Desperate to banish your muffin top before hitting the beach? Chill out! Expert reveals top tips to banish stress AND that unsightly flab around the middle

  • When stressed - whether from missed trains or infuriating colleagues - the hormone cortisol encourages fat to be stored around the middle 
  • Excess belly fat increases the risk of diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and even cancer  
  • From eating more oily fish to cutting out coffee, nutritionist Dr Marilyn Glenville shares her tips on banishing belly bulge for good

Many of us blame our muffin tops on that extra slice of pizza or bar of chocolate.

But it could also be due to stress, says nutritionist Dr Marilyn Grenville.

When we feel anxious or under pressure, the body releases hormones which encourage fat to be stored around the middle.

This type of fat is dangerous as it wraps itself around organs and can causes a host of chronic health problems.  

Many of us are desperate to banish our muffin tops before hitting the beach. Here, nutritionist Dr Marilyn Glenville shares her tips for gaining a flat stomach (file photo)

Many of us are desperate to banish our muffin tops before hitting the beach. Here, nutritionist Dr Marilyn Glenville shares her tips for gaining a flat stomach (file photo)

Dr Glenville told MailOnline: 'Our modern lifestyles contain a variety of different stressful situations, including traffic jams, late trains, missed appointments, financial worries, work, family responsibilities, and simply day-to-day living at a top-speed pace. 

'Adrenaline is released almost constantly when we are stressed, and its effect can be very powerful.

'You may have noticed that for some reason, more weight accumulates around your middle. 

Your arms and legs may be acceptable looking, but your mid-section seems to defy all attempts at diet and exercise. 

'Perhaps, your clothes feel uncomfortable, your waistband is too tight and you've got a 'muffin top' pouring over the waistband of your jeans?'

If this sounds familiar, Dr Glenville warned, 'be careful'. 

Excess weight around your middle does not only look unsightly but it can also be very damaging to your health.

It can increase a person's risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and even cancer, notably breast cancer.

Dr Glenville, added: 'Unfortunately, this type of fat is also very stubborn - normal diets and rigorous exercise regimes rarely work.'

Here she reveals her top tips for banish the unsightly bulge...  

STRESS TRIGGERS FAT AROUND YOUR MIDDLE 

The main reason people gather more fat around their middle is specifically because of the action of the stress hormone called cortisol.

Millions of years ago, our bodies were designed to react quickly to danger. 

Just like wild animals, we were on constant alert so we could run or fight, if threatened. 

When your brain thinks your life is in danger, it stimulates the release of adrenaline and cortisol.

When stressed, the body releases the hormone cortisol, which encourages fat to gather around the middle

This fight or flight response is incredibly clever and thoroughly efficient. 

It provides instant energy for five to 10 minutes, allowing you to react swiftly to dangerous situations.

These days, many of us live under chronic stress. 

However, our bodies can't distinguish between late trains, missed appointments, spiralling debt, infuriating work colleagues and the truly life-threatening stress. 

That is why our body still gears up to challenge and it reacts exactly the same, as it has always done.

Stress increases the appetite and triggers food cravings which are difficult to control

Stress increases the appetite and triggers food cravings which are difficult to control

The main problem with our modern lifestyles is that stress (our 'perceived threat') is almost continuous and comes without the natural release, that either fighting or fleeing might provide. 

Unless you are physically active (as your body is expecting you to) all that extra energy, in the form of fat and glucose, has nowhere to go. It must be simply re-deposited as fat.

FOOD CRAVINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL 

After a stressful event, cortisol levels in the blood often remain high for a while, effectively increasing your appetite. 

Your body thinks, you should refuel after all this fighting or fleeing. That is the reason, why people with stressful lifestyle quite often feel constantly hungry. 

Their body urges them to stock up on the foods that it thinks will be most useful after all that 'activity' – so they crave carbohydrates and fats.

If you don't fight or flee when your body expects you to, the fat and glucose in your system get deposited as fat – around the middle of your body. 

Why? Fat targets our belly is because it is close to the liver, where it can quickly be converted back into energy, if needed. 

... BUT WHAT'S THE SOLUTION? 

STOP DIETING 

Stop dieting and don't count calories, otherwise your body will think there's a famine and will raise stress levels, which contribute to fat storage. 

EAT EVERY THREE HOURS 

Try to keep your blood sugar levels and energy levels stable by eating regularly. 

Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a snack mid morning and one mid afternoon, with no longer than three hours between. 

Try not to eat carbohydrates after 6pm. This will stop those roller-coaster highs and sugar cravings. 

Because your blood sugar isn't allowed to drop, your body will no longer have to ask you for a quick fix. 

As the blood sugar steadies, so will the mood swings. 

To banish stomach flab, avoid drinking caffeine and sugary drinks and significantly reduce alcohol intake, cutting it out completely for a month if possible

To banish stomach flab, avoid drinking caffeine and sugary drinks and significantly reduce alcohol intake, cutting it out completely for a month if possible

DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST

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

CUT OUT ADDED 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 stabilise it once more and you end up caught in a catch 22 situation. 

Swap to whole grain alternatives that release energy slowly.

ADD PROTEIN

Eat essential fats found in nuts, seeds and oily fish for a flatter stomach

Eat essential fats found in nuts, seeds and oily fish for a flatter stomach

Protein slows down the rate that stomach processes food and delays the passage of the carbohydrates with it. 

As soon as you add a protein (be it animal or vegetable) to a carbohydrate, you change it into a slower releasing carbohydrate, that keep your sugar levels at bay.

EAT ESSENTIAL FATS 

Long term dependency on low fat products might mean that you're consuming less saturated fat, but also that you deficient in the good fats – essential fatty acids, found in oily fish, nuts and seeds. 

They help to boost your metabolism so don't forget to include them in your diet.

DON'T EAT ON THE RUN 

It gives your body the message that time is scarce, you are under pressure and stressed. 

Furthermore, your digestive system will be less efficient. 

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). 

If you can't live without your latte make sure you don't drink it on an empty stomach as it gets straight into the bloodstream and triggers cortisol release.

GET MOVING 

Exercise or physical activity has never been more important. 

If you have fat around the middle of your body caused mainly by the activity of your stress hormones, exercise must become one of your priorities. 

By simply making time for exercise in your life, you can control the potentially damaging fight or flight response.

Changing the way you eat, adding supplements and an exercise regime may not seem easy at first. 

But be persistent because - before you know it - your clothes will start to feel loose and your shape will change.

Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD is a nutritionist specialising in women's health.


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