OUTSMARTING THE FEMALE FAT CELL: YOU CANT COMPARE APPLES AND PEARS FAT CELLS REACTION
Since we are comparing apples and pears, a man's fat cells react differently to dieting; they do not share these same fat-storing effects. When men go on a traditional diet, they have the fat-burning machinery to lose weight and keep it offas a matter of fact, they are twice as likely to keep the weight off. When women go on a traditional diet, they may lose weight, but then they gain it back plus some.
I must mention one more difference between men and women: the muscle cell. It's not that male and female muscle cells function differently; it's that men have more muscle cellsabout 40 percent more. Muscle contains special calorie-burning structures called "mitochondria" that convert calories to heat and water. So, when it comes to the decision on where calories go in the body, the more muscle cells you have, the more calories are directed to the muscle cells to be burned and the less to the fat cells to be stored.
In summary, men have what it takes to lose weight through dieting and exercise: more fat-releasing lipolytic enzymes and more muscle. Women have what it takes to gain weight: more fat-storing enzymes and less muscle. The result is the stubborn female fat cell. It is concentrated in the hips and thighs, loves to store fat, hates to give up fat, and anxiously awaits the next diet. When I have shared this information with my clients, some have felt that they were doomed from the start. As one woman said, "Forget menstruation, this is the real Eve's curse." Well, curse or not, this is how a woman's body functions. You must accept that medical fact and work with your female physiology. Unfortunately, most women work against their physiology and turn to restrictive diets in desperation. Before you go to that extreme, please read the next chapterbecause when you diet, your female fat cells fight back. And win.
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Womens health
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ANTE-NATAL TESTS
Cervical smear Most cervical cancer can be prevented, which is why the majority of women will have a cervical smear test at the first ante-natal visit. It entails the insertion of a speculum into the vagina and an almost painless scraping of the surface of the cervix for a sample of cells which will be examined under a microscope in the laboratory. This test, looking for pre-cancerous cells, is widely advocated for all women pregnant or not, particularly if they're over thirty-five , have had more than one (male) sexual partner and if they have three or more children. There is no special reason for testing pregnant women and it is probably not an essential test, but if you are undergoing a vaginal examination anyway, there is virtue in having it done.
Chest x-ray If you have a history of chest illness you may be offered a chest x-ray to check for TB. Avoid it if you possibly can. X-rays are known to damage the foetus, particularly in the early months of pregnancy. A woman's body should be heavily screened during a chest x-ray to prevent the x-rays affecting the foetus, but despite the most careful precautions there is some evidence that some rays may still get through to the foetus.
Ultrasound A few hospital clinics like to perform an ultrasonic scan at this stage in order to confirm dates. Ultrasound - which uses high-frequency sound waves to form on a TV screen a picture of a foetus inside the womb - is now widely used in ante-natal care and is assumed to be safe even though this has never been verified. Since, theoretically at least, any possible effects of ultrasound are more likely to affect the foetus when it is tiny, it is perhaps particularly important that it should not be used unnecessarily at this stage. Women are anyway commonly well aware of the age of their pregnancy. In one survey, sociologist Ann Oakley found that over ninety per cent knew their dates exactly, and the rest knew to within a week.
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Women's Health
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