Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

Women who have fat on their hips, thighs and bottom are healthier than women who carry weight on their stomach and chest.

"Muffin tops" are hard to get rid of... but do you want to if it's healthy?

Why is this?

According to the BBC website, “Hip fat mops up harmful fatty acids and contains an anti-inflammatory agent that stops arteries clogging”

There has even been suggestions that scientists may look into helping women INCREASE their hip fat. By redistributing fat to the hips and behind, the hope is that cardiovascular and metabolic diseases e.g. diabetes could be prevented.

For those who have tried for years to get rid of unsightly hip fat, it turns out that it is meant to be hard to shift the small pockets of fat. The slower burning hip fat makes more of the hormone adiponectin that protects the arteries and promotes better blood sugar control and fat burning.

Researchers also noted that burning fat too quickly releases cytokines that trigger inflammation in the body. That is certainly food for thought but should not put dieters off reaching their healthy goals.

For those who are more interested in their health than how they look, this is certainly an interesting development. However, for those who are unconcerned about diabetes as they have few risk factors blighting their life style, I do not see hip fat suddenly becoming acceptable in fashion circles. I for one, will try and stick to longer tops!

I think that this news is further proof that we should aim to be slim and not thin.

New research by Birmingham University suggests that exercise does not help to alleviate period pain. 650 students aged between 18 and 25 were surveyed with 28% confessing to regularly experiencing moderate to severe period pain.

Researchers took into account weight, general health, mood, ethnicity and whether or not participants were smokers when assessing the results of the study.

Astonishingly, researchers could only conclude that exercise only helps on a case by case basis, i.e. some women may find it helps. Royal College of GPs chairman Professor Steve Field said women with period pain should do what works for them and exercise might make them feel better in general but this is little comfort to the thousands of women like myself who suffer debiliating pain every month.

I have vomited due to the pain experienced, my stomach can bloat to twice its size and I need to visit the bathroom far more often. I’ve missed work as I’ve been physically unable to get out of bed and I regularly experience migraines too. I’ve had a laparoscopy to find out what might be the precise cause of my monthly problems. I’ve been prescribed an awful amount of pain killers and hormones. Some pain killers have made me like a zombie they’re so strong…

Personally, this new study has not surprised me as I have found exercise to be unhelpful to me. Thanks to 11 years of experience dealing with period pains, I have some advice to offer women who are trying to lose weight:

• Keep a diary of symptoms and come to know WHEN they will occur. I get a migraine when I ovulate so I know very soon when one is on its way and if I am not at home, I have time to get there before my vision is obscured and I’m vomiting.
• See your doctor, the contraceptive pill can often help women but I have found this not to be the case. I am clearly a freak of nature – I should be put in a test tube and studied.
• Periods are not an excuse to overindulge in chocolate – see my blog post on chocolate cravings and why women crave chocolate
• Try herbal remedies and aromatherapy before you drug yourself up to the eyeballs with pain killers
• Try gentle exercise like yoga but if you don’t feel up to high intensity stuff, don’t do it! Walking is preferable to sitting on the sofa for a week
• Warm baths are lovely and make you feel nice and clean. If you’ve had a hard day at work, treat yourself with a bath rather than a whole pizza!