Many of us have and if we really want to see our abs again we need to get rid of this stubborn fat. I read an article today that I found really interesting.

The article discussed a book that promotes a diet which is based on restricting the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Sort of like the Atkins Diet but updated.

The book is Lose Your Middle-Aged Middle and it is written by Dr Mary Dan Eades and Dr Michael J Eades who have over twenty years experience running obesity clinics in the US.

As I am sure many of you know the fat you store around your middle is very dangerous for your health. It increases your chances of raising your blood pressure, raising your cholesterol levels, developing Alzheimer’s and some types of Cancer. So this is something we all need to take seriously.

Middle-aged spread is caused by many factors, age, diet, changing hormones and medications. A poor diet leads to a fatty liver which is believed to be the result of many health problems in the western world. A fatty liver is restricted from doing its job, detoxification. This teamed with high stress levels can cause high sugar levels. Our bodies produce more insulin to absorb all the sugar but a fatty liver can not break it down properly which results in more fat being stored around the middle.

The diet starts off with a two week programme of home-made protein shakes. They target the liver in the first week, reducing its workload by banning toxins such as alcohol and caffeine and encouraging it to give up its accumulated fat reserves so it can work properly once again.

The shakes work on the principle that high levels of protein tell the brain that you are full when in reality you have consumed less calories.

The first two weeks get to clean your liver and reduce your insulin levels. Once clear and working normally again, you can then start to maximise the amount of abdominal fat you can lose from both around your middle and within your organs.

The next stage lasts another two weeks which is high protein, low carb. This gives your body plenty of fuel but very few carbohydrates. It is designed to reduce your insulin levels making your body more sensitive to insulin.

The final two weeks are still high in protein but re-introduce enough carbohydrates to help you to stabilise your weight for the long term.

I found the article really interesting and this is definitely something I intend to look into. I know a lot of these diets got a bad press with the Atkins Diet but I think things have moved on since Atkins, with a lot more studies being conducted and more knowledge being gathered. This is certainly something I want to learn more about.

To get more details on Lose Your Middle-Aged Middle click here.