BELLY FAT; IT’S A REAL TURKEY

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UNBUCKLE YOUR BELT, HERE IT COMES

A lot has changed since the first Thanksgiving shared by the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans in 1621.  The “lot” being the growing groaning table of Thanksgiving goodies. Creamed this, buttered that, every kind of carb from mashed potatoes to mac and cheese, tater tot casseroles, and of course sweet potato casseroles with tons of tiny little melting marshmallows. And pies. Don’t forget the pies. All kinds of pies. Overeating has become a tradition. Did you know that the average American gains 1 to 3 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day every year? According to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, Americans add on an average of 0.7% of their weight during the holiday season. All that food just dumps itself onto your belly. That might have been jelly before you jumped into the fight for the greasy, crisp turkey skin.

AN ABUNDANCE OF BELLY

But for many people, a big belly isn’t about a holiday belly. Extra pounds park themselves around their middle on an ongoing basis. Potbelly. The pouch. Spare tire. Middle-age spread. Though the term might sound dated, “middle-age spread” is a greater concern than ever. As people go through their middle years, their proportion of fat to body weight tends to increase — more so in women than men. And lower belly fat is hard to shed. Certain body fats hold onto fat around the lower stomach longer than any other part of the body.

ARE YOU A PEAR, OR ARE YOU AN APPLE?

Fat isn’t just “fat”. There are different types that have different effects on different parts of your body. But we’ll focus on subcutaneous and visceral fat here.

The subcutaneous fat is the outermost layer of fat; it’s the fat you can pinch between your fingers. This layer sits on top of the abdominal muscle tissue. If you can pinch a good amount of subcutaneous fat, chances are you have a large amount of visceral fat lurking underneath your abdominal muscles. Subcutaneous fat is less harmful to health and serves as a layer of protection for your organs as well as insulation to regulate body temperature. This is what defines the “pear shape”.

Visceral fat hangs beneath the muscles in your stomach, close to all your organs. Can’t see it and can’t pinch it. This is what is called the “apple shape”. In the mid-1990s, scientists learned visceral fat releases hormones and other substances that affect the body’s functioning. These substances cause inflammation, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases. Visceral fat also secretes a protein that makes it harder for the body to use insulin effectively, which increases the risk of diabetes. And because visceral fat is so close to the liver, it may cause the liver to produce too much cholesterol, which raises the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. It can cause sleep apnea, asthma, and even different types of cancer. Not exactly something to give thanks for.

HORMONAL FEASTING FRENZY

Let’s get into some of those hormones we were talking about. Let’s say you’re doing everything right. You work out and eat healthy meals as much as you can, but your belly won’t budge. The fat hanging over the pants just persists. The same hormones that mess with your libido (estrogen and testosterone), can impact your waistline. Cortisol also plays a major role in metabolism regulation, and basically, chronic stress can lead to chronically high cortisol. That’s a one-way ticket to a big appetite and high blood sugar. (Next stop: belly fat!). You may have leptin resistance. Leptin is the hormone that helps regulate your appetite. It tells your brain when your belly is full. If your body starts ignoring leptin’s messages, that’s called leptin resistance. Another hormonal cause of belly fat? Insulin imbalance. Wild sugar cravings, sudden weight gain, and lack of focus could all indicate insulin issues. A common symptom of an underactive thyroid is weight gain, often around the abdomen. So don’t blame that gut you’ve got on the platters of goodies that have put you in a food coma.

THE SAFEST WAY TO WHITTLE YOUR MIDDLE

Belly fat can be tricky to ditch. Like the day-after-Thanksgiving Day-leftovers, it just keeps hanging around. Belly fat can drive people to some pretty dangerous ways to dump the lump. Extreme or bizarre diets. Starving themselves until they’re ready to pass out. Exercising until they lose it. (And we’re not talking about the fat). Online and over-the-counter meds that might actually do more harm. What you need to do, is see a medical professional who is trained in hormones and the way they affect your weight, and specifically not-beer gut. The hormone experts at Denver Hormone Health can help you carve out a safe and personalized program. It’s called Hormonal Weight Support. Everything you need to help you on your weight loss (belly loss) journey. Including emotional support. At Denver Hormone Health, they understand your frustration and care about you in every way. From hormonal replacement therapy to the guidance of experienced nutrition and exercise specialists. Denver Hormone Health is the way to make that belly be a thing of the past. Be your best. Feel your best. Look your best. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO AOD 9604 WEIGHT LOSS

