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Do You Have A Tummy Type?

January 25th, 2011

Elle Macpherson’s personal trainer and nutritional adviser, James Duigan, has written a book which doesn’t look half bad. It’s called ‘Clean & Lean: Flat Tummy Fast!‘, and there was a really interesting excerpt from it in yesterday’s Body and Soul. I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know exactly what he’s promoting when it comes to food, but his concept of ‘tummy types’ is definitely a smart one, and – in my opinion – could be worth looking at if you struggle to lose fat on this area.

what on earth is a tummy type?

So basically a tummy type expert will ‘read’ your stomach, much like a fortune teller does a cup of tea leaves. Sounds interesting, huh? Okay, I’m kidding! Bet I had a few of you going there though ?

No, a tummy type is much more scientifically based … you already know that losing stubborn belly fat can be one of the toughest aspects transforming your body, and what James has done here is identify common reasons why that might be an issue for you. The concept of individuality when it comes to fat loss is, of course, nothing new, and you probably already know that cortisol can increase fat storage around the bellybutton, or that an estrogen overload can give you a swinging booty. All of these are things that we look at with the Biosignature, as are the reasons behind different tummy types or indeed different anywhere types.

bloated, stressed, or just plain overweight?

 James mentioned four different tummy types in yesterday’s article:

1. The post-baby tummy. No need to explain that one I think! His advice in this area is to work on pelvic floor exercises (and yes, do do them daily), and to supplement with fish oil. Fish oil (which you know I’m a big fan of) switches on your fat burning genes and switches off your fat storing genes. Seriously good stuff. This is the stuff I use. If you downloaded my recent audio interview on female fat loss and what I did to get back in shape post-baby, you would have heard me mention fish oil. (PS: all proceeds of that audio go flood relief)

2. The bloated tummy. Again, I think no need to explain – if you suffer a bloated belly you definitely know all about it, don’t you? What you might not realise is that bloating can typically relate to inflammation and digestive upset. With Biosignature we always test digestion from the first session – if you think your digestion may be impaired then you definitely should see your health practitioner about this. Of course one reason for bloating and poor digestion is food intolerance. You can have this tested in a lab, or you can try a 2 week food elimination test. I talk about this in detail in my book, but it’s pretty simple really. Basically just cut out the suspected food for 2 weeks, and see what changes! 

3. The overweight tummy. This is simply too much fat! James recommends increasing exercise and limiting alcohol, sugar, starchy and refined carbs. His advice is to replace them with whole protein and non-starchy carbs like vegetables. Great advice! 

4. The stress tummy. The stress tummy is one I’ve seen quite often with my busy corporate clients. Typically, the ones who indulge in lots of meals out (‘client dinners’). As James says, people with stress tummies tend to be over-achievers with a perfectionist streak. Anyone …. anyone? The fat is usually fairly hard, and it’s quite dangerous fat as it sits around your vital organs. It can help to ditch stimulants, as well as make the ‘overweight tummy’ dietary changes, and to use soothing teas like chamomile, ginger, chicory, lemon. Stress tummy types should also take fish oil according to James (I would say everyone should take fish oil), and they may also benefit from magnesium in the evenings. Magnesium can help you wind down, thus lowering cortisol and improving sleep quality.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has read the whole book, and I’d definitely be interested to hear what your thoughts are on tummy typing, and if you’re going to give James’ advice a go.

If you’d like to check out James book you can do so over here.

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4 people have commented
  1. Avril says:

    Kat! I love your blog and the message you’re trying to teach, but since moving to Norway (ok they’ve got cheap salmon, but other than that food here is EXTREMELY expensive) to study, I’m more than tempted to resort to my old daily dinner habits, pasta w ketchup.. What are your best tips on eating healthy on a (very tight) budget? Given that even vegetables are ridiculously expensive here, what kind of cheap “filler” carb is the least evil? Rice, sweet potatoes?

    • Kat says:

      Brown rice and sweet potatos, yes. Unfortunately eating really well is not always cheap, but it is always money well spent. Personally I would rather forfeit other things than not eat great quality food (and I do allow most of my weekly spending budget for food). You should also check out local markets or maybe even visit farms. There might be a way you can bulk buy meat cheap.

  2. Aline Bodrey says:

    I believe avoiding ready-made foods is the first step in order to lose weight. They may taste great, but highly processed foods have very little vitamins and minerals, making you take more just to have enough strength to get over the day. When you are constantly eating these foods, transitioning to whole grain products and other complex carbohydrates will assist you to have more vigor while eating less. Interesting blog post.