Fat loss - the topic has more books, magazines and internet articles written about it, and has sparked more client questions than any other.
With so many independent and interrelated factors impacting you at a biochemical, structural and physiological level it’s easy to get lost and confused in the fog.
However, given my success at getting people in shape quickly and then watching them sustain it I guess I’ve done more than enough to voice an opinion.
In recent weeks after the success of my online clean eating and exercise plans I’ve been asked again and again about targeted fat loss - the ability to spot reduce - or lose fat from a specific area of your body.
Given my clientele this is often from the stomach, back of the arms or thighs and bottom.
Like many things in fitness this is area an area of contention. And whilst I’m not completely sussed myself I feel it’ll be worth shedding a little light and allowing you to make your own mind up...
You’re probably aware there are many factors which contribute to a person getting fat and I’ve made it no secret that the key to fat loss is in controlling key hormones.
Hormones are incredibly powerful and play a role in maintaining homeostasis (balance) in the body and delivering messages about changes in metabolism.
Communicating via specific receptors on target cells, hormones by their patterns of secretion and concentrations can in theory effect how you store fat. Therefore, hormone imbalances can cause sensitive systems of the body to become dysfunctional and allow for disease and conditions to occur.
There are many physical, emotional and psychological signs and symptoms that can be indicative of endocrine (hormone) imbalances and functional medicine practitioners will use blood, saliva and urine assessments to identify dysfunctional systems.
But, does body fat distribution hold the key to identifying endocrine dysfunction and the elusive flat (not fat) stomach? Canadian strength coach, Charles Poliquin thinks so and much of his work is validated by scientific journals.
Genetics Loads The Gun, Environment Pulls The Trigger
According to Bjorntorp (1997), hormones exert an incredible influence on body fat in humans, so before you dismiss body fat sites as inert triglyceride stores of energy, consider this might be your body signaling a homeostatic imbalance. A homeostatic imbalance which should be controlled by the endocrine system.
Unfortunately for the lazy this doesn’t mean you have an excuse. Many of these hormone imbalances are due to prolonged environmental insults (think poor diet, poor sleep, excessive stress, inadequate water, not enough/ too much exercise, etc) acting on susceptible genetic profiles (this isn’t your fault...)
Cut To The Chase...
I have found getting your body fat tested to be invasive and for most people a cursory look can be more the adequate. I don’t believe this is academic ignorance on my part - whilst I could measure your body fat from twelve different sites and cross reference it against your triceps skinfold and give you a report on where, how and why you store fat and what to do about it, this is expensive and most people know where they store fat and/ or lack the power and motivation to do something about it. And invariably the protocols are the same - stop eating shit, buy these supplements, get to bed on time, manage your stress and do the appropriate intensity exercise...
But alas let’s cut to the chase...
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| A completely unnecessary picture of a hot girl. You're welcome. |
Stripping Belly Fat...
Of most importance when stripping fat getting control of insulin is key. Produced in the pancreas, insulin is one of the hormones involved in carbohydrate metabolism.
Indicated by an accumulation of body fat skinfold measurements around the back of the shoulder blades (subscapula) on the side of the abdomen just above the hip bone (suprailiac) in simple terms this is one of the reasons you might have a fat belly.
A few reasons why people might store fat excessively around the middle is due to gut dysbiosis (poor digestion), low dietary protein (not enough meat, fish or poultry), low essential fatty acids (fish oils) or most commonly excessive carbohydrate consumption.
Also connected with stress, the effects of the stress hormone cortisol go hand-in-hand with insulin insensitivity.
To combat belly fat you will firstly need to identify the causes of stress impacting cortisol levels. The causes of stress can be plentiful and varied. Most commonly identified stress include mental/ emotional (your husband/ wife is a wanker), food stress (sensitivities or intolerances to something you are eating or drinking) and electro magnetic (too much time sat in front of a computer, t.v., on the phone, etc).
Other key points include to eat regularly to avoid peaks and troughs in blood sugar, decrease carbohydrates (stick to the fibrous low starch vegetables), increase protein and essential fatty acids.
To supplement (and I feel this gets a bit repetitive...) use fish oils. These are supplement I feel everyone should take. These improve insulin sensitivity, switch on the lipolytic genes, lipogenic genes and boost serotonin. HCL - to improve digestion. Zinc - zinc deficiency can lead to insulin resistance. Magnesium - increase the number and sensitivity of insulin receptors.
Note: Don’t supplement if you don’t adhere to a clean diet. These are supplements and are supplementary to a healthy diet and needless to say are pointless if you fill you mouth with crap.
The Cortisol Connection...
Having touched on it already I feel it’ll be worth an extra shout. The stress hormone, cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands. Different from adrenaline which is the bodies immediate response to stress, cortisol is released as a response to long term stress.
Whilst stress is beneficial prolonged elevated cortisol levels may cause weakening of the immune system, damage to the hippocampus (resulting in impaired learning) and increased blood pressure. Furthermore, because one of the primary functions of cortisol is to trigger a glucocorticoid effect which elevates blood sugar any excess blood sugar may be used for lipogenesis (fat production). Therefore cortisol is a key player in fat storage.
The effects are higher levels of cortisol include a tendency to snack on sugary foods, insomnia and fat storage around the middle.
To combat stress as we eluded to earlier you must identify key stressors and reduce. However, nutritional protocols should include increasing antioxidants to combat oxidative stress, increased consumption of green vegetables and dark fruits because the green pigment chlorophyll has purifying properties. Decrease trans fat (from processed foods) to reduce stress on the liver. Increase hydration - especially in the first half of the day and avoid coffee because your overworked adrenals need a break.
To supplement you could consider rhodiola rosea, holy basil or ashwagandha.
How Far Do I Take It???
If you’ve got this far - CONGRATULATIONS - you must really want a flat stomach!!
I could continue with protocols for growth hormones (important for the growth, repair and regeneration), estrogens (implicated in fat storage around the thighs and bottom) and testosterone (a precursor to key sex hormones androgens and estrogens). But without fear of undermining myself or my super-intelligent peers this all becomes rather intense and irrelevant.
BUT, the key points come down to the same thing again, and again, and again.
Step One: Detoxify Your Liver. Do this by eating good quality fresh whole unprocessed food and drinking adequate amounts of water. (I won’t mention environmental toxins...)
Step Two: Reduce Carbohydrates, Increase Proteins and Essential Fatty Acids. Your body only works one way.
Step Three: Improve your physiology. Get To Bed on Time, Manage Mindset & Stress and Improve Your Digestion.
Step Four: Lift Heavy Weights and Use High Intensity Cardio Appropriately.
Step Five: Supplement (if you’ve done the above).
Is this helpful? Do you want more info on this? Let me know what you think on Facebook or Twitter @SteveKeywoodPT
