 'silent killer' in that people can be fairly assymptomatic untill it is too late. As Worrall Thompson stated,

''I was fat but I'd never been ill with so much as a cold. The diagnosis really
shook me up - the doctors said I was well on my way to becoming a diabetic.''

I've had person experience with these attitudes, with close friends and family members refusing to take signs and symptoms, like loss of sensation in the limb extremities and high blood sugar readings, seriously! I guess no one expects to lose a limb.

The second article, The City girl diet, was much more a paid for promotion for a colonic irrigation, or 'hydrotherapy' as used in the article, clinic.

The programme requires the poor soul to abstain from alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, meat and sugars; drink meal replacement juices, shakes or teas; permits vegetable broth only halfway through; and requires a colonic 'hydrotherapy' session at the end of the 5 days.

Now, I'm not anti-detoxing! I'm quite pro, in fact. Detoxing allows the large and small intestines to be cleared of all the gunk that sticks to them during digestion and elimination.

But why suffer when you don't have to? I think a much better option is to cut out the alcohol, caffeine, etc and take the juices and shakes in the form of capsule supplements, sold by company's like Nature's Sunshine. That way you can avoid the nasty tastes, and get to eat solid food.

In regards to the colonic, I'm still not convinced about them. I know people who swear by them, I know others who say that they didn't help at all. I think by simply following this diet and taking the supplements, your body will eliminate anything that is stuck inside you. And that way, you can avoid the hose up the...