Do You Have A Tummy Type?

Elle Macpherson’s personal trainer and nutritional adviser, James Duigan, has written a book which doesn’t look half bad. It’s called ‘Clean & Lean: Flat Tummy Fast!‘, and there was a really interesting excerpt from it in yesterday’s Body and Soul. I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know exactly what he’s promoting when it comes to food, but his concept of ‘tummy types’ is definitely a smart one, and – in my opinion – could be worth looking at if you struggle to lose fat on this area.

what on earth is a tummy type?

So basically a tummy type expert will ‘read’ your stomach, much like a fortune teller does a cup of tea leaves. Sounds interesting, huh? Okay, I’m kidding! Bet I had a few of you going there though 🙂

No, a tummy type is much more scientifically based … you already know that losing stubborn belly fat can be one of the toughest aspects transforming your body, and what James has done here is identify common reasons why that might be an issue for you. The concept of individuality when it comes to fat loss is, of course, nothing new, and you probably already know that cortisol can increase fat storage around the bellybutton, or that an estrogen overload can give you a swinging booty. All of these are things that we look at with the Biosignature, as are the reasons behind different tummy types or indeed different anywhere types.

bloated, stressed, or just plain overweight?

James mentioned four different tummy types in yesterday’s article:

1. The post-baby tummy. No need to explain that one I think! His advice in this area is to work on pelvic floor exercises (and yes, do do them daily), and to supplement with fish oil. Fish oil (which you know I’m a big fan of) switches on your fat burning genes and switches off your fat storing genes. Seriously good stuff. This is the stuff I use. If you downloaded my recent audio interview on female fat loss and what I did to get back in shape post-baby, you would have heard me mention fish oil. (PS: all proceeds of that audio go flood relief)

2. The bloated tummy. Again, I think no need to explain – if you suffer a bloated belly you definitely know all about it, don’t you? What you might not realise is that bloating can typically relate to inflammation and digestive upset. With Biosignature we always test digestion from the first session – if you think your digestion may be impaired then you definitely should see your health practitioner about this. Of course one reason for bloating and poor digestion is food intolerance. You can have this tested in a lab, or you can try a 2 week food elimination test. I talk about this in detail in my book, but it’s pretty simple really. Basically just cut out the suspected food for 2 weeks, and see what changes!

3. The overweight tummy. This is simply too much fat! James recommends increasing exercise and limiting alcohol, sugar, starchy and refined carbs. His advice is to replace them with whole protein and non-starchy carbs like vegetables. Great advice!

4. The stress tummy. The stress tummy is one I’ve seen quite often with my busy corporate clients. Typically, the ones who indulge in lots of meals out (‘client dinners’). As James says, people with stress tummies tend to be over-achievers with a perfectionist streak. Anyone …. anyone? The fat is usually fairly hard, and it’s quite dangerous fat as it sits around your vital organs. It can help to ditch stimulants, as well as make the ‘overweight tummy’ dietary changes, and to use soothing teas like chamomile, ginger, chicory, lemon. Stress tummy types should also take fish oil according to James (I would say everyone should take fish oil), and they may also benefit from magnesium in the evenings. Magnesium can help you wind down, thus lowering cortisol and improving sleep quality.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has read the whole book, and I’d definitely be interested to hear what your thoughts are on tummy typing, and if you’re going to give James’ advice a go.

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