More Reasons to Whittle Your Middle – from Jilian Micheals
I think we can all agree that "muffin tops" — the fat hanging over the waist of a too tight pair of pants — and beer bellies aren't attractive. Still, when it comes to excess belly fat, the situation is more serious than how you look. Excess belly fat has been linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers and stress.
When you have stress, your body releases certain "fight-or-flight" stress hormones that are produced in the adrenal glands: cortisol, norepinephrine and epinephrine. When you first get stressed, these hormones kick into gear. Norepinephrine tells your body to stop producing insulin so that you can have plenty of fast-acting blood glucose ready. Epinephrine will relax the muscles in your stomach and intestines and decrease blood flow to these organs. Once the stressor has passed, cortisol tells the body to stop producing these hormones and to go back to digesting regularly. It's normal for your cortisol levels to go up and down throughout the day, but when you are chronically stressed your cortisol level goes up — and stays there.
When your stress and cortisol levels are high, the body actually resists weight loss. Your body thinks times are hard and you might starve, so it hoards the fat you eat or have present on your body. Cortisol tends to take fat from healthier areas, like your butt and hips, and move it to your abdomen which has more cortisol receptors. Hello ab flab! In the process, it turns once–healthy peripheral fat into unhealthy visceral fat (the fat in your abdomen that surrounds your organs) that increases inflammation and insulin resistance in the body. This belly fat then leads to more cortisol because it has higher concentrations of an enzyme that converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol. The more belly fat you have, the more active cortisol will be converted by these enzymes — yet another vicious cycle created by visceral fat.
So what if you have belly fat? Lose weight by following the best nutrition and lifestyle strategies that support you in times of stress, like the ones in my program. When you limit your caffeine to 200 milligrams a day, avoid simple carbs, processed foods, and refined grains, and get plenty of high-quality protein, in addition to de-stressing yourself, you'll automatically help your body keep your stress hormones, especially cortisol, lower. It's a day by day choice you'll have to make, but the results will be worth. Think how good it will be when you are as healthy on the inside as you look on the outside.
JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY
Make Your Belly Fat Flat
Want to reduce your belly fat? Don't just drop and give me 20 crunches. Rather than doing strength training abdominal exercises, concentrate on your diet and doing cardio to reduce your overall body fat instead. Try to decrease your daily sodium intake — try to keep it to 1,500 mg or less — boost your water intake, and cut out all the greasy, fattening foods that helped build that bulge in the first place.
Healthy Steak Tacos
Craving Mexican food? There's no need to go out for a heavy, calorie-loaded Mexican dinner. Forgo the extra fat and calories, and instead create this delicious steak taco meal for your family. It combines savory and sweet flavors and can be prepared in less than 25 minutes!
Chipotle Flank Steak Tacos With Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
12 soft corn tortillas
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder plus 1 pinch, divided
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1 pound flank steak beef, trimmed of fat
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Preparation
Preheat grill to high. Stack tortillas and wrap in heavy-duty foil. Combine oil, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small dish. Rub mixture into both sides of steak. Place the tortilla stack on the coolest part of the grill or upper warming rack, if possible, and heat, flipping once, until warmed through and very pliable.
Meanwhile, grill the steak for 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium, or until desired doneness. Grill pineapple rings until moderately charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the tortillas, steak, and pineapple from the grill. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing very thinly crosswise into strips.
Meanwhile, dice the pineapple and transfer to a medium bowl. Add bell pepper, onion, cilantro, vinegar, the remaining pinch of chipotle powder, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to combine. Serve the sliced steak in the warm tortillas with the pineapple salsa.
Makes 6 servings.
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 16 mins
Total Time: 21 mins
Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 283
Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 29 mg
Sodium: 378 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 36 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 19 g
Recipe reprinted with the permission of EatingWell.com.
JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY
Add Some Spice to Your Life
Adding herbs and spices to your meals is an excellent way to add flavor. In this recipe, you don't need the sour cream, cheese, and other fatty toppings that are usually par for the course at Mexican restaurants. The chipotle chili powder adds a smoky taste and a little bit of heat to give your taste buds a kick, while the cilantro adds freshness — and both ingredients are virtually free of calories! Next time you're cooking, experiment with different herbs and spices to make your meals pop without expanding your waistline.
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