Dear Future Doc, I am interested to know if you can give me tips on losing my belly fat. I have been trying to lose this belly since I gave birth to my child 4 years ago. Before my baby was born, I did not have belly fat at all. I am 35 and consider myself active and healthy. I feel like I have tried everything under the sun to lose this belly.

I workout 3 to 5 days a week with aerobics classes at Greenbrier Fitness and running a few miles on the Greenbrier River Trail. To keep me focused, I also eat a good breakfast everyday: whole grain bread, orange juice, and/or a banana. Sometimes I’ll eat 3 bananas a day, in between meals. I also try to stay away from carbohydrates late at night because if I have any after 6pm, I suffer really bad sleep. What can I do to lose this belly??? – Belly Mom

Dear “Belly Mom”, thanks for your question and I want you to know that you’re definitely not alone. Many of those seeking help at my office in order to lose weight have a similar story/history as you. That is, intractable weight gain after having given birth.

In so far as giving you tips regarding YOUR belly fat, I must begin with the statement that all cases are different. Each patient will have different reasons or causes of their weight issue and therefore each patient will have THEIR own unique solution.
That being said, there are some commonalities among stubborn weight cases that I can address and thus give you a few worthwhile tips without having fully evaluated YOUR case.

Number one, the birthing process for many can be a traumatic event involving some surgical procedure such as a C-Section or episiotomy due to tearing of soft tissues. Interesting enough, the resultant scaring of the body surface can cause interference in the underlying or even distant glands or organs, which in turn can lead to a functional hormone imbalance. A key to understand is that a “functional” hormone imbalance may or may not have normal blood/lab levels. This dysfunction can lead to stubborn weight issues as well as a multitude of other health issues. This situation is a very common finding in my Future Doc practice.

Secondly, Your workout could be actually aggravating your belly fat issue! Many stubborn weight cases are due to exhausted stress glands, the adrenal. Whipping the tired adrenals with heavy physical workouts increases fat storage and decreases fat burning. Future Doc methods can determine whether or not you’re an “Adrenal” case.

Lastly, as far as tips go…..your o.j. and banana consumption, as well as the whole grain bread, are contributing greatly to your overall carbohydrate intake. CARB reduction is a must in nearly every belly fat case. Concentrated sugars, even if in”healthy fruits”, are especially high in bananas and sweet fruit juices such as orange juice. The bread, whole grain or not….quickly converts to sugar in the body which causes more fat production and storage while decreasing fat burning. I hope that you find these tips helpful and healthful!

– Dr. Tim Pence, LBSPY #52 (April 7-May 5, 2014).

Do you have questions and/or comments for the future doc? If yes, please send to:
greenbrierchiro@gmail.com.