These could be the most beautiful eight words ever uttered to a man: Beer isn't solely responsible for the beer belly. A new book dispels myths about diet and exercise including sit-ups, muscle turning to fat and if weightlifting shrinks testicles.
Digital Journal -- As waistlines widen worldwide and war cries are blasted at beer for being behind bulging bellies, men everywhere can thank one particular author for saying it's not all true. According to Graeme Hilditch, beer isn't fully responsible for the beer belly. These and other myths are discussed in
his new book Is It Just Me Or Are Sit-Ups A Waste Of Time? scheduled for release in January 2008.
Hilditch says beer bellies are a result of high calorie intake, a lack of exercise and the fact men are predisposed to fat building on their abdominal regions.
Men everywhere can celebrate by saying, "But honey, it's in my genes," as it no longer sounds like an excuse.
A report in the the Seattle Post-Intelligencer backs Hilditch's claim, saying, "Moderate drinking does not seem to increase abdominal fat [but] excessive drinking might."
The report says drinking can lead to weight gain because "alcohol slows the body's ability to burn fat for energy, not to mention that it increases appetite." The report says it's not entirely clear if alcohol calories are more prone to build in one's midsection, but "studies show pretty clearly that beer, wine and spirits have a greater effect on belly fat in adults who drink sporadically than in people who drink regularly but in small amounts."
The report also says a study of 2,300 drinkers and non-drinkers in
The Journal of Nutrition in 2003 found people who drink one alcoholic beverage per day actually had the lowest levels of abdominal fat. "One theory is that drinking regularly increases the amount of enzymes that break down alcohol," the report reads. "But more research is needed."
A personal trainer for 10-years, Hilditch's new book looks at the many questions he's been asked throughout his career. The title of his new book was inspired by one particular myth: sit-ups. "The false belief that performing hundreds of sit-ups every day in an effort to flatten the stomach is perhaps the most popular myth I have ever had to deal with," the book's jacket review reads. "They will give your stomach muscles the strength to bounce bullets but crunches will do nothing to reduce the amount of fat you have on your tummy..."
Hilditch also
told the Sunday Herald: "People think because they are making the stomach muscles work, all of a sudden you will shift all the flab and get an amazing six-pack. But you have got to be a lot more controlled in what you eat and do high-intensity exercise to help melt the fat away, rather than just performing sit-ups."
Hilditch acknowledges the frustration felt by many people who don't know how to lose weight and want to do it quickly and easily.
According to
a survey of 2,058 adults in the U.S., most Americans are confused about the promises of diet supplements, appetite suppressants and herbal products. Conducted in late November by Harris Interactive on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the survey revealed three in five Americans believe these products are somewhat effective. However, the press release notes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dos not require the companies that make these dietary products to submit safety or efficacy studies, or to include warnings about potential side effects on their labels. That said, one third of Americans believe they are approved for safety and effectiveness before being sold.
The desire to lose weight has also led people to seek surgery to shrink stomachs or limit food intake. In Canada,
there are even reports about 300 people waiting for weight-loss surgery in Saskatchewan. The only doctor who performed weight-loss surgery retired and there is no replacement as of yet.
And in the U.K.,
according to Bolton News, a recent poll found people will spend an average of £807 ($1,610 USD) for every pound they lose. That includes the cost of gym memberships, fitness books and DVDs, new equipment such as tread mills, food supplements and personal trainers. Bolton News says people who begin a diet every January as part of a New Year's resolution could spend more than £150,000 ($299,000 USD) trying to shed pounds over their lifetime.
"January is the perfect time to take stock of your life and to make some long-overdue changes, but adjusting eating and exercise habits can seem so daunting, it's no wonder that some of us never make it beyond the first day," Weight Watchers Press officer, Fern Milne, told Bolton News. "The surest way to success is to make small changes. Think in terms of manageable baby steps, like swapping the full fat milk in your morning coffee for skimmed milk."
Among his recommendations, Hilditch says throw out the bathroom scale because weight fluctuates all the time and there is no sense in getting flustered over a pound or two.
In his interview with the Sunday Herald, Hilditch addressed a number of common questions and myths: Targeting a specific muscle group such as your triceps will help to a certain degree but you won't trim all the fat; water is better than sports drinks for casual exercisers, and vice versa for more hardcore exercisers; muscle does not turn into fat if you stop exercising because it's an entirely different molecular structure therefore "biologically impossible" to turn fatty; and males who believe muscle-building will shrink testicles have been misled by reports of bodybuilders who abuse testosterone to build muscle.
We recommend celebrating this finding by cracking open a cold one. Cheers.
