FAT SHOWS UP IN ALL SORTS OF PLACES WHERE YOU DON’T WANT IT TO! IT COULD BE YOUR FAVOURITE DRESS THAT DOES NOT FIT YOU ANY MORE OR A RING THAT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE. THESE DAYS THERE IS AN INCREASING AWARENESS ON WELLNESS AND PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT EVERY EXTRA BULGE OF FAT BUT ACCORDING TO DR. MARILYN GLENVILLE PHD, THERE’S ONE PLACE WHERE FAT IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. FAT AROUND THE MIDDLE IS A STRONG RISK FACTOR FOR INCREASING YOUR RISK OF DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, STROKE, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND CERTAIN CANCERS.
WHAT IS THE CAUSE?
Every time you eat, your body has two choices: Burn your fat as energy or Turn your food into fat. This depends on the levels of stress hormones in your body. Adrenaline helps to get you alert and focused whereas Cortisol increases levels of fat and sugar in the bloodstream for extra energy. The body has a Flight or Fight response mechanism because millions of years ago, our bodies were designed to react speedily to danger. Like wild animals we were on a constant alert, so we could run or fight if threatened. When your brain thinks your life is in danger it stimulates the release of adrenaline and cortisol. This fight or flight response is incredibly clever and thoroughly efficient. It provides instant energy for 5-10 minutes allowing you to react swiftly to dangerous situations. These days, many of us live under chronic stress. But our bodies can’t distinguish between stuck at traffic, missed appointments, spiraling debt, annoying work conditions, family issues and the truly life-threatening stress. So, it reacts in the same manner for both kinds of situations. The problem with our modern lifestyles is that stress (our ‘apparent threat’) is almost continuous and comes without the natural release that either fighting or fleeing might provide. Unless you do something physical (as your body is expecting you to) all that extra energy, in the form of fat and glucose, has nowhere to go. It must be simply redeposited as fat. This leads to ballooning waistlines because the liver needs extra energy when required and so the body stores it where easily accessible. Cortisol levels in the blood often remain high for a while, after you undergo stress and result in an increase in appetite because your body believes that it should refuel after the response to stress. Thus, people in constant stress often get food cravings. The body signals them to stock up on ‘useful’ food like carbs and fats as it believes that it will need the fuel after the ‘activity’.
THE FAT AROUND THE MIDDLE PERIPHERAL FAT
Subcutaneous or peripheral fat is stored beneath the skin and acts as insulator. Tends to sit around the hips and thighs, is relatively harmless. It is this kind of fat that makes up the pear shape.
CENTRAL FAT
Visceral or central fat serves as a shock absorber and protective shield to the vital organs of the body such as heart, liver, kidneys and spinal cord. It is this kind fat that makes up the apple shape.
TOXIC FAT
Fat acts an endocrine organ producing its own array of hormones. If you don’t fight or flee when your body expects you to, the fat and glucose in your system get deposited as fat – around the middle of your body. The reason fat targets the middle is because it is close to the liver where it can most quickly be converted back into energy if needed. Your body is only trying to help and tries to keep a convenient fat store ready for constant use and creates cravings and increases appetite to ensure good supplies of necessary fuel.
WHY TUMMY FAT IS BAD FOR YOU
Fat around the middle of the body, “toxic fat” is far more metabolically active than fat elsewhere because it increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and diabetes. One of the biggest problems it causes is insulin resistance.
MENOPAUSE
If you are going into the menopause, your body will be extremely reluctant to let go of the fat around your middle. The combined effect of female hormonal changes, slower metabolism and stress with high cortisol levels create a bigger likelihood of fat around the middle.
INSULIN RESISTANCE
When blood sugar increases (a result of the stress response or from what you have eaten), your body releases insulin to help move the glucose out of your blood and into the cells to actually provide them with energy. But if you don’t need that energy, the default mechanism is to store the glucose as fat. If the stress continues cortisol levels remain high, so the body triggers the breakdown of sugar stores in the liver and muscles to provide further fuel. Out comes more insulin to deal with the extra blood glucose. Overtime, the body simply can’t respond to insulin the same way it used to. You can become intolerant to insulin – or insulin resistant.
