Here is what I have found works to reduce midlife, female belly fat:
- Balance your hormones.
Hormone balancing, especially thyroid hormones (and I am talking bio-identical, not synthetic, hormone replacement); thyroid is key to metabolism and fat burning – when it’s “off kilter” you store all incoming calories as fat and can’t burn any fat. Also, estrogen is important as it is responsible for maintaining body contours (i.e., a waistline). - Eliminate refined carbs.
Refined carbs are also largely responsible for belly bloat and water retention that makes you look and feel fat.- In particular, avoid alcohol (which just becomes sugar in your bloodstream, and your liver can’t do its job of burning fat when it’s busy metabolizing alcohol). If you must drink, only imbibe with food and ensure you’re eating protein.
- Don’t eat anything made with flour (including rice flour). Anything made with any kind of flour(s) is a refined carb. Eat proteins, and low glycemic index (low GI) veggies and fruits to keep your blood sugar steady.
- Avoid empty refined carbs by not buying any processed food, i.e., stay out of the middle aisles of the grocery store. Shop only the fresh stuff which is on the perimeters of the grocery store. As Jillian Michaels says, “If it didn’t come right from the ground or have a mama, don’t eat it.” Processed/refined foods are empty calories and full of additives (e.g., glutamates) that are bad for you in many ways beyond just making you fat.
- If you must occasionally eat rice or pastas, try to eat just organic, whole grain brown rice, and whole wheat or brown rice pasta in small amounts (i.e., 1/2 cup), to reduce blood sugar problems.
- Eat whole fat dairy in moderate amounts
The dairy fat satiates appetite and is needed to enable your body to utilize the calcium in the dairy. Non-fat dairy usually has lots of sugar which wreaks havoc in your bloodstream (makes you fat and gives you cravings), and ultimately non fat dairy weakens your bones as milk fat is critical to the calcium metabolizing/bone building process. - Count/control sugar grams even more than calories.
Jorge Cruise wrote The Belly Fat Cure and gives the guideline of eating no more than 15 grams of sugar per day, and having 6 servings of complex carbs (veggies and fruit) if you want a flat tummy. His book is excellent and has recipes, and recommendations for grocery shopping and eating out. - Have an regular exercise regime that you like and will actually do.
It must utilize resistance of some type (weights) and engage your large muscle groups (lower body) for maximum fat burning and jump-starting metabolic processes for weight loss.
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Doing it now for 2 1/2 weeks, down 1 inch and 8 pounds. It’s a bit slower than I had thought since he writes “you can expect a loss of 4 – 9 pounds a week”. I was hoping for the “9″. But I’m losing. It is very doable and I can see doing it for the rest of my life.
Wow – good for you! According to my doctor, a slower but steady weight loss means a higher chance of keeping it off permanently. Losing 8 lbs in under 3 weeks sounds great to me!
what’s the best way to work your way off sugar? i am soooooo addicted – expecially to sugar sodas and carbs – bad, bad, bad but non-the-less i’m hooked
slow mo is the way to go…..that’s what I’m working on now. Becoming mindful of what creates the cravings for sugar and starting there. I’d get rid of the sodas first……bad, bad, bad stuff. I think honey is a better option than white sugar but not by much. Try using stevia powder as a sweetner in plain good organic yogurt to give yourself something sweet and gradually you will begin the journey away from this addiction. I still have some sugar…a lot less than I used to and a lot less frequently than I used to. It is a journey and you can do it….you took the first step by asking how to get on the path!!!! Good for you!!!!!
Jorge Cruise recommends “Zevia” soda (comes in cans – Natural Cola, Citrus Twist, Orange, Black Cherry, Root Beer and Ginger Ale) - I take it from the name it is probably sweetened with Stevia. So, if you must have soda, maybe try this brand?
Try replacing white sugar with XyloSweet (xylitol, a natural sweetner made from birch trees – I can’t tell it apart from sugar even side-by-side). He also recommends Truvia, PureVia, and Joseph’s Maltitol Sweetener. So, there are lots of choices for sugar substitutes that are not harmful to our bodies, that you can also cook with.
I drink San Pellegrino natural sparkling water and really enjoy it with a slice of lime. It’s far healthier than soda and balances the body’s ph levels too.
I have found I cannot wean myself slowly off sugar/carbs, that cold turkey works best, with lots of replacements/substitutes close at hand (like berries for a sweet treat) and to eat adequate amounts of lean protein as that helps keep you full and prevents cravings and steadies blood sugar levels.
Usually within 3 days I feel better and the cravings have come under control.
I was told that any carbonated drink would deplete calcium. Is this untrue?
When my blood sugar spiked to 245, I knew I had to eliminate it, completely. I kept telling myself this was only temporary, But I now realize this is a permanent situation. It helped when my hubby eliminated it from his diet in support of me, and we keep it completely out of the house. I don’t even use artificial sweeteners except for a very rare special treat, and no more than two packets at that, when I do. Those things are just as addicting, and not only do they “fool” our taste buds, they “fool” other responses in your body as well, because the brain has been tricked into thinking you ate sugar.
Not only do you need to tell yourself it is poison to your system, you need a strong support system backing you up on this.
I’ve been sugar free for 3 months, and I don’t even crave it. But i know if I get even a taste, it would be like an alcoholic taking just a “little” drink.
There is a 5-day sugar detox that will eliminate cravings so you can eat whole, fresh foods. http://www.yourhealthpotential.com/events/ssuccess
Have you tried grabbing a piece of fresh fruit (low-GI fruit eg apples, grapefruit) when you get a sugar carving? It’s about changing from a bad habit to a good habit over time. Good luck!
good information….hard to actually do it completely, and for any amount of time….I am not saying impossible, just very hard…..: