Why you have a 'muffin top' and how to lose it!

this article is actually a re-run but it still applies, especially with the holiday season coming up!

For years now, exercise and diet ‘experts’ had been telling us that ‘No matter how much you exercise a particular area you can not lose bodyfat directly from that said area’

While this is quite true of exercise- (Nope, sorry no amount of sit ups and crunches will give you a flat stomach), is it necessarily true of diet? Can you lose bodyfat from ‘problem’ areas by making changes to your diet?
The answer is a resounding YES!

Here at precision fitness, we use a system called bio-signature.

Bio signature Modulation is a scientific approach to spot reduction developed by world renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin, from over 20 years of performing blood, urine and saliva tests while working with world record holders, professional athletes in all the major sports and Olympic medallists in 16 different events. His entire professional life has been devoted to finding ways to improve athletic performance among the elite, and along the way, he has found innovative and amazingly effective ways to help the non-athletic population in the area of fat loss.
Based on his testing, the reason so many people have stubborn problem areas is due to imbalances in their body biochemistry, especially with hormones.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be taking a look at these hormones and how they relate to fat storage in specific areas. Starting with-

The Muffin Top

Just what is Muffin Top? A muffin top is that layer of fat that ‘spills’ over the top of the wearers waistband. More visible when wearing Jeans and a shorter top- see pic above!

I see them all the time, alarmingly more so on teenage girls than anyone else.
The lady in the picture doesn’t have a particularly fat bottom or legs- in fact they look pretty shapely!
So how does this happen?
Quite Simple. TOO MANY CARBS.

You see, the supra-iliac or ‘LOVE HANDLE’ area is DIRECTLY LINKED to your carbohydrate intake.

I’ve written in the past about ‘carb bitches’ but lets just say you’re friend who can eat all the carbs he/she want’s doesn’t have a problem with insulin but if you have love handles- you do. It really is as simple as that; some people have the genetic ‘gift’ of being able to tolerate more carbs. The Chinese for example.
Let’s take a closer look at how this works:

The hormone in question is INSULIN.
Contrary to popular belief, the body actually WANTS to use fat as energy. However doing anything that causes insulin levels to rise rapidly, causes the body to shuttle blood sugar to the liver, muscle tissue and most importantly, to the adipose tissue (bodyfat!). Insulin, in essence is a STORAGE hormone.
Guess where it loves to be stored?? You guessed it!
Around that waist!

I must clarify however. It’s REFINED carbs we need to AVOID AT ALL COSTS and anything with a High Glycaemic Index reading. Things like pasta, bread, rice YES wholemeal versions count too if you want to get REALLY lean. Obvious things like cakes and biscuits too. However I would say its alcohol that is the biggest cause of this muffin top syndrome.

Alcohol is quite simply liquid sugar, a useless nutrient that the body struggles to deal with:
I recently came accross the explanation below by Nick Mitchell of Ultimate Performance http://www.upfitness.co.uk/ and he sums it up perfectly.

“The body absorbs all of the above carbohydrates as quickly as it would a tablespoon of sugar, which means that the body is forced to release waves of insulin to dispose of the large influx of carbohydrates. These surges of insulin, repeated over and over again, lead to a condition called insulin resistance. The cells that normally respond to insulin get desensitized. The pancreas — which produces insulin — has to "shout" louder and louder for the cells that handle insulin to "hear." The pancreas has to produce more and more insulin to metabolize all that rapidly assimilated carbohydrate.

To make matters worse, these large surges of insulin tend to overshoot the mark, and more is released than is needed. As such, it then causes temporary low blood sugar (insulin takes sugar out of the blood and puts it in storage, remember), which sends your brain a signal that it's time to eat again. One biscuit is never enough is it?”

Ready to lose the love handles then??
Let’s get one thing straight- you will not die if you don’t have carbs and this is not the Atkins diet. We just need to choose our fruit and vegetables carefully.
If you want to lose that muffin top quickly then here’s my advice for maximum results!
1) Eat ONLY green vegetables. Eat them 4 times a day. Eat them steamed or raw. (Micro waving destroys 97% of the flavanoids, boiling 66%, steaming only minimal).
2) Try to stick to berries for your fruit intake- they have a pretty low GI but have lots of anti-oxidants due to their thin skin.
3) Never eat fruit on its own. Have a handful of organic nuts with the fruit- this can help slow down the insulin ‘spike)
4) If it comes in a packet or tin- Don’t eat it. FULL STOP.
5) If it’s ever had a face- you can eat it!
6) Supplement with a good quality fish oil. Don’t buy store bought crap. You get what you pay for. Cheaper brands contain alarmingly high quantities of heavy metals, most notably mercury.My PERSONAL choice and recommendation is from http://www.alimentnutrition.co.uk/ - superb quality, no ‘fishy burps’. Phone them, tell them that I sent you and they’ll get it out to you superfast!
7) Look to insulin stabilisers such as the herbal products fenugreek and gymnema sylvestre – they can work fantastically well in leaning up a carb intolerant person. Again, dont buy store bought rubbish, click the link below for the one we reccomend!- http://www.revital.co.uk/Metagenics_Fenugreek_Plus