Bodies shaped like apple, meaning fat concentration are in the stomach part have higher risk of getting heart diseases, diabetes and other ailments than bodies shaped like Pear.

Which one are you?

If you’re apple rather than pear shaped, with a tendency to gather fat around your waist. What you may not know is how dangerous the fat around your middle really is (more so than fat on your thighs or bottom), increasing your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and certain cancers .

Because of where the fat sits on your body, normal diets, even rigorous exercise regimes rarely work .

The aim is to change your body’s underlying biochemistry so that it gets the message that it is OK to let go of the fat it is choosing to store around the middle of your body.

What’s the cause ?

The main reason some people gather more fat around their middle than others is specifically because of the action of the stress hormone cortisol . The problem with many modern lifestyles is that stress is almost continuous and comes without the natural release. 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 .

When you are under stress, your body releases the hormone cortisol.
In turn, this hormone causes your liver to make excess sugar that your body doesn’t really need.

• Improper Digestion

Improper digestion due to stress may cause several kinds of gastrointestinal problems leaving you gassy and bloated.

• Slow Metabolism

A slower metabolism can also result in extra storage of fat…particularly around the middle.

• Eating Late at Night

If you want to control your stomach fat, you should never eat within three hours of your bedtime. Going to bed with a full stomach puts you at greater risk for fat storage around the middle area.

Food cravings you can’t control

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. There it provides the body with protection ready for the next stress attack .

Your body is only trying to help. Are you stressed?

If you can see yourself in the list below, your cortisol levels are likely to be high:

-A tendency to gain fat around your tummy, chest, back and hips .
-Increased appetite .
-Increased cravings for chocolate, sweets, breads, cakes, caffeine and alcohol (particularly any combination of carbohydrates and fats, such as chocolate and cakes because they are particularly high in calories) .
-Your immune system is low (you get frequent colds and infections) .
-Headaches .
-Nail biting .
-Teeth grinding .
-High cholesterol (if you don’t know, get it checked) .
-Blood sugar swings .
-Digestive problems (such as bloating and flatulence) .
-Chest pains – (you must see your doctor if you are getting chest pains but the effects of the stress hormones can mimic heart problems) .
-Muscle aches and pains .
-Shoulder and neck pain (stress hormones will keep certain muscles tense ready for fight or flight) .
-Hair loss
-Irregular periods or no
-Difficulty in concentrating or forgetfulness
-Depression
-Increased premenstrual symptoms (PMS)
-Slower metabolism (which makes it harder to lose weight in general)
-Low sex drive
-Tiredness but an inability to sleep well
-Tendency to get a second wind in the evening
-Waking up in the middle of the night, finding it hard to get back to sleep and then desperately want to continue sleeping in the morning when you should be getting up .

Why tummy fat is bad for you ?

Not all fat in the body behaves the same. Fat around the middle of the body that is the most likely to have a mind of its own. This “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.

Eating healthily – NOT dieting!

Try to stick to these simple rules:

1) Stop dieting

Stop dieting (yes, really!) and don’t count calories, otherwise your body will think there’s a famine and raises stress levels (which contribute to fat storage) .

2) Eat little and often

Try to keep your blood sugar levels and energy levels stable by eating something every three hours. Oh, and try not to eat carbohydrates after 6pm.
This will stop those roller-coaster highs and cravings for sweet foods.

3) Don’t skip breakfast

If you miss breakfast completely your body immediately registers famine and hangs on tight to your ample stores of fat.

4) Eliminate all sugar and refined carbohydrates

Avoid any foods that make your blood sugar rise quickly because as blood sugar drops again your body releases adrenaline and cortisol to stabilize it once more.

5) Add protein to each meal

Protein slows down the rate the stomach processes food and slows the passage of the carbohydrates with it. Protein helps in the control of insulin because it slows the rate of digestion. It also encourages the production of glucagon which works in the opposite way to insulin, increasing blood glucose by encouraging the body to burn fat for energy.

6) Eat essential fats

A lifelong dependency on low fat diets might mean you’re consuming less saturated fat, but most people today have unwittingly made themselves deficient in the good fats – essential fatty acids. Your body cannot manufacture them so you have to eat them.

Essential fats are so important as that they help you in a number of ways:

7) Don’t eat on the run

It gives your body the message that time is scarce, you are under pressure and stressed. Make a point of sitting down and eating your food as calmly as possible.

Watch what you drink

Cut out all caffeine and sugary drinks and significantly reduce alcohol intake (cut it out completely for a month if you can) .

9) Change the way you think about food

If you’re really serious about changing your body shape you need to think about food and eating as a way of life so that healthy, enjoyable eating becomes a habit, something you do everyday without even thinking about it, just like cleaning your teeth.

EXERCISE

Exercise or physical activity has never been more important. If you have fat around the middle of your body caused, in part, by the activity of your stress hormones, exercise MUST become one of your priorities.

Weight gain with age

It is sad, but true that we all tend to gain weight as we get older. One of the main reasons is that we lose muscle. Inactive women over the age of 40 lose muscle mass twice as fast as inactive men. With less muscle and less activity weight is likely to pile on as fat.

In order to lose that fat around the middle, you need to do a combination of cardiovascular and resistance training. The aim is to use exercise to help burn off fat AND to build muscle which helps you burn off even more fat faster.

10 Tummy Flattening Tips

1. Walk/jog for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week to boost your metabolism in order to burn that fat.

2. Eat a small handful of almonds (at least 6) every morning. Almonds are one of the healthiest snacks you can eat and the protein is good for burning fat.

3. Purchase a Pilates DVD and do the exercises at least 2-3 times per week. Pilates works on toning your entire body with concentration on your powerhouse (middle section) and will improve your flexibility.

4. Add fiber to your diet and cut down your intake of the bad carbs. Foods such as white bread, pastas, potatoes, and white rice should be limited. Eat brown rice and whole wheat bread instead. To get that needed fiber increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables (especially the leafy green ones).

5. Drink skim milk instead of whole milk. Keep your dairy intake at a minimum because these products often cause bloating and gas.

6. Perform proper crunches at least 3 times a week to train your abs. Avoid sit-ups because they really do very little to firm your stomach. Sit-ups work your hip flexors more than anything else.

7. Drink plenty of water. You should be drinking 6 to 8 glasses per day. Not only will it help fill you up so you eat less, but it aids in digestion.

8. Stop eating within 3 hours of bedtime. If you have to munch on something, eat a small portion of vegetables or fruit. Not eating late can make a huge difference.

9. Eat smaller meals more often instead of 2-3 big meals per day to keep from having that bloated look and feeling. Eating more meals actually kicks up your metabolism.

10. Take a break from healthy eating once in a while and treat yourself to your favorite dessert. If you completely deprive yourself of the foods you love you’ll run the risk of going back to your bad eating habits. Moderation is the key.

To have an effective weight loss plan it is a good idea not only to use weight loss supplements but also to exercise and adjust your eating.

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