Those tummies, thighs and hips! concluded...

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

Well, so how many options are we left with when it comes to losing that unsightly flab that is more genetic than anything else?

Plenty. And here we list some:

• Lose weight: If you have bulging fat depots and are also overweight, then the first step is to try and lose weight so that your BMI gets back into the normal range of 22 to 24. The best way to lose that weight is to stick to a low-fat, high-fibre diet and to do plenty of exercise. The idea is to participate regularly in a type of exercise that stimulates your metabolism and starts the firming up process.

• Targeted exercise: If you have lost weight or if your weight is normal and you still have flab problems, then targeted exercises in addition to the aerobic exercises mentioned above, should firm up those slack muscles. You can ask your gym instructor to work out a specific programme of targeted exercises for you that you can do at home as well.

• Beauty salon treatments: If you have tried all the other solutions mentioned above and still have lumps and bumps that displease you, then give the salons and their products, like body wrapping and massages, a try.

• Liposuction and operations: These should definitely not be your first option because they are all associated with potential risks. Besides, these treatments can also be very expensive and most Medical Aids will not pay for them. If you are determined to go for a fat-reduction operation, then ask your general practitioner to refer you to a surgeon who specialises in this field. Discuss all the aspects of such an operation with the doctor and then think carefully before you have it done. You could even speak to a few people who have undergone such a treatment in the past.

• A word of warning: There are some people who claim that they are actually underweight and yet they are plagued by "a fat tummy". If this applies to you, be very careful because you may well be suffering from anorexia and your bulging tummy could be due to undernourishment. Don't spoil your life by trying to starve yourself to death. Get help as soon as possible from a dietician and a psychiatrist before it is too late.

* Unfortunately, women who have had babies will suffer from flabby tummies because the muscles of the abdomen have been stretched and sometimes damaged.

Those tummies, thighs and hips!

Are these your trouble spots?

Here’s how you can get rid of the fat deposits

The physical composition of Indians is such that the moment they gain even a few grams it begins to show, especially on their tummy, thighs and hips. So it's not surprising that most Indian women hit the gym because they want to shed that extra adipose off their thighs and hips while the men come complaining about their ever-growing potbelly.

FAT DEPOTS

The physiological reason why we Indians deposit fat in certain areas of the body has a bit to do with our history. For hundreds of years we became a nation where food became a rare and hard-earned commodity (and still is - to a certain extent). Starvation was much more common than abundance, and our bodies reacted to this by creating the so-called 'fat depots' to store for those lean and hungry times when food was scarce.

In fact, the location of fat depots is also linked to the sex of the individual. Women have fat depots in the breasts (are men complaining about this one?), abdomen, thighs, buttocks and hips. Men on the other hand tend to store fat in the abdomen (yes, those potbellies!) and the back of the neck (buffalo humps).

To be continued...