WHAT YOU CAN DO MAKE SIMPLE CHANGES:
Eat healthy –Your eating habits may be subconsciously telling your body that it is under stress. If you diet or cut calories your body inevitably thinks there is a crisis out there and that causes stress. It will slow down your metabolism to hold on to your fat stores. Furthermore, if your blood sugar levels fluctuate, your body will be releasing adrenaline which is the same hormone it releases when you are under stress. Once more it encourages your body to store fat. The solution is to find a way of eating that tells your body
all is well –and reassure it that is not under stress. Try to have a good breakfast with regular meals, eliminating sugar and refined carbs and adding protein to each meal. Protein helps in the control of insulin because it slows the rate of digestion. Eat essential fats because essential fatty acids (EFAs) are essential and you can only get them from your diet. They boost your metabolism and slow down the rate at which the stomach empties, making carbohydrates even more slow-releasing. They help reduce inflammation and make you less insulin resistant. Always eat at a slow pace and chew food properly. Cut out all caffeine and sugary drinks and significantly reduce alcohol intake. Aim to stick to the eating plan 80% of the time and allow yourself a 20% off for good behaviour and try to think of foods as junk and healthy foods.
TAKE SUPPLEMENTS – A number of chemical reactions turn glucose into energy instead of fat. These are controlled by enzymes, which are dependent on certain vitamins and minerals in the body. If someone is deficient in these nutrients, the body will find it harder to let go of that weight around the middle. Supplements like Chromium (metabolises sugar), Magnesium (balances sugar), Zinc (Controls Cortisol), Vitamin C (crucial for adrenal gland function), B Vitamins (‘stress’ vitamins and are important to take when working on nourishing and calming the adrenal function), Amino Acids (vital to losing fat around the middle), Co-enzyme Q10 (Important for energy production and fat burning), Herbs like Siberian Ginseng (an adaptogen, which works according to your body’s need – providing energy when required, and helping to combat stress and fatigue when pressure. It helps to encourage the normal functioning of the adrenals and acts as a tonic to these glands) etc. are vital to do the above. There are a number of tests available that are extremely useful to give you invaluable insights into understanding what is going on in your body at the moment and can tell you what vitamin and mineral deficiencies and heavy toxic metal excesses you may have.They can let you know what your general condition is and how well your digestive system is functioning and then explain what action you need to take to rectify any imbalances the results may reveal. The analysis of these results lets you know what supplements you need to take in order to bring your body back into balance and into optimum health.
Dr. Glenville explains, “Many of the women I see in the clinic have been taking evening primrose oil supplements – an Omega 6 fatty acid – for many years as it can be helpful with PMS. But you can end up with too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega 3 in your body. It is no good adding in more Omega 6 if you have already got enough or in fact too much in your body.
ARE YOU STRESSED?
