Waist Danger Zone - Is Your Waist Over 35 inches?

A recent study by Tufts University in Boston shows that not only is the 'muffin top' or 'beer gut' aesthetically displeasing, but it also poses significant health risks.  This has long been suggested but now there is growing research (no pun intended...) that once our waists creep up to the 'magic' number 35 (men get 2 more inches than us ladies - their major danger zone is above 37in) we are at an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and perhaps even Alzheimers and dementia.  

If your waist measurement reaches 40 ins then you should definitely be taking action to get this situation under control.

Bear in mind that if you are particularly small of stature then a lower number will represent your danger zone - for extremes of height you are better off dividing your height by 2.  That is your personal danger zone - so if you are 5 foot 2 inches, or 62 inches, you are in the danger zone if your waist is 31in or more.

So why is belly fat more dangerous than fatty deposits elsewhere?  Well, it indicates that you are likely to be carrying much more visceral fat - this is fat around the organs including the heart.  So even if you are to all casual observers 'slim' you really do need to know this number - and if you are in the danger zone you need to take action.

My personal fat loss crusade is more health related than aesthetic - I realised this when I bought a pair of (a bit weird looking) Fit Flops today instead of replacing my trusty (and very good looking) Reef Mick Fannings with yet another pair!  I don't care what I look like in them, but I know they will do me good. The same applies to eating healthily and exercising - for me the benefit of looking better is actually just an added bonus. I care a lot more about feeling good, about feeling energetic and healthy.

Anyway, back to the visceral, or 'organ covering internal fat'.  There are a host of hormonal responses that increase the level of harmful fat in the blood as well as disrupting insulin balance, meaning that sugar levels are less well controlled, which is how it can lead to diabetes.

I don't want to spread doom and gloom, though!  The risk is reversible and studies have shown that when you lose weight it will come from the visceral fat at the same time - in fact the layer around the heart reduced by a third when obese patients lost 20% of their body weight, so this 'danger fat' is lost in preference to external fat. Perhaps not what you want to hear when you're panicking to get into a slinky dress and the fat seems to be staying put, but this is really a lot more important in the long run.

So what can I do?

Nutrition and exercise, of course!  

Essentially, you need to burn 500 cals more a day than you take in to lose a pound a week - and it really is this simple.  

To do this as painlessly as possible (it may be simple, but it's not easy!) you want to focus on the most 'efficient' foods - that are going to fuel the body whilst providing maximum nutrition and fullness - so lean proteins, lots and lots of vegetables, good fats (Omega 3 - ideally krill oil), good carbs (sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, sourdough rye breads NOT refined sugar or sugary foods like pastries and cakes or starchy white carbs such as pasta and white bread).  Low fat dairy is also a good thing to include - there is some evidence that calcium may help with fat loss, and that food sources rather than supplements have a much greater effect.

As for exercise, interval and resistance training has been proven to increase belly-fat burning due to the hormones that are produced when you exercise at a high intensity. Given the fact that intervals and resistance also increase fat burning after you have finished exercising, in a way that steady state cardio does not, you are onto a winner.  You should do a combination of resistance training and intervals 3 times a week for optimal results.

You absolutely cannot spot reduce the belly fat with sit ups! Contrary to infuriatingly popular 'wisdom' crunches do not equal flat abs or a six pack!  The only way you get that is to reduce body fat and you only do that by referring to my earlier point of consuming less than you expend, consistently.

For a killer abs programme check out Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training for Abs - not a crunch in sight and as a bonus you get the best nutrition info out there, from natural health expert, Isabel De Los Rios (or you can check her programme out directly: HERE).

If you're wondering about how you can drink alcohol on a fat loss programme, Tom Venuto has some hard hitting advice, and compares the calorie content of most alcoholic beverages (I say 'most' - if you want to spend your free time drinking blue WKD then you're reading the wrong blog!).  If you're looking to lose the beer belly, though, a clue to what you may need to get rid of to get rid of it is in the title!