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THERE’S A WORLD OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD MAKE A MAD DASH FOR AOD 9604 IF THEY KNEW ABOUT IT

More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese. In the United States, 36.5 percent of adults are obese. Another 32.5 percent of American adults are overweight. In all, more than two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. And it’s not always because of a life of cheesesteaks smothered in Velveeta cheese sauce topped off with a chunk of cheesecake. Sometimes people seem to be eating sensibly and exercising and the weight just won’t come off. It can be infuriating. Not to mention depressing.

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT FAT BURNING MAGIC HERE

AOD 9604 was originally developed by Professor Frank Ng at Monash University in Australia in the 1990s, with the intent of finding an anti-obesity drug that had the fat-burning effects of human growth hormone (HGH) without the muscle-building effect. AOD stands for anti-obesity drug. Simple acronym there. But AOD 9604 is also known as Tyr-hGH Frag 176-191. Boy, these scientists know how to make simple things unintelligible. Let’s just call it AOD 9604 and know it stands for “weight loss wonder”.

NOTHING BEATS PEPTIDES FOR GETTING RID OF PESKY POUNDS

AOD 9604 is commonly known as the “fat-burning peptide”. So what are peptides, anyway? Peptides are small proteins that communicate with the body in distinct ways, very similar to hormones. There are thousands of peptides in your body and science is discovering new ones all the time. So how does this one tip the scale in your favor? According to clinical studies, the remarkable power of AOD 9604 is found in its ability to regulate your body’s metabolism. By stimulating the metabolism’s natural fat-burning process, it triggers the release of fat from obese fat cells, while also working to decrease the growth of new fat in the surrounding fat cells. This results in greater weight loss and less overall body fat. Now, that’s what we’re talking about.

WHEN IT COMES TO BODY FAT, LOCATION COUNTS

Generally, AOD 9604 targets areas of the body where there are abnormally high levels of fat. Places that include the butt, knee, chin, and those despicable forget-about-wearing-short-sleeves flabby arms. Best of all is how it takes on your tummy. Or your multiple tummies. Those miserable middles often spill over your uncomfortably tight pants. You really hate it, right? Who doesn’t hate it, right? There’s so much to hate. You have no idea.

BELLY FAT; THE BADEST OF BAD FAT

Saddlebags and ballooning bellies are not equivalent. The fat lying deep within the abdomen is more perilous than the way more than an inch you can pinch with your fingers. In most people, about 90% of body fat is subcutaneous, the kind that lies in a layer just beneath the skin. If you poke your belly, the fat that feels soft is subcutaneous fat. The remaining 10% — called visceral or intra-abdominal fat — lies out of reach, beneath the firm abdominal wall. It’s found in the spaces surrounding the liver, intestines, and other organs. Getting rid of your belly bulge is important for more than just vanity’s sake. Regardless of your overall weight, having a large amount of belly fat increases your risk of everything from type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and even colorectal cancer. Yikes, would be an understatement. But let’s get on to some other really great stuff about AOD 9604.

AOD 9604 DECREASES YOUR APPETITE AND CRAVINGS

Dream happy dreams instead of ice cream dreams. Say “no” to nachos and mean it.

IT HELPS WITH MUSCLE BUILDING AND PRESERVING

AOD 9604 has become a real heavyweight among people looking to become both leaner and lighter. In some cases, it can even help improve your athletic performance.

AND MAY EVEN HELP WITH BONE AND CARTILAGE REPAIR

We’ll be anxious to see where that goes…

BEST OF ALL, IT’S SAFE

The FDA has approved it. And it has no negative effects on blood sugar levels or tissue growth.

NO, WAIT…MAYBE BEST OF ALL IS THAT IT MEANS NO STARVING

Bye-bye lettuce leaves. And exotic juice fasts. In fact, every kind of diet restricts you from eating just about everything.

