Summary of article for PE 165 by Richard Bloodworth

"Waist Not"

by Porter Shimer

in Men's Health, Fall 1988, p. 40.

The most prevalent weight gain problem area in the average adult male is in the abdomen (women tend to gain extra weight mainly in the thighs and hips.) and the abdominal area is the area in which it is most difficult to lose weight. Some marathon runners and men who do up to 336 sit ups per day are still found to have flabby middle areas.

Scientists have found that rats fed high fat diets (meats) gained much more fat in the abdominal area than rats fed an equal number of calories in a high carbohydrate diets (breads, vegetables).

Fat in the stomach becomes fat on the belly. Men overfed in a high carbohydrate diet gained 30 pounds in seven months whereas men overfed on fewer calories of a high fat diet gained 30 pounds in only three months. Dietary fat converts to body fat more easily than carbohydrates. For example, in a 100 calorie portion of bread 77 calories will be stored while in a 100 calorie pat of butter 97% are stored. A portion of high carbohydrate spaghetti with more calories is less fattening than a steak with less calories.

Starvation is not the answer since a starvation response slows metabolism and causes loss of muscle tissue so that weight returns it is usually in the form of fat since muscle tissue is difficult to replace. Weight loss should be gradual through dieting. Sit ups, 50 of which may burn only 15 calories, are not as effective as aerobic exercise which makes the respiratory system work. San Jose State University professor of exercise physiology Craig Cisar, Ph.D. says, "Think of body fat as a log in a wood stove: the more oxygen that gets to the log, the faster it's going to burn".

The best approach to a well-structured midsection is less fat and more fiber in the diet coupled with aerobic exercise and abdominal exercise to tighten the abdominal muscles. Combining all four techniques should produce the effect of a well-formed abdominal region.