Where Do You Store Body Fat & Why?
Find Out How Your Body Really Works When It Comes To Fat Storage!
Last year, I got myself to 5.5% body fat and the process of decreasing my fat storages taught me a lot about the factors that influence fat loss. One of my main leanings was how certain hormone levels can play a huge role in how much and where your body stores excess fat.
Just to illustrate my point, when I lowered my overall body fat to about 8%, I noticed that my upper body was storing a lot less fat than my lower body. After doing research, I realized that my lower body was storing more fat probably because I was drinking water out of plastic bottles which up-regulated my Estrogen Hormone making me store excess fat in my legs! When I then changed my routine and started drinking liquids out of BPA-free bottles, my leg fat literally disappeared in days!
This issue has even been proven by scientific research conducted under Charles Poliquin.
I am not claiming to be an expert on the topic but this experience has sparked my interest and, since then, I have been studying hormones and their effect on body fat . I thought it would be interesting to share my findings with all of you so you can have a better understanding of this dynamic. Remember, knowledge is key!
So Where Are You Storing Fat??
Below, you will see the findings of my research in the form of a list. Based on where you are storing fat, I specify which hormone influences the area and how you can dramatically change this to get rid of stubborn fat!
| WHERE |
HORMONE |
HOW TO REDUCE |
| UPPER ARMS / CHEST |
ANDROGEN TYPE |
Boost your testosterone naturally by eating more protein and increasing magnesium, zinc and B vitamins. Flavonoids help reduce the conversion of male hormones to female hormones. These include quercetin, naringenin, chrysin, daidzein and genistein found in flax seeds, apples, berries, onions, soya products and green tea. Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine, has also been found to help. |
| SHOULDERS / HIPS | INSULIN TYPE l |
To prevent the muffin top from progressing it’s advisable to consume more oily fish and eat a higher protein, lower carbohydrate diet as well as eating regular meals with additional fibre to stabilise blood sugar. and Gymnema sylvestre help to lower blood sugar. |
| RIBS |
THYROID TYPE |
Eating fish, onions, asparagus and seaweeds for iodine and poultry, fish, almonds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds for tyrosine. These nutrients are required for the body to make thyroid hormones. Foods containing selenium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin B6 help the conversion of the inactive form of thyroid hormone (T4) to the active form (T3). |
| ABDOMEN |
CORTISOL TYPE |
Removing and reducing your exposure to stress will reduce cortisol and call for the reduction of abdominal fat accumulation. It is suggested one of the most common stressors is the consumption of foods to which we are intolerant. Suspect foods include wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, yeast and corn.By reducing exposure to these foods, you reduce the stress on the gastrointestinal and immune system, lowering cortisol. |
| BOTTOM / THIGHS |
OESTROGEN TYPE |
Studies have shown that sulphurophane and indoles found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage help to regulate liver enzymes that metabolise oestrogen. Other nutrients that are beneficial to oestrogen metabolism are phytoestrogens found in soy products and flax seeds. Oestrogens are also metabolised by the process of methylation in the liver so consuming foods rich in methyl donors such as B12, B6 and folic acid may also be useful. |
| KNEES / CALF |
GROWTH HORMONE TYPE |
Growth hormone can be boosted by the use of both glutamine and arginine supplements. |
