Banish The Fat Around Your Waistline

October 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

“I want a flat stomach!”

“How do I shift this fat around my middle?

“I’m eating less, but I’m putting on weight!”

These are just a few of the statements that I hear all so often from clients who come to me and ask for advice. As a weight management personal trainer, I support and teach people on how to lose weight, get a flat stomach and shift the stubborn fat that seems to be stuck around the waistline. The amount of fat that we store in our body has a direct link to our health. Obesity and diabetes type 2 are just two lifestyle diseases that are on the increase, mainly because of the effect of misuse of our insulin level. It’s no surprise that long-term abuse leads to a decline in our health and weight. The next few paragraphs explain the damaging effects of insulin abuse, the impact of fat stored around the middle and how small changes to our diet and lifestyle can go a very long way.

If you cannot understand why your weight is increasing and your body shape is changing (and you are trying so hard to stick to a low-fat, low-calorie diet, after all, you don’t really want that tyre around your middle…do you?) then it could all by down to the way in which you manage the insulin level in your blood. Heavily linked to this, diseases like diabetes type 2 are the inevitable result of poor lifestyle and food choices.

Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by the pancreas to control the circulating glucose (sugar) level in our blood. It is also a fat storage hormone responsible for transporting glucose into our cells which should later be converted into energy. Too much sugar in our blood stream is toxic and very dangerous. Whenever we eat something, insulin is released to ensure that our blood sugar level doesn’t raise too high. The amount of insulin released depends upon the type of food that we eat. If you choose to eat highly refined, starchy, carbohydrate foods such as white pasta, white bread, white rice, biscuits or sweet foods, this will have a great impact on the amount of insulin required.

The more insulin released, the more fat you will store. High levels of insulin in your blood will also inhibit the breakdown of fat, no matter how much you exercise!

So, if you have a sweet tooth or like to eat ‘white’ highly processed foods, you will constantly be calling on your insulin to deal with the sugar in your blood. Over time and over abuse will lead to weight gain (especially abdominal fat around your middle), increased fat storage and an impact on your health. Carbohydrate-rich foods serve as our main source of energy and consumption of this particular food group should be in the form of whole-grains, fruits and vegetables. If there is no alternative but to use white pasta or rice, ensure that there is a good level of protein (beans, eggs, fish, meat) to create a balance in your blood sugar level.

Sugar, in whatever form you choose, creates havoc in our body. All of the calories from sugar are ‘empty’ calories, containing virtually none of the nutrients that your body needs. It also accounts for the energy ‘low’ that many people experience at various points throughout the day.

Stress, caffeine and skipping meals…here we go again! If you like to have several cups of coffee, tea or fizzy drinks to help you get through the day, regularly skip meals (because you think that by not eating you will lose weight) or live your life in a constant state of stress, you will de-stabilse your blood sugar level even further, create stress hormones and trigger the release of further glucose from your liver into your blood stream. The whole process of releasing insulin (to deal with the release of glucose) starts all over again…and you haven’t even eaten anything!

How to Balance Your Blood Sugar Level

• Avoid refined sugar and stimulants (caffeine, cigarettes, excess alcohol)
• Eat little and often; three balanced low-GI meals with small snacks
• Supplement ‘energy’ nutrients and use a well-researched, bio-available brand
• Undertake the correct intensity exercise on at least 3 days during the week
• Each meal and snack should consist of both unrefined carbohydrate and protein

Putting it into practice may seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, there is no need to starve yourself, be deprived of food or follow yet another fad diet. It’s about eating for energy and having the occasional treat to reward your progress.

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How to Lose 1Lb of Bodyfat Each Week

July 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

One of the main reasons why our clients in Surrey decide to work with a personal trainer is to get results; weight loss, fat loss, toning, to get more from their exercise program, to reach a specific target.  There is so much information available in the press, the media, even in gyms that it is difficult to know where to start.  Achieving the above isn’t about following the latest FAD diet (oh, another diet…if they really worked, why are there so many?) or going to the gym and doing the same routine over and over again and expecting different results.  It’s about setting a realistic and achievable goal and putting the necessary steps in place to make it happen.

