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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women: Abdominal Fat

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Abdominal Fat

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Abdominal Fat

Flatten Your Tummy

Time was, the worst thing about a potbelly was that you couldn't wear a bikini anymore. (Some of us never could.) No big deal--just throw on a tunic or a cover-up. Or trade in pencil-thin jeans for a pair of relaxed-fit denims.

But even if carrying a little more weight around your middle doesn't bother you cosmetically, you might want to get rid of it for health reasons. Research indicates that if you tend to gain weight around your middle, so that your body looks like a McIntosh apple--bowing at the middle--you're at higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, fatal heart attack, stroke and diabetes than women who are pear-shaped--bowing at the hips, says Jan McBarron, M.D., a weight-control specialist and director of Georgia Bariatrics in Columbus, Georgia.

KEEPING YOUR HOURGLASS FIGURE

Whatever the cause, women doctors say that exercise and weight reduction can help you slim down and firm up your abdomen.

Walk, walk and walk. The best way to permanently lose abdominal fat is to walk, says Dr. McBarron. "Walking will increase your metabolism--the rate at which your body uses up calories stored as fat--burning off abdominal and other body fat."

"Even five minutes a day is a good start," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., professor and chairperson of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University in New York City. "Anything is better than nothing, and more is better than less. Walk around the block, then two blocks, or take short walks several times a day."

If you can, aim to walk briskly at least 30 to 45 minutes three to five times a week, Dr. McBarron says. If you're already walking regularly, add 5 or 10 minutes to your sojourn.

Firm those muscles. You may not be able to flatten your tummy completely, but you can firm up your abdominal muscles. In addition to aerobic exercise like walking, which increases your respiratory and heart rates, try sit-ups and abdominal crunches, says Kathleen Little, Ph.D., exercise physiologist and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

To do sit-ups, lie on your back with your legs bent at the knees, your feet flat on the floor and your arms flat at your sides, says Margot Putukian, M.D., team physician at Pennsylvania State University in University Park and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and internal medicine at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey. Raise your head and shoulders from the floor, curling your trunk as much as possible until you reach an angle of about 45 degrees from the floor. Return to the starting position. To start, do at least 4 or 5 repetitions three times a week. Then, as you feel stronger, do at least 10 to 12 repetitions three to five times a week. Slowly progress to 20 repetitions five times a week.

To do abdominal crunches, lie down with your feet propped on a padded weight bench or chair and your arms crossed over your chest or at your sides. Raise your head and shoulders to form a 20 to 30 degree angle with the floor (about 6 to 12 inches off the floor), explains Dr. Putukian. Then lower yourself all the way to the floor. Do at least 4 or 5 repetitions three to five times a week, and as you get stronger, slowly advance to 20 repetitions five times a week.

Working your abs will work only when combined with fat-burning aerobic exercise. Otherwise, you'll still have a layer of fat over your abs.

Eat your veggies (and other ab-friendly foods). "As a rule, ounce-for-ounce, healthy, low-fat foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables always contain fewer calories than high-fat foods," says Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of Nutrition for Women. Try to eat five to nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables (a serving is about a half-cup cooked or one cup raw); lots of whole grains, such as whole-wheat pasta, multi-grain bread and cooked grains like bulgur; and a couple of servings of low-fat or nonfat milk every day.

Skip the fries, gravy and sweets. If you're bound and determined to keep pounds off your tummy--and everywhere else--skip the fried chicken, high-calorie salad dressings, creamy fettuccine sauces and sugar-filled desserts. That includes "nonfat" desserts. "They are full of sugar and often contain as many or more calories than high-fat desserts," says Dr. McBarron. "And when your body digests excess sugar, it's converted to fat." <% var productcode1 = new String("4746900944"); var productcode2 = new String("3748030124"); var productcode3 = new String("08759622221695"); %>

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