Woman hold fat differently to men. It’s a fact. I mean, how often do you see a man with an exaggerated hourglass figure?
That’s because men and woman hold fat for different reasons. Ultimately, the aim of the game in the game of life, is reproduction. And the reproduction process for females is a lot more taxing on ones body then mens. Think about it. The man’s contribution is over in a couple of seconds. The woman’s contribution:
NINE MONTHS
Woman literally grow a human. They are the sole provider of all the nutrients required to grow another human being. Therefore, they store more in anticipation of this, and they store it in easy to access areas.
So what determines where fat is held?
The answer is simple, yet at the same time complex. Hormones. Hormones drive the disposition of fat. Not only do hormones differentiate between man and woman, they also differentiate between body parts. For instance, cortisol causes fat to be stored around the centre of mass (mid-section), and resistance of insulin causes love handles. But we’re not going to cover either of those spots today. Today we’re going to talk about back fat, and how to lose it.
Insulin and back fat
There is not much worse, than putting on a bra and having your back boobs spill over the side. Those back boobs, are caused from poor insulin management. When you eat, your pancreas secrets insulin. This insulin is supposed to signal to your cells to let the nutrients from your food into them. If these nutrients aren’t getting into the cells, then they stay in the blood stream.
So your pancreas will secrete MORE insulin to try and sledgehammer the nutrients out of the blood stream and into the cells where they need to be. Insulin is the most inflammatory hormone in the body. So in the case of hyperinsulinemia (where you have an excess of insulin), an over abundance of inflammatory chemicals will be released which are known as cytokines. Cytokines are essential to the body, they do things like tell the immune system to start repair. Unfortunately when you get too much of them however, they cause metabolic disruption, like excess fat storage.
What we have observed in the field, is that people with excess upper back fat, typically have poor insulin management.
Here is how to get rid of back fat:
1) Utilize a lower carb diet. If you have poor insulin management, reducing carbohydrates will reduce the insulin load. This in turn will reduce the amount of Cytokines released causing inflammation to be reduced.
2) Supplement with Berberine Synergy 1 TID, 2g Fish Oil TID, Magnesium Malate 2 TID. Berberine and Alpha Lipoic Acid have both been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, therefore helping with inflammation. Fish oil has also been shown to reduce inflammation and increase insulin sensitivity, and magnesium is integral to making energy from sugar.
3) Exercise. Predominantly hypertrophy training will work with fat loss in the upper body.
Getting rid of back fat requires discipline
Controlling and balancing hormones is all good and well, but if not teamed with a healthy diet and consistent exercise routine, all you’ll ultimately be doing it spinning your wheels. As with anything fitness related, getting rid of back boobs is going to require some self-discipline, hard work and a coach who knows their stuff. So load yourself up with right tools, and anything is possible!