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Chapter 4

THE PART HORMONES PLAY IN FAT LOSS

I’m not talking those little friends who raise their heads once a month (maybe more!) and who have the potential to turn us women from sane and normal people operating with dignity and maturity into bonkers and irrational types who fail to master even the smallest of tasks.

To be successful in fat loss we have to understand what we’re up against. You can be in control of your food through the 21 Day Blast plan guidelines (see Chapter 5) but we are less in control of our hormones.

WHAT ARE HORMONES?

Broadly speaking, hormones are chemical substances, secreted by our glands, which are transported in the blood to different organs. These hormones, along with the messages they carry, control most major bodily functions. Hormones work together, so an over-plentiful supply of one may mean that another is out of balance, too. There are about fifty different hormones (some I can’t even pronounce) and it is impossible to find out whether they are all doing their jobs correctly, and to the full advantage of our health, our fat stores and our energy levels.

BUT – and this is where I get on my soapbox – everything you will be doing on the 21 Day Blast plan will go a long way to helping keep the main players working with, rather than fighting against, each other and therefore maintaining the efficiency of the fat-loss process. Let’s look at the main characters.

INSULIN

We learnt about insulin in Chapter 2. By way of a quick recap, it’s produced in the pancreas in response to eating carbohydrate, which is converted to glucose and which insulin delivers to the cells that need it. Any excess glucose remaining unused is swept up by the insulin and stuffed into our fat cells. Essentially, the more glucose, the more insulin, the bigger our fat cells.

How can we ensure insulin stays at the optimum level?

By eating carbohydrates only after exercise – this is the point when the body most needs them. Simply speaking, this will mean that just enough insulin is produced to send just enough glucose to the brain and to those muscles (which you’ve just worked). The lack of spare insulin and spare glucose means that the body unlocks the fat from our fat cells (previously held under lock and key by all that insulin) and turns it into free fatty acids for use as fuel.

Empty fat cells, here we come.

CORTISOL

This hormone is produced in the adrenal glands and affects many different tasks around the body, simply because most cells in the body are equipped with cortisol receptors. This means it can affect the harmony of other hormones too, so when cortisol production is steady and drama-free, there’s a good chance other hormone levels will also fall into line.

Cortisol is produced in response to stress and this is vital. It provides the body with glucose in order to be able to deal with trauma, illness, fright, infection, bleeding and high blood pressure, among others. Cortisol gets hold of this glucose very quickly (remember, there’s a panic on!) by breaking down protein stores in the liver.

However, our modern-day culture means that we are subject to constant stressful situations, both emotional and physical: work deadlines, traffic, noise, disharmony in relationships, diets that don’t satisfy our body’s needs and too little exercise. This can mean a build-up of cortisol as it strives to produce enough glucose in order to cope with this stress.

High levels of cortisol mean more glucose. Too much glucose means more insulin, which means our fat storing is easier and burning that fat is harder. It’s locked back up in those fat cells!

Being stressed at the same time as eating a high-sugar, high-carb diet is the worst combination for your health, your fat-loss plans and your hormone harmony. Big stress equals big trousers.

How can we ensure cortisol stays at an optimum level?

Wakeful nights put the body under huge stress so try and regulate your cortisol production by getting enough sleep. Take the pressure off your body by feeding it foods that won’t cause a fight. Take regular exercise, possibly with a friend whose company nourishes your very soul. Go easy on the caffeine and alcohol, but large on sleep and vegetables.

All that sounds like the life of someone truly dull, doesn’t it? Shall we rewrite that? Enjoy some lazy lie-ins, swap your coffee for chamomile tea, laugh out loud at every opportunity and do a little dance . . . like you just don’t care. You’ll be doing all that on Blast. Yes, including the little dance. Daily!

TESTOSTERONE

An image of bulging muscles has just entered your head, hasn’t it? Fake tan, oily chest, ripped abs, the works.

All of us need a dose of this little hormone. It’s not only produced in the male testes but also in the adrenal glands and ovaries of the female. As we approach the menopause (up to as much as ten years before) it’s not only oestrogen levels that drop off but testosterone too.

Testosterone helps keeps our muscles firm and taut. It also stimulates our urge for the occasional swing from the chandelier, should the fancy take us. So, come the menopause, we risk not only droopy muscles but a droopy libido.

It’s not looking good.

So how can we keep testosterone at an optimum level?

Use those muscles! That means challenging them and taking them ever so slightly out of their comfort zone. Muscles mean strength. Toned muscles mean well-supported joints and a strong framework. Toned muscles require energy to keep them in that toned state, so we are burning fat even while we’re sitting still.

So, using your muscles keeps testosterone levels up. That means your libido and energy levels are up too, but your fat levels are kept down. I’m making it sound very simple, aren’t I? Do some squats, eat some broccoli, bring on the Friday-night love-in.

(I’m going to say something slightly toe-curling: testosterone is also responsible for the sensitivity of the nipples and clitoris. There. Finished.)

So, the Blast plan will help us keep the levels of these three important hormones stable.

Remember, too, that they work together, so if insulin, cortisol and testosterone are affected positively, then it’s very likely that they will have a knock-on effect in other areas.

GHRELIN & LEPTIN

This double act is definitely worth a mention. They are the big players in terms of regulating appetite . . . which then has a knock-on effect on our body shape

Ghrelin is a hormone produced mainly in the stomach. It’s known as the ‘hunger hormone’ because it stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage. It actually tells us to eat (as if we need telling). For successful fat loss we need ghrelin levels to be low so that we aren’t tempted by hunger pangs.

On very low-calorie diets, ghrelin levels rise and stay raised. Once the diet is abandoned (as they usually are because you find yourself chewing the furniture), wham . . . ghrelin sets to work on your appetite, the pounds pile back on and you’re left with higher fat levels than you started with.

Leptin does the opposite. Leptin is a hormone produced in the fat cells and it controls metabolism, hunger and energy expenditure. It tells us to stop eating. The larger you are (in terms of fat-ness) the more leptin you will produce.

‘Brilliant. I won’t be fat for long because I will soon magically stop eating because of all that leptin.’

However, the danger comes when the brain eventually becomes numb to leptin’s messages. There is no longer anything to tell you to stop eating. This is called leptin resistance. There is no drop in appetite and no ‘I’m full’ signals, so you just keep eating.

So how can we ensure leptin and ghrelin stay at an optimum level? For successful fat loss, we need leptin levels to be high and ghrelin levels to be low. Stay away from low-calorie diets because they are unsustainable. They make us miserable and put the body under stress (cue cortisol) and are a disaster both for health and fat loss. We must focus on eating foods our body was designed to use and not processed goods that have been altered chemically, which our bodies won’t recognise. These foods create a toxic environment in the blood, and, as our years advance, do their hardest to prevent us from living the life we want to lead.

Get me, coming over all serious . . .

We all have our own unique hormone profile but no single hormone can control our fat levels or our appetite. Fuelling your body with the Blast food guidelines will give you the chance to help those hormones work with you.

Committing to a nutrient-rich and balanced diet of protein, fat and carbohydrate at the right time and avoiding those foods that risk causing a rumpus, a scuffle or a full-on brawl in your gut will keep everything swinging along nicely. Enough glucose is produced to feed the cells, the hormones are doing their hormone-thing calmly and no one is hungry.

There. I’ve finished waving the hormone stick for the moment, but I’m sure it’ll make an appearance later on. Let’s crack on with the next chapter and find out exactly what those Blast guidelines are.