Can I see your linea alba?

2. November 2010 William Davis (19)
As more and more people are eliminating wheat from their diet and losing their "wheat bellies," i.e., the muffin top around their waists along with the visceral fat beneath, I am frequently seeing something I haven't seen in years: the linea alba.

Linea alba, or "white line," refers to the band of connective tissue running vertically from sternum to pubic area. It underlies the depression that separates the horizontal abdominal rectus muscles of the "six pack" abdomen.

It's like digging in your closet and finding something you thought you'd lost years earlier. Surprise! It's been there all along. Buried deep beneath the abdominal fat from dozens of deep-crust pizzas, whole wheat pasta, and whole grain sandwiches is this pleasing anatomical feature long lost from most peoples' anteriors.


Can you see your linea alba?
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Comments (19) -

  • Anonymous

    11/2/2010 4:38:09 PM |

    Yep.Didn't have a lot of BF to begin with. But once I went 90% Paleo, I could see my libea alba within weeks.

  • Anonymous

    11/2/2010 5:51:42 PM |

    I've been 80% paleo for a year, and while I lost oodles of BF, I'm still not there... :[

  • Patricia Weitzel

    11/2/2010 6:04:22 PM |

    No yet, but I'm working on it Smile

  • Tommy

    11/2/2010 6:56:19 PM |

    I've been wheat/sugar/flour etc free for about 4 months and although I didn't want to drop weight, it just happened; fast. About a month ago I dropped the rest of the grains from my diet and even though my weight stayed the same, the small love handles I had-or extra fat around the waist- disappeared. It wasn't much to begin with, but it's pretty much gone.

  • steve

    11/2/2010 10:44:39 PM |

    this raises an interesting question: what should your ideal weight be?  No doubtthere are benefits to Low Carb diet, but where or how low should your weight be.

  • Anonymous

    11/3/2010 2:01:59 AM |

    I have lost 9 kg this year but my linea alba is still not visible, with the exception of between the two upper parts of the six-pack abdominal muscles.

    Even though a fat-based diet is effective in removing fat tissue, it still takes time to remove the fat tissue.

  • Dr. John

    11/3/2010 2:03:31 AM |

    Your "ideal" weight should be what you weighed when you were 25 yrs old....+/- 10lbs, at the most.
    Women, post gravida, usually....usually...put on about 5-10 lbs after childbirth...that's reasonable...due to hormonal influences.
    But men, you should be at your 25 yr old weight
    Plus, that's when the human body fully matures in all neuromuscularoskeletal body areas.
    Makes sense to be that weight...unless you are eating grains!

  • Hans Keer

    11/3/2010 7:40:57 AM |

    Combine the NO wheat with the plank, push-ups and pull-ups and your linea alba will jump forward. If you are not there yet; You also have a linea alba in your mouth ;)

  • ben

    11/3/2010 2:01:16 PM |

    Paleo has done me well - kept me slim. Lately, increased kettlebell workouts have tones me even more. Have to be honest though - just cant seem to get the full sixpack...upper four are there but those bottom two ba$tards....;)

  • Kent

    11/3/2010 3:07:13 PM |

    Dropping the wheat made a huge improvement on my lipid profile. The only draw back is that I was already pretty thin with 18% body fat, now I'm probably down to 8%. People have commented that I look "too" thin and my cheeks have kind of a sunken look.

  • Geoffrey Levens

    11/3/2010 5:46:55 PM |

    "Your "ideal" weight should be what you weighed when you were 25 yrs old....+/- 10lbs, at the most."

    Don't get out much?  There are tons (pun intended) of massively fat, morbidly obese teenagers all over the country these days.  Go to your local Walmart and check it out. Truly sad. Starbucks muffins, HFCS, McDonald's, etc.

  • Lori Miller

    11/4/2010 5:33:28 AM |

    Re: whether you should weigh what you did at age 25, it depends on what kind of shape you were in at that age. Me, I weigh what I did in high school. Awhile back, I wasn't hungry for a few days and saw a number on the scale that I hadn't seen since junior high.

    I wouldn't trade the white line for all the white food in the world.

  • blogblog

    11/4/2010 8:27:56 AM |

    "Your "ideal" weight should be what you weighed when you were 25 yrs old....+/- 10lbs, at the most."

    I weighed 60kg at 183cm when I was 25. I now weigh 74kg which is far more appropriate.

    It is also possible to be of "normal" weight and have very high body fat and very low muscle mass.

  • Dr. William Davis

    11/4/2010 12:14:03 PM |

    Also factor in relative muscle mass. I am a big believer of strength training, e.g., Fred Hahn's "slow-burn" techniques. Not only do you feel better, you enhance insulin responsiveness, increase HDL, reduce triglycerides, and increase bone density. However, this will increase the crude BMI measure, as well as body weight.

    It also heightens the likelihood of seeing your linea alba.

  • Sifter

    11/5/2010 4:20:21 AM |

    Oh, I don't know... I dated a few women who had the linea alba readily visible, and their diet was mostly junky microwavable frozen food dinners and fast food (when I didn't take them out, that is Smile
    I think the Linea alba being visible is simply a benefit of fewer caloris, not the makeup of those calories.

  • blogblog

    11/6/2010 11:53:40 AM |

    Kent said:
    "The only draw back is that I was already pretty thin with 18% body fat, now I'm probably down to 8%."

    This is extremely unlikely unless you are a world class endurance athlete. You are probably still 14-15% body fat. Even very thin people can have surprisingly high body fat levels.

    I have a friend who is an Australian  national-level middle-distance runner. He has 15% body fat.

    When you lose weight by caloric restriction (including LC diets) you will nearly always lose (a lot) of muscle as well as fat.

    The only way to prevent muscle loss and bulk up is to undertake a resistance training program. Without this protein is just broken down and excreted in the urine.

  • blogblog

    11/7/2010 10:08:27 AM |

    Ballerinas and runway models often have appalling diets and still manage to stay thin.

    It is even possible to get reasonably fat on a paleodiet by ignoring appetite signals.

  • pammi

    11/9/2010 10:35:05 AM |

    Heart  disease is one of the most  dangerous disease which takes thousands of life every years all over the world. If we know its symptoms and Treatment for heart disease. We can prevent is to large extent.

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