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How to melt your belly fat...and other stories
Jane Arlow • June 5, 2020
Let's tear up that book of fairy tales!
I can’t tell you how many people ask me “how can I lose weight from my ______ (insert body part name here!)?” or “what exercise should I do to reduce my _____(again, insert body name part here!)?”.
Here’s the truth bomb, people: there’s no such thing as spot reduction! If you lose weight, you’ll lose it from all over your body.
Those posts you see on social media that say “Drink this to lose weight from your belly” or “Do this exercise every day for a flatter stomach” are b*****ks and they do my nut in!
They also contribute to a lot of the s**t that women put themselves through, comparing their bodies to airbrushed images and perfect Instagram bodies.
I know that there are a lot of feminist politics about the rights and wrongs of weight loss versus accepting your body as is. But I also know that being overweight and/or sedentary contributes to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and put you at a higher risk of mortality from other causes.
So, this is not me telling you to lose weight, but it is me providing you with a more balanced approach if you decide that you want to!
So, with that in mind, here are my five top tips for sustained weight loss:
1. If you’ve put on weight, it didn’t happen overnight and it won’t come off overnight either, so be patient and kind to yourself. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.
2. The ONLY way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you use aka “calorie deficit”.
3. Exercise is fantastic for your overall well-being, but it’s only 20% of the weight loss story. The remaining 80% is what you eat (and drink).
4. Are you drinking enough water? Often, we think we’re hungry and we’re not. We’re thirsty. Aim for at least two litres every day.
5. OK, I said in number 3 that it’s 20/80 exercise/food…but it’s truly 100% mindset. Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend - with compassion and good humour. A “bad day” does not mean that you’re a failure.
I know that I said that I had five top tips for you…but here’s my bonus number six: Get enough sleep!
When you’ve not had enough, your body produces more ghrelin which is a hormone that increases your appetite. At the same time, it produces less leptin which is the hormone that tells your body that you’ve had enough to eat. Meaning double whammy of more likelihood to eat more than you actually need to.
If you're looking for more truth-bombs around the myths of "Superfoods", check out my post here.
And remember, stay away from those social media posts!!!
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