IF YOU CAN SEE YOURSELF IN THE LIST BELOW, YOUR CORTISOL LEVELS ARE LIKELY TO BE HIGH:
• FAT AROUND THE MIDDLE
• INCREASED APPETITE
• CRAVINGS FOR CHOCOLATE, BREAD, CAKES, CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL
• SLUMP IN THE AFTERNOON
• LOW IMMUNE SYSTEM (FREQUENT COUGHS AND COLDS)
• HEADACHES
• NAIL BITING OR SKIN PICKING AROUND NAILS
• TIREDNESS
• INFLAMMATION WITH MUSCLE ACHES AND PAINS, ESPECIALLY SHOULDER AND NECK PAIN
• MOOD SWINGS
• SKIN TAGS AND SKIN DISCOLOURATION
• AGEING
• THYROID PROBLEMS
• MEMORY LOSS
• LACK OF CONCENTRATION
• DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS SUCH AS BLOATING AND FLATULENCE
• HAIR LOSS
• BLOOD SUGAR SWINGS
• DEPRESSION
• INCREASED PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS (PMS)
• TIREDNESS BUT AN INABILITY TO SLEEP WELL
EXERCISE REGULARLY BECAUSE IT:
• BURNS FAT
• REDUCES NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF BOTH CORTISOL AND INSULIN
• INCREASES MUSCLE MASS
• PREVENT AND REVERSE INSULIN RESISTANCE
• REDUCES BLOOD GLUCOSE AND INSULIN
• IMPROVES INSULIN SENSITIVITY
STRESS-BUSTING TIPS
• LEARN TO BREATHE
• GET EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
• TAKE TIME TO GO TO THE TOILET
• PRIORITIZE
• PUT YOURSELF FIRST
• TAKE TIME TO EAT
• DELEGATE
• KEEP LAUGHING
• LEARN AND PRACTICE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
(You can now have a blood test to tell you
if you have the correct levels of Omega 3 to Omega 6 in your body see below)”.
HEALTH THREATS WE FACE:
DIABETES AT CRISIS LEVELS
“There is a need to establish a robust prevention program to help avoid prediabetes, this is crucial in avoiding health complications related to diabetes in Dubai hence reducing cost for individuals and the governments and achieving the DHA strategy towards a healthier and happier society” (Dubai Health Authority Survey November 2017)
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
• Cortisol diverts blood from nonessential areas
• Cortisol increases levels of angiotensin a strong vasoconstrictor
DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER’S
High insulin levels cause furring up and damage the blood vessels in the brain. ALZHEIMER’S – Type 3 Diabetes People with Type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
CANCER
High level of insulin is linked to cancer of the bowel, liver, pancreas, breast, ovary and womb. Apple Shaped women are 88% more likely to get breast cancer. Malignant tumors consume much more glucose than healthy tissue in order to feed their rapid growth.
WELL-BALANCED DIET IS A MYTH
More than half of Dubai residents do not eat enough fruit and vegetables (DHA)
TABLETS COMPARED TO CAPSULES
Tablets need binders to hold it together and can be made from: Sucrose, lactose, sugar alcohols like sorbitol or synthetic polymers such as polyethylene glycol.
DON’T DIET
• CALORIE RESTRICTION INCREASES CORTISOL
• IF YOU ARE STRESSED OR ANXIOUS WILL MAKE IT WORSE
• YOU WAKE UP WITH HIGHER CORTISOL IN FLIGHT OR FIGHT MODE
• BREAKFAST CALMS DOWN THIS RESPONSE
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Adapting ways to reduce stress, changing the way you eat, adding necessary supplements along with an exercise isn’t going to be easy for the first few weeks, but is a significant life change to make. Please do persevere because in less than a month you will start to notice a few changes. The fat at the top of your belly often goes first, then lower down, then across your back. And before you know it, your clothes will start to feel lose. Once you’ve got your old figure and old spirit back, you’ll want to keep up with a few of the changes. Scientists say it takes 10 days to break a habit.
(For tips on how to control stress and to know which exercise gets rid of belly fat faster see Dr. Glenville’s book Fat around the Middle.)
GLENVILLE NUTRITION CENTER CAN HELP YOU WITH
• Type 2 diabetes
• Menopause and Osteoporosis
• Fatigue
• Digestive Problems –IBS, bloating, depression
• High cholesterol
• Weight problems
• Fertility and miscarriage
• PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis
• Food allergies
• Thrust and cystitis
• Thyroid problems
• Children’s nutrition
• Men’s health
THREE MONTH ‘LOSE YOUR BELLY’ PLAN
• Nutrition
• Supplements
• Exercise
• Lifestyle
For details visit: www.rayyawellness.com email: info@gncuae.com or call +971 4 3944785