Apples and Pears

As we put on weight and our body changes shape from an ideal anatomy, we assume two basic body shapes based on two different types of fat.  We either become an apple shape or a pear shape.  There are different health risks and complications with each of these types.  But, as I recently learned, there are different strategies on how to combat these types of fat and body shapes and failure to recognize these will make weight loss more difficult.

The apple shaped body is the result of belly fat otherwise known as visceral adipose tissue.  This is dangerous as this fat gets deep inside the abdomen and crowds the organs.  This apple shape is associated with a greater risk of heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, gall bladder problems, high blood pressure, and colorectal cancer.  The pear shape has fat that is more superficial and surrounds the muscles of the hips and thighs.  This fat is associated with osteoporosis, varicose veins, life-threatening blood clots, and menopausal symptoms.  In both instances, a person is carrying excess fat and both instances need to include a better diet with exercise programs that include high-intensity cardio training as well as strength training.  Both types of weight are complicated by the stress hormone cortisol.  Research shows that mild exercise such as walking will not affect this hormone levels.  However, high intensity exercise can blast the fat away by increasing human growth hormone.  This means you have to push yourself and work hard, but you also need to take measures to reduce emotional stress as well.  Regarding both body types, sugars and processed carbs must be reduced while protein and vegetable carbs must be maintained.

The difference between apples and pears is that the apple shape is largely from a sedentary lifestyle and high glycemic foods such as sugars and processed grains.  A low glycemic diet coupled with the exercise and stress reduction mentioned above will generally produce results.  Recent research has shown that the pear shape is more involved with various toxins and this toxic stress to the system will alter the adrenal and thyroid hormones.  For this reason, weight on the hips and thighs may be less life threatening, but it’s also harder to lose.  Detoxification protocols are the most effective way to address the fat stored with the pear-shaped body.  These programs include a low-glycemic, healthy diet, but add various supplements to clean the liver, colon, kidney, and gall bladder.  Most experts believe the source of toxicity in these cases is from various pesticides and even heavy metals.  Your detox program needs to address these sources.  Avoiding soy, coffee, alcohol, lunch meats, and the trans-fats will also help when dealing with a pear shape due to their influence on estrogen levels.  Flax seeds, cruciferous vegetables, organic meats, artichoke hearts, broccoli, beets and bean sprouts are foods that have been proven effective in lowering estrogen levels to aid in fat loss.  

Weight loss can often be a challenge, but I’ve seen the difficulty first hand with the pear-shaped body type.  Likewise, I’ve seen these detoxification programs produce results.  We use a 10-day detox by Metagenics.  This is the best program I’ve found over the years to relieve the toxic stress.  However, ten days is often just the jump-start and continued supplementation may be required for 6-12 months when dealing with excessive weight on the hips and thighs.  There are many detox programs out there.  Look into these as a strategy for weight loss and better health.