The 21 Day Blast Plan: Lose weight, lose inches, gain strength and reboot your body. Annie Deadman

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Chapter 2

       USING FOOD TO HELP US LOSE FAT

      ‘My eating has improved so much. My plate is now full and I don’t pick between meals. I used to think two rice cakes and some cottage cheese was a good lunch. I think I’d cry now if someone offered me that.’

      A.N., Reading

      HOW OUR BODIES GET FAT IN THE FIRST PLACE

      In order to get into shape on the outside, it’s what we do on the inside that counts. We’ve talked about food groups – here we’re going to look at how those food groups; work together to give us great handfuls of fat where we don’t want them – if we’re not careful. And how we can manipulate our food to ensure they disappear.

      The food we eat is broken down for easy transport in the bloodstream to the places that need it. Proteins are broken down into amino acids, carbohydrate into glucose and fats into fatty acids. Too much of any of these can make us fat.

      ‘So it’s not just the fat we eat that makes those handfuls of fat?’

      No. Protein and carbohydrate play their part.

      However, balance can be achieved. Read on.

      Where we hold our fat depends very much on which sex hormones we have – that is, testosterone and oestrogen. By and large, men tend to hold fat in the abdominal area and women on their hips, thighs and back. All of it is made up of swollen fat cells. (Their posh name is triglycerides). When we talk about losing fat, we are essentially trying to release the fat from those bulging fat cells and set it free into the bloodstream. It then becomes known as free fatty acids and this is the fuel we should be using for all activity if we want a healthy body. So, emptying those fat cells means smaller handfuls of fat.

      ‘Oooh, goody.’

      But there’s a hitch.

      PERSUADING THE BODY TO GIVE UP THAT FAT

      So if you remember, when you eat carbohydrate it gets converted to glucose and the hormone insulin carries it off to the cells that need it.

      The body would much rather use that glucose for its energy than tap into your fat stores, mainly because it requires less effort to transport the glucose than it does to ‘persuade’ the fat from the fat cells.

      The trouble comes if your diet is big on carbohydrate (the potatoes, oats, pasta, sugary goodies, cakes, chocolate . . . shall I go on?), then there will be an excess of glucose. Once insulin has finished delivering the glucose to the right places, it turns its attention to this excess. It sweeps it up, and stuffs it into the fat cells where it joins those triglycerides.

      So, bigger fat cells again . . . and tighter trousers.

      Not only that. Remember the free fatty acids . . . they’re the usable form of our fat wodges floating around in the bloodstream begging to be used up. But oh no. When insulin scoops up the surplus glucose it also takes with it those free fatty acids and they’re returned to the fat cells to become triglycerides again.

      Our love handles.

      So, broadly speaking, that’s the story. Carbohydrate gets converted into glucose and is transported to the cells that need it. If we eat too much of it (think sofa, telly, large bag of sweets) and don’t use it up, then insulin scoops up the excess, along with the free fatty acids and stuffs it all back into the fat cells. In places we don’t want it.

      Result: Your fat cells swell. Your jeans get tight. You feel lethargic and downright cross.

      ‘So how can food help me release the fat from my fat cells . . . and use it up? Are you saying I should give up carbs?’

      Definitely not. Imagine life without it. Your brain would be starved, you’d be drowsy and actually quite miserable. No, instead we’re going to be eating the right kind and the right amount of carbohydrate, and at the right time.

      Remember there are different sorts of carbohydrate. As we saw in Chapter 1, the ones that create a quick response from insulin are simple carbs – that’s sugary foods, some fruit and processed foods. They are converted to glucose very quickly and prompt a surge of insulin. The other type are more complex (vegetables, whole-grains, brown rice, oats, potatoes), which take longer to be digested and won’t trigger such a flood of insulin into your bloodstream.

      Our plan is this: To stick to eating a lovely mix of protein and fats plus enough complex carbohydrate at the right time. When you exercise, your muscles need glucose and so afterwards your supplies are pretty low. Eating carbohydrate after exercise will ensure that those supplies are refilled. This will also help the muscles recover. And that’s what we’re going to do on Blast. Cue very important statement . . .

      You will eat a portion of starchy carbs ONLY in the meal that follows your workout. The glucose produced from that meal will then be enough to top up your newly emptied stores. The rest of the time, the body will depend on those free fatty acids to fuel it through the rest of the day. This means a) no excess glucose being handcuffed to your fat cells and making them bigger, and b) the free fatty acids can roam freely in your bloodstream waiting to be used up.

      Result: Smaller fat cells. Smaller trousers.

      DIGGING A BIT DEEPER . . .

      In our quest for external loveliness, we need to ensure internal harmony. Which means taking care of our gut. The gut basically goes from the bottom of the stomach to the anus and has two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. This part of our bodies is not just responsible for breaking down our food into manageable particles and then expelling the waste (with some gurgling noises and nasty smells). No, the gut has been hailed as our ‘second brain’ and it seems that, through the billions of good healthy bacteria, the part it plays in the balance and stability of our emotions – and the impact it has on our personalities – is huge. It is not merely a place for digestion.

      Essentially, a happy gut is central to our wellbeing.

      If we are going to commit to eating food that will help us lose weight, then it is important our gut responds well to that food. If, every day we experience bloating, gas and gurgling plus a host of other unexplained symptoms (such as fungal issues, abdominal pain, lethargy) then our fat-loss progress will be hindered. This will also affect our mood and emotions. We are aiming for a digestive system that is calm and stable. And our mood will follow suit. If some foods create adverse reactions in the body, then we’re looking at turbulent and rocky.

      Before we get stuck into the 21 Day Blast plan rules, foods and workouts, let’s just take a look at those foods that can jeopardise our gut harmony and therefore inhibit our fat loss.

      I doubt СКАЧАТЬ