NO, WAIT AGAIN. MAYBE WHAT’S BEST IS THAT LOSING WEIGHT WITH AOD 9604 IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

At Denver Hormone Health. Peptide therapy with AOD 9604 is an exciting, cutting-edge approach to safe weight loss, and Denver Hormone Health is at the forefront of helping patients take advantage of it. Losing the weight they thought would never come off. And keeping it off. The medical weight loss experts at DHH understand the power of peptides and all they can do for you. Especially AOD 9604. And they understand the struggles you’ve gone through. This is why they are there for you at every step of your weight loss journey. With AOD 9604 it can take up to 12 weeks to see results. But what amazing results. If fighting fat is weighing heavily on your mind, call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now.

MY STRESS HORMONES ARE KILLING ME

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STRESS HORMONES

Today, everything seems to be stressful. We’ve just gotten through the 15-month lockdown that left us experiencing collective trauma. Things are open. At last. But there are jobs lost, new rules of doing business, new rules of dating, new rules of living, actually. Masks are off. But will they stay there? Do we shake hands yet? Can we hug strangers? 2 in 3 adults say that the number of issues we’re facing is overwhelming to them. Wired, keyed up, agitated…it can really take a bite out of your health. But thankfully we have stress hormones.

THE SABRE-TOOTHED TIGER EFFECT

Before we go any further, let’s debunk one myth; stress is not necessarily always a bad thing. Without our body’s brilliant ability to feel stress, humankind wouldn’t have survived. Just ask our cavemen ancestors. Stress was what alerted them to potential dangers like the long terrifying canines of a ferocious saber-tooth tiger. When stressed, the body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals to prepare the body for physical action. Through the release of these hormones, caveman gained a rush of energy, which prepared him to either fight the tiger or run away. If he just froze, he’d become a great dinner. We haven’t had to face these beasts in, oh, 10,000 years or so, but even encountering a large Pitbull barking at you on your morning run can set the stress response off just as much.

AND ON AND ON AND ON IT GOES…

There are two types of stress; acute, and chronic.  Acute stress is one of the least damaging types of stress, which is good because it is also the most common type. We experience acute stress multiple times throughout the day. Acute stress is experienced as an immediate perceived threat, either physical, emotional, or psychological. These threats don’t even need to be intensely threatening—you’ve lost your phone, you’ve fought with your partner, you’ve felt restrained road rage during killer traffic jams. Which are back again post-Covid. Chronic stress occurs when the body experiences stressors with such frequency or intensity that the autonomic nervous system does not have an adequate chance to activate the relaxation response on a regular basis. This means that the body remains in a constant state of physiological arousal. Trouble is, we just weren’t built to maintain high levels of stress for any prolonged time. This affects virtually every system in the body, either directly or indirectly.

HIGH STRUNG STRESS HORMONES

Remember that cocktail of hormones we spoke of that are part of the stress response? Cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine, and insulin are all work together to prepare you for stressful situations. They raise your heart rate, blood pressure, and energy supplies so that you become more awake, focused, and generally more responsive. They also help shift blood flow away from areas where it might not be so crucial, like the skin, and toward more essential areas at the time, like the muscles, so you can flee the stressful scene. If one hormone doesn’t have your back, another does.

IF THIS DOESN’T STRESS YOU OUT, WHAT WILL?

There is absolutely nothing good about chronic stress. Nothing. Just look at all it can lead to:

  • Weakened immune system
  • Raised blood pressure
  • Digestive issues
  • Food cravings and weight gain
  • Sleep apnea
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Cognitive and memory problems
  • Accelerated aging process
  • Skin conditions such as eczema
  • Heart disease
  • Yikes!

FROM DISTRESS TO DE-STRESS

When it comes to stress tolerance, we’re all different. Some people seem to be able to roll with life’s punches…” I’ve got this”, “no biggie”, “things could be worse”, “someday I’ll laugh about all this”. Other people crumble. Their stress hormones are in a constant misfire, and no amount of “think positively, take deep breaths, smell a rose or try goat yoga”, is going to help. The help they need is balancing their hormones. And the best place to do that is at Denver Hormone Health. Denver Hormone Health has years of advanced training and experience in treating people of all ages for hormones imbalances that could happen for any number of reasons. Like stress. DHH knows all too well the stressors that could be in your everyday life, and you can feel comfortable discussing it all with their caring experts. Even though the country is finally opening up, Covid and the stress of the last 15 months could still be with you. Causing you stress on top of any other stress that could be dragging your health down. Start feeling the best you’ve felt in a long time. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now.