Pot

January 19, 2014

Many of us already have pot, POT-bellies, that is – not the Colorado kind!  Our pot bellies have to do with fat storage.  The body is a very smart machine, a hell of a lot smarter than we are.  What our bodies do when we don’t exercise, but eat too much food is to stock pile nutrients for those times where you might have little access to food.   (Think cavemen scavenging in the wilds for each morsel  of food. Their bodies were conditioned to store fat for the times when they couldn’t find food.) Our bodies can’t tell the difference between pizza and vegetables, so eating extra of anything will cause fat storage.   Food is fuel and extra fuel is stored fat.

So then, the body has to decide where to store this fat.  The four appendages are necessary for mobile movement (think cavemen again) so food is not stored there.  If fat were stored on your feet, it would make walking impossible and shoes useless.  So storage starts in the core of the body. This also provides insulation to keep you warm, padding for those important areas, such as reproductive organs and critical joints (no, not that kind of joint).

For men, more than women, this fat is stored in the abdominal area.  In middle-aged women, the abdominal area is still functional and prepared for reproduction, so fat is frequently stored in thighs and butts instead of the abdominal area.  However, wherever it is stored, fat is unsightly and unhealthy.

Regardless of your gender, age, ethnicity, or social class, having a potbelly is awful!  It puts pressure on your organs, spine, reduces mobility, is aesthetically unattractive, and can make sex difficult.  If you look down and find a ‘POT-belly’ and do not like what you see….please call me and let’s size down for 2014.  By the way, from what I have been told, legalized marijuana may increase hunger and also increase POT-belly size.

In good health,

Bob