How do I lose my dangerous central fat?
This is important for your HealthSpan- This is not ‘fat-shaming’ just the truth that accumulating central fat increases your risk of fatal and life-diminishing diseases, shortens your life, and reduces the quality of your life. But you probably know that, deep down.
Clearly, keeping slim is difficult for many: so what do we know that is useful if you need some help, what are the myths?
First – 8 useful things to do
1. Time Restricted Eating [or the more intense Intermittent Fasting]
2. Boost your gut microbiome
3. Control portion size and eat a ‘rainbow plate’
4. Reduce blood sugar spikes
5. Take a protein supplement
6. Eliminate ultra-processed foods, [UPF’s] fructose, wheat and refined grains.
7. Ensure you have enough sleep.
8. Plan ‘safe’ snacks.
These are the topic of next week’s bulletin but for now let’s talk home truths.
Whatever you are doing right now is unhelpful – and always will be
If your current eating pattern leads to fat storage, then it is not the right eating pattern for you. It may be fine for your partner or your sister or your next door neighbour, but not you. Simple.
There IS an eating pattern that you can find that is maintainable and if maintained long term will keep weight stable without a gradual annual increase. The plan will need to change as you move beyond 50 because your metabolism and hormones are different as you age. You need to eat differently, for always, for the benefit of your HealthSpan.
This is an individual issue; there is no magic one-diet-fits-all solution
You probably have genes that are very good at fat storage and certain foods that are more weight inducing for you than they are in someone else. Some of us genetically have a ‘sweet tooth’. If you put a diabetic skin patch on and experimented with different foods you would see which ones induce a high rapid sugar peak. So the reason you are fat is not just what you eat. If you choose to do nothing about it, then you are responsible for the consequences.
Losing a lot of weight is different from keeping your weight down
If you have a large amount to lose [more than 10Kg] then the approach to getting it off needs to be quite drastic and it will take several months rather than a few weeks. Starvation – to a degree – will do it, whether due to a gastric band, restricting intake to < 800cal/day eg by food replacement drinks and/or support by appetite suppressants like the newly fashionable injection, semiglutamide [Ozempic, Wegovy].
But less drastically, a new healthy eating plan maintained for a year will be lifechanging – and then keep going!.
Keeping weight off, or losing a modest amount means matching your intake to your metabolism.
Slimness means you eat food types and portion sizes that don’t cause blood sugar peaks for you personally, because these peaks are the mechanism of weight accumulation. When blood sugar peaks; eg after eating a monster size chocolate chip cookie and a syrup filled massive Latte, or several cans of sugar loaded Coke, then the ‘real thing’ is that excess sugar is stored as fat. It is not used up by immediate energy needs and cannot be stored in overloaded sugar storage sites for use next time you exercise. High blood sugar is dangerous so it must be stored as fat. Additionally, it will save you from the famine that will surely come. Except of course, in first world 2023 the famine doesn’t arise.
Survival means a permanent change in what you eat
The things you think are ‘normal’ or ‘desirable’ just aren’t – for you, as shown by your current size and shape. Sorry.
You can’t lose all that weight by exercise, alone
Exercise boosts metabolism and is good for you in many ways but unless you are marathon training this is not your salvation. And if you are, you need better quality foods!
Calorie counting is not the answer.
It’s not just the calories you take in it is the type of food and how you digest it that matters.
Size does matter
Just looking at the display in most coffee shops is scary. All the cakes and biscuits are 2 or 3 times larger than they were 20 years ago. Why do we need a pint of Cappuccino? OK you shouldn’t be indulging in these, but even the ‘normal’ portion of food in pubs and restaurants and the size of pizzas is ridiculous. Serving your meals on a smaller plate is an easy way to change your eating pattern.
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