Let’s break it down into simple terms.  The safest way to achieve weight and fat loss is to do it slowly.  The human body can only lost 1 to 2 Lbs of bodyfat each week.  If you suddenly go on a restrictive diet and lose 5 to 10 Lbs in the first week, then it won’t be fat that you are losing.  It’s more likely to be water and perhaps a bit of muscle tissue due to incorrect nutrition.  Time and time again our personal trainers in Surrey are approached by people who have done the low-calorie or ‘points’ diet, only to find that after achieving their weight loss target, the weight goes straight back on… plus more!  Why?  Because the metabolism slows right down when not exercised and fuelled correctly. 

Lack of proper education can lead to poor food choices.  The cost of eating bad choices, i.e. junk and processed foods WILL lead to an increase in bodyfat and weight.  The benefit of eating healthily, is stable bodyfat and weight.  ‘Diets’ should never need to be considered when eating and exercising correctly.

So, if you want to lose weight the safe way, here’s the information that you need:

1Lb of fat is equal to 3,500 kcals

Over the course of a week, aim to lose 500 kcals each day through exercise and/or healthy food choices.

1) Exercise: fat loss is much easier to achieve during and after interval training.

2) Increase your muscle mass: 1Lb of muscle burns MORE ENERGY THAN 1Lb of fat!  Incorporate resistance and strength training into your exercise routine.  There are many benefits to this type of exercise that go further than weight and fat loss.

3) Eat a wholesome diet and plan your meals in advance.

4) Reduce portion sizes generally, eat less starchy carbs at night.

5) Cut the high calorie convenience, processed foods and alcohol down / out.  AIM TO CHOOSE LOW GI OPTIONS FOR ALL FOOD GROUPS.

6) ALWAYS eat before you are hungry = keeps your blood sugar level stable and doesn’t trigger and insulin response.  The more insulin in your blood stream, the harder it becomes to break down fat.

7) Keep a food diary and an exercise diary.  Seeing it in black and white will help you amend and keep track of your progress.

1 Lb x 52 weeks a year = 52 Lbs = 3.5 stone weight loss a year…

SAFELY and what is more likely not to return.

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Even a Surrey Personal Trainer Can Lose 2% of Body Fat!

June 19, 2009 By 1 Comment

OK, 2% of body fat may not sound like very much.  However, body fat, or more importantly visceral fat (fat that is stored around our organs and that which you cannot see when you look in the mirror) is very stubborn to shift.  There are several factors involved which aid the reduction, and if one is out of balance, the fat may not shift at all!  I’ve mentioned body fat % in previous blogs, but I want to share my own experience of real life.

I manage a team of personal trainers and weight loss specialists in Surrey.  I am a trainer myself and like to think that I practice what I preach (how else could I lead by example and motivate my clients?)  After making changes to my diet and exercise routine after graduating as a mature (ish!) student in 2003,  my body fat % has always been in the ‘healthy’ category.  Specific CV and resistance training, along with a nutritious and well-balanced diet help me to maintain this level. 

After moving to Italy at the beginning of April 2009, I was surprised to see what had happened to my body fat % when I measured it last week.  A 2% reduction in only 2 months.  That’s quite substantial!  So what had I been doing differently:

1) I have increased the amount of interval training sessions each week.  I now enjoy cycling the mountain roads and HAVE to deal with the hills – there is no other way for me to reach my house!

2) A certain amount of stress has been eased, which in turn has decreased the stress response in my body, inhibiting the breakdown of fat due to too much insulin.  (I will blog about this separately as it’s a whole new issue).

3) The quality of the food that I am eating is superior to that which I have eaten before.  There is a lot that can be said for first cold pressed olive oil and locally produced foods.

4) I have REDUCED, not cut out, starch and heavy carbohydrate foods from my diet, i.e. potatoes and rice.   This has eased my digestive system somewhat!

5) I always avoid low-fat foods which have been processed and/or chemically treated.  If the food isn’t in it’s natural state, I stay away from it!

Body fat is stubborn stuff.  By allowing a slow and gradual reduction, you give your body a much better chance of keeping it off.  Yo-yo diets only tend to give short-term results (and nutritional deficiencies), then the fat is piled straight back on, plus more.  My team of Surrey personal trainers deal with this problem every day.  It’s all part of our service.  If it can happen to a personal trainer, it can happen to you!

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