Posted on September 05, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

The Muffin Top is the slang term that refers to the chunk of overhanging flesh that tends to spill over the waistband, not a good look by anyone’s standard! However your spare tyre can be removed if follow these simple easy steps  leaving you with nothing but a lean waist line and killer hips!

Step 1- Strip The Fat

Muffin tops are just excess fat; following a high intensity interval and resistance program for 6 weeks will melt the fat away. Click the link below for the sprint protocol that will help you smash your muffin top!

http://www.m8north.co.uk/the-sprint-protocol-that-will-help-you-burn-fat/

Step 2- Eat More Fat 

I can already see your face but it’s true some fat is good for us! Our bodies need fat for energy, to absorb fat soluble vitamins, to give us nice shiny hair, healthy nails and transport essential nutrients around the body. In a twisted way not eating fat or going on a low fat diet can stop fat cells functioning properly, which means those muffin tops won’t go anywhere.

However this doesn’t mean that you can start eating blocks of lard the fats you consume have to be essential healthy fats so stick to monounsaturated fats like avocados, nuts, etc. or polyunsaturated fats like fish and flaxseed.

Step 3- Eat Less Carbohydrates Particularly Sugar

The most effective method of reducing body fat whilst holding on to your lean muscle is to reduce total daily carbohydrate to 10-15% of your total calories. Not all calories were created equal and carbohydrates, particularly simple sugars, are one of the nastiest around. Simple sugars are quick release carbohydrates cause your insulin to spike, this ultimately leads to a hormonal environment in your body set to gain weight not lose it.

Watch out for sugary drinks as well, you should never drink your calories. If you’re trying to remove that muffin top I would stick to drinking good old fashion H20. Simply cutting out a latte or a glass of orange juice a day will remove around 1000 calories a week from your weekly intake and over time that muffin top will disappear.

Step 4 – Avoid Stress And Relax

I know this is easier said than done but stress is the road to weight gain! When you get stressed you release cortisol which encourages the body to release blood sugar into the blood stream giving you the energy to fight the threat or run away from it (yes that’s right our body’s are still programmed like cave men or women), the body doesn’t know this is the 21^st century and that the stress source isn’t going to kill us.

If we actually used the blood sugar released from the stressor to actually fight the stress source or run away from it then hey presto we wouldn’t gain weight, however punching your boss probably isn’t a good idea, so unfortunately the blood sugars are not used and therefore it is converted into fats! Boooo……stress has just caused your body to gain fat without eating a single thing.

If you do find yourself frequently stressed I highly recommend you read the book Why Zebras Don’t  Get Ulcers, its not a relaxation book but helps you understand the complex mechanics of why and how you get stressed and how to control them.

Step 5 – Consume Fewer Toxins

Here’s another cool little trick the body has developed to do, as a survival mechanism our bodies try to keep toxins away from our vital organs by wrapping water, fat and cholesterol around them, this is generally stored around our middle. Toxins include, to name a few:

• Processed foods (all those lovely chemical’s so many people eat daily)
• Alcohol
• Too much acidic foods
• Sugars
• Smoking

There is no magical exercise or pill that will give you these results, simply eat clean, train hard and sleep deep. Its only a matter of time then until your muffin top melts away.

If you need any help with your diet or training plans please email me.