HEALTH & WELLBEING
Have A Flat Stomach And Enjoy Happy Hour!
WORDS: Sam Beau Patrick PHOTOGRAPHY Paul Holland
Do you desire a flat stomach but are not willing to give up those enjoyable Happy Hour moments?
It’s a common challenge – wanting to look and feel your best, especially in evening wear or swimwear, but also being able to enjoy life’s pleasures such as a sundowner over the ocean reflecting on life.
A non-flat stomach (tubby belly, bloated stomach, big tummy) is a health risk and a strong predictor of metabolic issues, such as blood sugar issues, back problems, heart disease, hypertension, liver issues and even cancers.
These potential risks, however, are often not enough to motivate people. You are not alone if you feel this way. Most are more motivated by their swimwear or trying to feel comfortable without clothes on, or the feeling of being sexy, attractive and confident in anything you wear. What if you could have both? What if you could feel confident in whatever you wear and know you are also backing your health? A flat stomach is one way to achieve this.
Over the past 35 years in health, I have seen programs and actions that are time wasters when it comes to trying to obtain a flat stomach. A lot of hard work over a short space of time doesn’t lead to sustainable results. Just a lot of short-term pain and transient results. The secrets I am about to share with you will allow you to create lifelong changes and enjoy a flat stomach without skimping on socializing and happy hour. They are easy, safe and effective – so let’s cut to the chase and dive in.
Most of the time, the missing ingredient for having a flat stomach is hormone control – i.e. sugar hormones are too high (insulin), or stress hormones are too high (cortisol and testosterone in women, or cortisol and estrogen in men).
Food – let’s say a glass of wine – rich in carbohydrates, consumed with crackers or a swag of other white carbs (bread, rice, pasta, potato) will lead to an increase in blood sugar levels, which in turn lead to a spike in the hormone insulin. Any surge or spike is likely to switch on lipogenesis.
Lipogenesis (lipo = fat, genesis = to make) is the lifesaving process that the body activates when you have too much circulating insulin. This can be created by eating too many carbs in one sitting, or by stress hormones (cortisol, testosterone, adrenaline). The role of lipogenesis is to turn excessive blood sugars into fat.
Stress – (or maybe an inability to relax), leads to stimulating hormones (cortisol, adrenaline and testosterone) circulating throughout your body. As part of the protective fight or flight response, these hormones liberate a lot of glycogens (stored sugars) so your muscles can battle, fight or duck, dodge or run away (flee). This extra sugar requires insulin, so another insulin spike.
If you are stressed and eating lots of carbs, or drinking a treasured wine… guess what? A double whammy – massive insulin spike = lipogenesis.
Here are some ways to manage this very common scenario:
- Unless you are a current athlete then ditch the “white” foods such as bread, rice, pastas and even limit potatoes. Fill up all your coloured vegetables, some fruit and whole grains (brown rice, ancient grains, gluten-free) first, then healthy fats and proteins.
- If you have a sweet tooth, consume these delicacies guilt free within 40 minutes of exercising. Your body doesn’t need insulin to facilitate the glucose into the cell for a honeymoon period of 40 minutes after exercise. If you drink alcohol, you must exercise regularly. Obviously, I am not recommending that you start drinking… this is for those who enjoy a sundowner.
- If your brain is on, your gut will be off. Switch your brain/mind off before eating. This takes 10 minutes. Leave your work, create a new routine around food, like sitting outside, but do not eat while your brain is on. Your gut is only on when your brain is off.
Try not to eat in front of your computer, watching TV (esp. news), using your phone. Try to focus on your food and savour every mouthful.
- Measure your hormones. Blood testing for hormones is accurate for insulin levels, but not for sex or stress hormones. The recommended is saliva testing. You can order a saliva hormone test and my flat stomach program from my website here.
Along with discovering your hormone levels, foods, exercise and support will lead to a flat stomach. Incorporate lifelong habits and you will be rewarded with a flat stomach with minimal effort.
Sam Beau Patrick (AKA The Health Queen) has eight published books on hormones and has been helping women through menopause, with PCOS/endo and weight issues for over 20 years and has a Flat Stomach Program running here.
